Hard-Rock Mining for Precious Metals in the U.S. Southwest: Considerations for Developing Historic Contexts and Archaeological Research Designs

Abstract

The variety of precious metals mined during the historical period in the U.S. Southwest provided the momentum for other pursuits reflected in regional history. An understanding of historical mining is fundamental to the interpretation of important persons and historical patterns including cultural, economic, technological, and legislative events. The development of adequate historic contexts and archaeological research designs for studying and evaluating historical-period mining sites is critical in archaeological investigations where such sites may be encountered and satisfies the requirements of the National Historic Preservation Act with regard to National Register of Historic Places significance evaluations. Strategies for preparing these documents are outlined here, and a list of existing models is provided.

La variedad de metales preciosos extraídos durante el periodo histórico del Sur Oeste de los Estados Unidos proporcionó el “momentum” para otras búsquedas que se reflejan en la historia regional. El conocimiento sobre la minería histórica es fundamental para la interpretación de personas importantes y patrones históricos incluyendo eventos culturales, economicos, tecnológicos y legislativos. El desarrollo de contextos históricos adecuados y diseños de investigación arqueológica para el estudio y la evaluación de sitios mineros del periodo histórico, es crítico en investigaciones arqueológicas donde estos sitios puedan encontrarse y satisface los requisitos de National Historic Preservation Act con relación a evaluaciones significativas de National Register of Historic Places. Las estrategias para la preparación de estos documentos, se resumen aquí y se provee una lista de modelos existentes.

KEYWORDS:

• Historical archaeology
• historic context
• archaeological research design
• precious metals
• mining
• prospecting
• milling
• linear resources

Acknowledgments

The considerations presented in this brief discussion are drawn in part from Mining in the Southern California Deserts: A Historic Context Statement and Research Design (Swope and Gregory 2017) prepared for the Bureau of Land Management, California.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).