Ever since the discovery of gold in California in 1848 mining has been
one of the most important industries of the West. Between 1848 and
1900 California yielded gold valued at $1,385,197,097, about one
eighth the total gold production of the world from 1493 to 1900. The
West in 1900 produced 99.6 per cent of the Nation's gold, 99.8 per
cent of its silver (commercial value), and 15.1 per cent of its coal,
viz:
==============+=============+=============+===============
| Gold. | Silver. | Total value.
+-------------+-------------+---------------
California | $15,816,200 | $ 583,668 | $ 16,399,868
Colorado | 28,829,400 | 12,700,018 | 41,529,418
Idaho | 1,724,700 | 3,986,042 | 5,710,742
Montana | 4,698,000 | 8,801,148 | 13,499,148
Nevada | 2,006,200 | 842,394 | 2,848,594
Oregon | 1,694,700 | 71,548 | 1,766,248
South Dakota | 6,177,600 | 332,444 | 6,510,044
Utah | 3,972,200 | 5,745,912 | 9,718,112
Alaska | 8,171,000 | 45,446 | 8,216,446
Arizona | 4,193,400 | 1,857,210 | 6,050,610
Texas, etc. | 1,587,100 | 704,568 | 2,291,668
+-------------+-------------+---------------
Total | $78,870,500 | $35,670,398 | $114,540,898
--------------+-------------+-------------+---------------
Other mineral productions are 30,000,000 tons of coal; 200,000 short
tons of lead; 413,000,000 pounds of copper; 3,600,000 barrels of
petroleum, and 30,000 flasks of quicksilver. The copper mines of
Montana and Arizona have lessened the importance of the Lake Superior
region as a source of supply, cutting its percentage of the total
American output from 62.9 in 1862, to 25.9 in 1899.
One of the greatest gold mining regions of the world is located in
eastern Oregon, covering a gross area of between 3,000 and 4,000
square miles. Prof. J. Waldemar Lindgren, of the United States
Geological Survey, believes that the strong, well-defined veins upon
which most of the important mines of this region are located will
continue to the greatest depths yet attained in mining.