U.S. Mining Industry: Oregon's Mining Industry, Then and Now

Oregon's mining tradition stretches all the way back to the 1850s, when prospectors first discovered gold in what was then the Oregon Territory. Throughout subsequent decades, other minerals were mined, and one-man operations gave way to large-scale mining operations such as the Mother Lode.

Travelers along the Oregon Trail bound for the Willamette Valley are said to have discovered gold in northeastern Oregon in 1845, but mining in earnest did not begin until 1861. (Wikipedia)

By 1920, the workings in this area, including the Mother Lode Mine, had produced more than $78,000 worth of gold and silver. In the mid-1920s high-grade copper ores were discovered and developed by the Oregon Copper Company, which consolidated the Mother Lode Mine with several other workings in the area (Mining Artifacts).

Although it helped to jump start the great Western gold rush, Oregon is currently only eleventh in the nation for gold production, clocking in just ahead of Washington and New Mexico. Running an eye down the list of one hundred and thirty-nine mines currently active in Oregon reveals a diversity of commodities, including lime, crushed stone, perlite, cement, clay, shale, gravel, gemstones, pumice, and so forth.

As in most states, Oregon's mining industry is still working to recover from the after-effects of the national recession. Although many industries have already recovered from the post-recession lows, Oregon's mining industry has yet to do so.

Here at Buy Big Tires, we enjoy highlighting different aspects of the U.S. mining industry, fully aware that our country owes much of its development to the mining industry's direct influence. Not only did various gold rushes push settlers West and give the territories enough residents to apply for statehood, but the mining industry's continued presence in those same regions continued to supply jobs, stability, and commerce to those same regions down through history.

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Image credit: BigFishGames.com. You know I just couldn't resist the Oregon Trail connection!

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