From the Publisher
Generously illustrated by historic photographs, Chasing the Glitter tells the story of the men, mills, and machines that teased precious metals from the reluctant ores of the Black Hills of South Dakota. Following the 1874 discovery of gold, miners with picks and pans swarmed to Dakota Territory ready to glean easy fortunes. Instead, they harvested disappointment when ores proved resistant to hand tools. Unable to finance costly recovery methods, prospectors sold their hard-rock claims to wealthy entrepreneurs and companies.
Three years later, the first mill began operating in Deadwood Gulch. Within ten years, mills were the most visible man-made features on the mining landscape. Their constantly blowing steam whistles and pounding machinery made them the noisiest, as well.
Less glamorous than the romantic adventurers who discovered the glitter in the streams, the engineers and the metallurgists who chased the glitter in the hard rock unlocked the secrets of the complex ores. They invented the recovery methods and machinery and built the mills. In the process, they made mining the premier industry in the Black Hills and contributed significantly to the world’s mineral-recovery industry. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
