Chasing the Glitter

Generously illustrated with 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. Less glamorous than the romantic adventurers who discovered the glitter in the streams, the engineers and metallurgists who chased the glitter in the hard rock unlocked the secrets of the complex ores. In the process, they made mining the region's premier industry and contributed significantly to the world's mineral-recovery technology.