GOLD. The mining of gold on an extensive scale did not begin until the discovery of the placer gold in California in 1848. Between 1820 and 1830 some interest had developed in the States of Virginia and North and South Caro lina, and for a number of years the output aver aged about $1,000,000. In 1850, within two years after the California discoveries, the output was $50,000,000, and it did not fall below this figure until 1860. The product greatly exceeded in total value the value of all other minerals mined during that period. The gold output has ever since been large, though subject to fluctuation. As ordinary placer mining began to be unprofit able, quartz mining and hydraulic mining were re sorted to, and California continued to be an im portant gold-mining State. The working of placer mines in :\lontana between 1860 and 1870 helped greatly to sustain the high record which California had earlier established, Montana being credited in one year (1866) with an output valued at $16,500,000. Considerable amounts
were contributed also by other Western States, particularly by Nevada, owing to the Comstock Lode. With the exception of two years the an nual output from 1871 to 1895 stood below $40, 000,000. With the decline in the value of silver, attention was turned to gold. improved methods of mining and of extracting the metal from the ores reduced the cost, and made possible the working of mines that were unprofitable ender the old methods. Almost every Western moun tain State has shared in the increase that raised the total output of gold from $33,000.000 in 1892 to $78,666,700 in 1901. Colorado took first rank in 1897 and in 1901 produced $27,693,500. Cali fornia ranked second with an output of $16,891, 400. South Dakota, Utah, and Arizona are three of the most rapidly developing sections. Alaska's (q.v.) contribution in 1901 was $14SS5,700.