Mining: Stories of Stability, Hope, and Legacy

I focused my presentation last week on juxtaposing mining in the Adirondacks with mining in the California Gold Rush. There were several points of comparison that I identified:

Stability: The development of mining in the Adirondacks was a long, arduous process of booms and busts, with high industry turnover rates, unstable company towns, and an economy that could hardly support those working in the Adirondacks.

The Gold Rush was a quick grab and go. It left behind huge profits, diversified cities, and a population that would continue to rise even after the rush.

Hope: Adirondack visitors had the highest hopes for tapping into the land’s resources, evidenced by the 1836 geological survey and the industrialists that continued to open up mines, despite the marks of past failures laying at their feet. The Adirondacks were a story of high expectations with little payoff.

The Gold Rush was quite the opposite – a story of small beginnings and low expectations, where the first to discover gold (James Marshall) practically stumbled into it. No one could have predicted that gold mining would become such a lucrative venture that would be the lasting image of westward expansion and the new frontier.

Legacy: Mining in the Adirondacks now seems to exist as just a part of history. It didn’t grow enough to change the landscape, but it’s certainly relevant to the history of the region as it was a means for cultural development, economic development, and potentially the beginning of conservation discussions.

By contrast, California cities grew exponentially and remain as huge metropolises, but only at the expense of irreparably destroying the landscape.

The big question that emerged from the discussion was: Was it worth it? Was it for the best that industry in the Adirondacks didn’t take off, considering the turmoil that laborers endured but also what the Adirondacks would look like now?