mining town

Emma Wixom rose from the obscurity of a small Nevada mining town to win acclaim as Emma Nevada.  Born in the California mining camp of Alpha Diggin’s in 1859, Emma and her parents joined the rush east to the silver boom at Austin, Nevada.  There, her fine voice was recognized by Mrs. S. Prisk, one...

A shabby-looking prospector emerged from the dark, weathered entrance of the Matchless Mine in Leadville, Colorado and straightened his stooped shoulders. He dropped his pickaxe beside a rusty ore cart and rolled and lit a cigarette. His weary face was set in a scowl as he surveyed the mountains rising precipitately around the well-worked diggings....

Night had fallen over Tombstone, Arizona, and every restless and rowdy character in the vicinity of the southwestern town had poured into the saloons and gambling dens to while away the hours until dawn arrived. The doorways of the numerous taverns that lined Allen Street were illuminated with smoky kerosene torches. Signs that hung over...

The discovery of gold in California in 1849, sparked a raging fever in thousands of Argonauts hoping to strike it rich. Among the flood of fathers, sons, brothers, and husbands that ventured west were mothers, daughters, sisters, and wives. Although they were few in number, women shoveled and picked through tons of gravel working shoulder...

That’s the town motto of Wickenburg, Arizona, home to the Desert Caballeros Western Museum and the annual Cowgirl-Up! Art from the Other Half of the West, Invitational Show & Sale, (now in its eighth year.) Wickenburg is an authentic wild west enclave a mere fifty-four miles from Phoenix but a world away. This historic mining town...

Nestled midway along the Turquoise Trail National Scenic Byway, between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, is Madrid, a quaint artsy village of about 400 residents. Bustling with 40 shops and galleries, several restaurants, a spa, and a museum, the enclave caters to the many visitors who enjoy exploring this ancient path. Madrid’s rich history, dating from...