Most mines are located in remote areas and they did not get a lot of tourist activity.
Examples of spoons depicting specific mines
left column:
1. Cripple Creek District, Portland Mine, embossed bowl with unusual handle with the letters for Colorado intertwined down the stem,. made by C.B., sterling
2. Homestake Mill, Lead, South Dakota, engraved bowl on pattern handle - sterling
3. engraved Helena-Frisco mine & mill, (Coeur d'Alene District, Shoshone Co., Idaho ) gold washed bowl, pattern handle with engraved initials, pat March 7, (18)99
4. embossed Cranby Mines, Phoenix BC, typical Canadian souvenir handle, sterling
5. Embossed C and A shaft, Bisbee Arizona, typical state handle, sterling Paye/Baker
right column:
1. embossed Cranby Mines, Victoria shaft, Phoenix BC, full figural indian handle (demi), sterling, Gorham
2. embossed Nipissing Mine, demi, made by 'Hall" , Cobalt, Ontario, Canada
3. embossed Independent Gold Mine, Cripple Creek (Colorado), demi , sterling, hand made by "H", cute mule finial
4. engraved Pennsylvania Mine, Grass Valley, California, with pan and bear, sterling, Mechanic div. Watson
5. embossed Anaconda Mine, Butte, Montana, spoon made from copper. Note: says sterling on back as this spoon was also made in sterling and same die was used
Note the elaborate detail in the tiny bowl of this demi sized spoon
The Cranby mine was a low grade copper deposit in Phoenix British Columbia
note the nice engraving on this tea sized Helena-Frisco Mine and Mill spoon.
This silver/lead mine on the south side of Canyon Creek was a consolidation of the Black Bear Mine, the Frisco Mine, and the Gem of The Mountain Mine
ca 1923
Nice detail engraving of the famous Homestake Mill in Lead, South Dakota
At one time this was the largest and deepest gold mine in North America and produced over 40 million ounces of gold
note the fantastic amount of detail in this very tiny demi spoon bowl.
The Nipissing mine was a small silver mine in Cobalt, Ontario, Canada
1. engraved "mining scene" Webb City on a Missouri handle stem with the 'famous' mule, sterling by Lunt
2. embossed "prospect Webb City, Mo" with a "modern mill" scene on the handle, sterling
Webb city area had up to 700 zinc/lead mines in operation from 1876 to the 1930's
detail of hand engraved mining scene in Webb City
The discovery of Anthracite coal in the Wilkes Barre, Pa area created a boom town with hundreds of thousands of immigrants.
The coal plant was a major employer of children and had dreadful safety protections (with deaths reported daily). Abuses at this plant and others
finally forced Congress to adopt regulations protecting the workers.
It would have taken a lower paid employee over two days (20-24 hours) of labor to purchase this spoon
Sterling souvenir style spoons
Washoe smelter, Anaconda Mine, Butte, Montana
Anaconda Copper Mining Company was organized in 1895 in Butte and was the state's
largest employer employing about 3/4 of all the state's workers.
The world's largest free standing masonry structure called 'the stack' was built at this site in 1919
But I suspect that this spoon was made ca. 1900
Lexington Mill, Butte, Montana
Old Lexington Stamp Mill was Butte's first stamp mill which crushed ore into sand consistency
Coal Breaker, Scranton, Pa
A breaker is a machine which sorts coal into useful sizes
Scranton, Pa ca 1905
Sutters fort near the first gold discovery of California
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