Superstition Mountain has been the source of tales and stories about the lost gold for a very long time. The origin of the name Superstition Mountain emanates from the early farmers, who lived in Salt River valley. These farmers cultivated and cut hay for the military throughout the late eras of 1860’s at Fort McDowell. They constantly paid attention to stories about the Pima Indians and how they dreaded the “superstitious” mountain. As a result, the farmers thought the Pimas were superstitious about the mountain, thus the name Superstition Mountain. Furthermore, some writers believe that the mountain was named by the Spanish. Since the first visitors from Europe were Spanish, Fray Marcos de Niza in 1539. Fray observed that the mountain from the Gila River, but did not either record the mountain in his journal or walk around it. The author of “The Lost Dutchman Mine,” Ely Sims, stated in the beginning chapter of his book that the Spaniards named Superstition Mountain ‘Sierra de espuma’ implying a "mountain of foam." The derivation of this name emerges to be a forest examination map that L.P. Landon drew in 1918. Landon gave the name to a small butte southwest of Superstition Mountain. Sierra Supersticiones became visible on armed forces’ field draft maps of the area as early as May of 1866. The first time it came into view on authorized military map was in 1870 (Ely, 1966). Myths of the Jesuit treasure, Dutchman's Lost Gold Mine, Peralta gold and other lost gold mine stories have still attracted many from different places. Centuries old stories of Indian history add to the mountain’s lore. The Pimas called the mountain Ka-Katak-Tami to mean The “Crooked Top Mountain.” One can observe the enormity of this rocky mountain, from th... ... middle of paper ... ...These rocks include indurated conglomerates, coarse-grain granites, and Arkosic and breciated granites. Furthermore, there are evidences to indicate that faulting took place in the area. Hydrothermal and epithermal action must have intruded the rocks in the Goldfield area forming small stringers of quartz. There are also evidences of sedimentary rocks such as sandstones, limestone and conglomerates found near Roosevelt Lake (Eppinga, 2006). From the above discussion, it is obvious that the geology of the Superstition mountain and the adjacent areas is complex. Most parts of the mountain express a diverse geological formation. Although the areas surrounding the mountains are believed to be rich in minerals, dead-seated deposits of minerals still seem elusive to the modern mineral prospectors. This explains the absence of mining companies in the area for a long time.
...e morphed it into the quartzite that is seen surrounding the butte (4). Rocks that undergo this process are called metamorphic rock, which is the same as the rock seen years ago by dinosaurs and other extinct creatures. The quartzite rocks were formerly seafloor sediment that was forced upwards, and then surrounded by lava basalt flows. Once erupted through fissures and floods through out most of the area, lava flow eventually created enough basalt to form a thickness of about 1.8 kilometers (1). All of this basalt flow eventually led to the covering of most mountains, leaving the buttes uncovered. The igneous lava flows and loess is reasons that the Palouse consists of such sprawling hills, and rich soil for farming (2). In result of the lava flows, the Precambrian rock Quartzite was formed. And lastly covered by the glacial loess, which were carried by the wind.
What were three pieces of evidence from the text that show the motivation behind “gold fever?” What gave people a reason to travel to Alaska in search of fortune?
These two passages “There’s Still Gold in These Hills” and “Letter From a Gold Miner” help the reader understand the history and process of gold mining in the US. Both passages give detailed information, specific instructions, and an interesting background about gold mining. These passages use different strategies to help the reader perceive the history and process. These strategies may include using specific dates of when the gold rush took place, information to help the reader picture the setting of where to find gold, and also teaches the process step by step.
Many cultures ascribe to some kind of superstition, magic, or faith. Merriam-Webster defines superstition as “a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation” ("Superstition”). This definition makes superstition sound like it belongs in a lower developed country that lacks the ability to have scientific knowledge. However, magic and superstition are alive and well in developed countries, such as the United States. Sports are rife with superstitions. Many players use “ritual, taboos, and fetishes to manage the anxiety generated by unpredictable events that challenge human control” (Gmelch 266). Superstitions are entirely psychological; a way to create a reason for an event that has occurred. In his article “Baseball Magic,” George Gmelch examines the rituals, taboos, and fetishes of American baseball and how they compare to the magic of the Trobriand Islanders.
The tar creek mining site originally was owned by a Native American tribe, the Quapaw. The Quapaw wanted to keep these lands, but the Bureau of Indian Affairs deemed members opposing a transaction to mining companies “incompetent” (1). In such a case the business could continue and the Bureau of Indian Affairs sold the lands to mining companies. In essence these lands were stolen from the Quapaw because they were ripe for mining. These mines were then used from approximately 1891 to 1970. In the 79 years the mines were open 1.7 million metric tons (~3.75 billion pounds) of lead and 8.8 million metric tons (~19.4 billion pounds) of zinc were withdrawn from the mine (2). The entire area around Tar Creek is known as the tri-state mining area. This tri-state area was a massive source of metals. This area accounted for 35% of the all worldwide metal for a decade. It also provided the majority of metals the United States used in World wars I and II (3).
