Improving it 1

ISHS 1851 At K.P. Plowman's claim near Idaho City miners sit on hydraulic equipment.

The origins of early gold mining technology were primitive at best. Gold fever brought tens of thousands to Idaho in the mid to late 19th century. For some, earlier gold rushes in California and other western states prepared them to remove the precious metal from the earth Still, others had to learn the easiest, most cost effective, and highest returning methods of extracting the yellow rock.

There are two basic ways to mine for gold: placer mining and quartz mining. Placer mining involved surface gold deposits while quartz mining involved going underground to extract the gold. It was in the development of quartz mining that technologies advanced the most. Sophisticated machinery and safety equipment was necessary in order to maximize profits. Underground mining required long term investments and skilled laborers.

Mining accidents were commonplace. Collapsed tunnels, crushing machinery, and volatile explosives all contributed to the high risk of mining injuries. Unfortunately, profit sometimes superseded safety concerns. As injuries mounted and because of the increased risk, safety equipment and training proved essential. Companies required hats equipped with candles to see in dark caverns until the advent of illuminated hard hats.

From the pan to the stamp mill, gold mining technologies improved through time, but safety advancements could not keep up. Not realizing the dastardly consequences, miners freely discarded mercury, used to extract gold and silver from ore deposits, in the soil. As a result, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) deemed several Idaho mines Superfund sites, proof that technology often expedited rich returns to the detriment of the environment.

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