Skip to main content

Gold Rush

Reed Gold Mine Ten-Stamp Mill
Society: SME (mining) Main Category: Mining Sub Category: Minerals Extraction & Refining Era: 1890-1899 DateCreated: 1895 Reed Gold Mine Historic Site Midland State: NC Zip: 28107 Country: USA Website: http://www.smenet.org/ Creator: Mecklenburg Iron Works

The first authenticated discovery of gold in the U.S. occurred on the Cabarrus County farm of John Reed in 1799, sparking the nation's first gold rush. During its peak years, more than a million dollars of gold was recovered a year, making North Carolina a leader in gold production until 1848. This mill, built by the Mecklenburg Iron Works of Charlotte, North Carolina, is original except for the timber work. Two groups of five 750-pound stamps with 5- to 7-inch lift, rose and fell thirty-five times a minute to yield a finely crushed ore.

YearAdded:
1983
Image Credit: Photo Courtesy of North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources. Image Caption: The Stamp Mill at the Reed Gold Mine in Midland, NC. Era_date_from: 1895
Mullan Road
Society: ASCE Main Category: Civil Sub Category: Roads & Rails Era: 1860-1869 DateCreated: 1862 Mullan Rd Walla Walla State: WA Zip: 99371 Country: USA Website: http://www.asce.org/Project/Mullan-Road/ Creator: Mullan, John

The Mullan Road was designed to facilitate the movement of troops and supplies across the Rocky Mountains between the Missouri River basin in the Great Plains and the Columbia River Basin at the Columbia Plateau during times of Indian hostilities. But because peace was reached with the Northwest Indians early on, the road was used only once (in 1860) for military means. Instead, it became a popular thoroughfare for emigrants and fortune-seekers during the Montana and Idaho gold rushes of the 1860s. 

YearAdded:
1977
Image Credit: Originally Public Domain (Author's Choice) Image Caption: Mullan Road Era_date_from: 1862
Joshua Hendy Iron Works
Society: ASME Main Category: Mechanical Sub Category: Manufacturing Era: 1900-1909 DateCreated: 1906 401 E Hendy Ave Sunnyvale State: CA Zip: 94086 Country: USA Website: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/history/landmarks/topics-m-z/manufacturing---1/-34-joshua-hendy-iron-works-%281906%29, https://www.asme.org/getmedia/4c99ebb6-8005-461a-a215-0af2f8eaf17c/34-Joshua-Hendy-Iron-Works.aspx Creator: Hendy, Joshua

This ironworks exemplified the adaptability required for industrial survival in a dynamic technical environment. It was a major western producer of mechanical equipment used in mining (especially large hydraulic machines), ship propulsion, irrigation, power generation, optical telescope mounts, and nuclear research.

YearAdded:
1978
Image Credit: Public Domain Image Caption: Joshua Hendy Iron Works Era_date_from: 1906
Subscribe to Gold Rush

Innovations

Joshua Hendy Iron Works

This ironworks exemplified the adaptability required for industrial survival in a dynamic technical environment. It was a major western producer of mechanical equipment used in mining (especially large hydraulic machines), ship propulsion, irrigation, power generation, optical telescope mounts,…

Read More
Mullan Road

The Mullan Road was designed to facilitate the movement of troops and supplies across the Rocky Mountains between the Missouri River basin in the Great Plains and the Columbia River Basin at the Columbia Plateau during times of Indian hostilities. But because peace was reached with the Northwest…

Read More
Reed Gold Mine Ten-Stamp Mill

The first authenticated discovery of gold in the U.S. occurred on the Cabarrus County farm of John Reed in 1799, sparking the nation's first gold rush. During its peak years, more than a million dollars of gold was recovered a year, making North Carolina a leader in gold production until 1848.…

Read More

We hope you enjoyed this essay.

Please support America's only magazine of the history of engineering and innovation, and the volunteers that sustain it with a donation to Invention & Technology.

Donate

Stay informed - subscribe to our newsletter.
The subscriber's email address.