Witchcraft started in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Superstition started when women were accused of acting strangely. These superstitions turned into trials, and later lead to mounds of hanged people. Most of the people accused were innocent, but the harsh judge rulings left them with nothing to live for. The only options for the tried, no matter if guilty or not, were to claim guilty, living the rest of their life in prison, or to plead not guilty and hang. Due to both consequences being equally as punishable, many people isolated themselves from society. Unfortunately, some people caused the uprising of the salem witch trials more than others did. In the play The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, Abigail Williams single handedly attributed to the
This legend story her grandfather had read to her as a child had always been something she had always been aware of, and as she continues to experience events that have remarkable similarities to the story causes her to question who she really is. The narrator does suggest though that one person would believe these events from the past could happen in the future, that person would be her grandfather. This is seen in the text by the narrator saying “ but if old Grandpa weren’t dead, he would tell them what happened— he would laugh and say, “ stolen by a ka’tsina, a mountain spirit”” (Silko 576). This line really adds to the readers understanding of how this event happened in the past. The narrator’s grandfather had lived in a time where these stories likely had occurred and woman had gone missing for several days and came back. For the narrator, though, she had been accustomed to today’s society where if a woman went missing people were less likely to think she was taken by a mountain spirit. Not only people wouldn’t believe she was taken from a mountain spirit, many people would not believe her story as it had been something that occurred in the
In 1785, a Christ Child was said to have appeared. A shepherd boy from the village of Tayankani played with the child, but the child disappeared. The child was believed to have disappeared into a rock that was left with his imprint. This is the story behind the pilgrimage to the rock, but those of our community don’t pay much attention to it. Their purpose in the event is to ‘honor’ their supernatural beings. They pay homage to Rit’i (the snow), Taytakuna (Fathers), and the great Apus (Lord Mountains).
Smith-Baranzini, Marlene, Richard J. Orsi, and James J. Rawls. A Golden State: Mining And Economic Development In Gold Rush California. Berkeley, California: University of California Press, 1999. eBook (EBSCOhost). Web. 26 Mar. 2014.
The fortune of silver and gold discovered in Colorado’s mountains were locked inside complex ores consisting of granite, quartz and other metals that rendered them useless, unless they could be separated (Egan. NPS). Miners originally imported stamp mills and Spanish arrastras to extract the gold and silver but both these methods were inefficient and lost upwards of 70 percent of the sought after mineral (NPS). In 1867, chemistry professor Nathanial P. Hill discovered an efficient method called the Swansea process to separate the precious metals and opened the Boston Colorado Smelter in Blackhawk (NPS).
As most folks do, when I think of the term “Gold Rush”, it conjures up images of the West! Images of cowboys and crusty old miners ruthlessly and savagely staking their claims. Immigrants coming by boat, folks on foot, horseback, and covered wagon form all over the US to rape and pillage the land that was newly acquired from Mexico through the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo… California. But let me tell you about a gold rush of another kind, in another place, even more significant. It was the actual first documented discovery of gold in the United States! Fifty years earlier…in North Carolina!
Eckel, Edwin B., ed. Nevada Test Site. Memoir 110 Boulder, CO: The Geological Society of America, 1968
Colorado also has a rich mining history which began in about 1859 with the discovery of gold and development of new reserves, Colorado’s present day industry is a modern, innovative, safe and environmentally responsible citizen that extracts a wide variety of minerals such as; gold, Marble, and gypsum from the earth, valued at more than $2 billion each year. (Colorado Mining Association, 2007)
In Salinas Valley around the 1850s, gold was found by a man named James W. Marshall in California. The first people to hear and be familiar with the “Gold Rush” were the people in Oregon, Hawaii, and Latin America who started to flock to the state. Everyone told and the word spread which led around 300,000 people to California from the US. At first, gold was found on the ground and was to be picked up. Later on, gold was discovered from streams and riverbeds.
The first gold rush in Alaska took place in 1896-1899 in an area known as the Klondike. “100,000 set out. 30,000 arrived in the Klondike. Around 4,000 found gold” stated Gary l. Blackwood in his article in ‘Wild West’ magazine. The miners that arrived in the Klondike were searching for a big pay out of gold, and used old fashioned, homemade sluices. The sluices are used by the gold rich material is poured out on top and groves and metal screens catch the gold and heavier black sand. Today the Klondike region is still being mined and is still producing gold for the lucky few that find it.