LEARNING FROM THE LANDSCAPE: INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES AND PLACER MINING LANDSCAPES IN THE ELK CREEK MINING DISTRICT, WESTERN MONTANA

Author

Brent Stephen RowleyFollow

Year of Award

2019

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

Master of Arts (MA)

Degree Name

Anthropology

Department or School/College

Anthropology

Committee Chair

Kelly J. Dixon

Commitee Members

Richard Sattler, Maria Craig

Keywords

Placer, Industrial Archaeology, Landscape Archaeology, Placer Mining, Montana, Mining Archaeology

Abstract

In 1865 gold was discovered in the Garnet Mountains of Western Montana. This was one of the last of a series of gold rushes in the American West that began with the California Gold Rush in 1849. During this time period miners carried knowledge of geology of placer deposits and placer mining techniques out of California and into the interior west where they encountered quite different geologic conditions. This study examines how miners perceived and learned from these new environments during the construction of placer landscapes in the Garnet Mountains, especially in the Elk Creek Mining District, through a process called landscape learning. This study is also intended to be an industrial archaeological guide to interpreting placer mining landscapes and techniques.

Recommended Citation

Rowley, Brent Stephen, "LEARNING FROM THE LANDSCAPE: INDUSTRIAL PROCESSES AND PLACER MINING LANDSCAPES IN THE ELK CREEK MINING DISTRICT, WESTERN MONTANA" (2019). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 11517.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/11517