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Souvenir Mining Spoons
Portland Gold Mine and Mill,  Victor, CO (ca 1917)
Souvenir Mining Spoon Portland Gold Mine Co
Victor, CO and Gold Coin Mine (ca 1900)
  Souvenir Mining Spoon Victor.JPG - SOUVENIR MINING SPOON VICTOR - Sterling silver spoon, 4 1/8 in. long, embossed mining scene in gold-washed bowl with engravedVICTOR for Victor, CO in bowl, handle engraved with various mining scenes, reverse marked Sterling[Victor was founded in 1891, shortly after gold was discovered nearby. The town was named after the Victor Mine, which may have been named for an early settler, Victor Adams. In 1892 Harry, Frank and Warren Woods founded the Mt. Rosa Mining, Milling and Land Company.  Battle Mountain, located just above Victor, had the largest, most prolific mines in the mining district and the town became known as the "City of Mines." Victor officially became a city on July 16, 1894.  In 1894 the Woods brothers discovered gold when they began digging the foundation for a building, which resulted in the creation of the Gold Coin Mine. At that time 8,000 people lived in Victor. The town boomed as the surrounding Cripple Creek mining district quickly became the most productive gold mining district in Colorado. Mines in Victor and Cripple Creek provided 21 million ounces of gold. In 2010, the value of the gold would have been more than $10 billion. The mining district, which hit its peak in 1900, became the 2nd largest gold district in the country's history.  Although Victor's fame was overshadowed by that of its neighbor, Cripple Creek, many of the best gold mines of the Cripple Creek district were located at Victor, including Stratton's Independence Mine and Mill and the Portland Mine. Half of Battle Mountain's gold was extracted by the Portland Mine, which was called the 'Queen of the District."  The town declined steadily in the 20th century, as the gold mines became worked out and the cost of mining rose relative to the price of gold (fixed at $20.67/troy ounce).  Area miners enlisted during World War I, and the loss of workers created a steep decline in mining activity to which the area has never recovered.  Gold mining increased in 1934 when the federal government raised the price of gold to $34/ounce, but gold mining was shut down during World War II as nonessential to the war effort. Some mines opened after the war, but all mines in the district closed by 1962.  In 1976 The Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Company was formed as a joint venture to restart mining in the district.  From 1976 to 1989, the company produced 150,000 troy ounces of gold by reprocessing tailings and mining two small surface deposits. The Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Company began the first large-scale open pit mining in the district in 1994.  In 1995 an open pit gold mining operation began on Battle Mountain.  The Cresson mine open pits are located a few miles north of Victor. Mining continues today under the ownership of AngloGold Ashanti, producing about 250,000 troy ounces of gold in 2012.]  
Cripple Creek CO
Souvenir Mining Spoon Cripple Creek
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Anaconda Mine, Butte, MT
Souvenir Mining Spoon Anaconda  Mine

Souvenir Mining Spoon Victor | SOUVENIR MINING SPOON VICTOR - Sterling silver spoon, 4 1/8 in. long, embossed mining scene in gold-washed bowl with engraved VICTOR for Victor, CO in bowl, handle engraved with various mining scenes, reverse marked Sterling [Victor was founded in 1891, shortly after gold was discovered nearby. The town was named after the Victor Mine, which may have been named for an early settler, Victor Adams. In 1892 Harry, Frank and Warren Woods founded the Mt. Rosa Mining, Milling and Land Company. Battle Mountain, located just above Victor, had the largest, most prolific mines in the mining district and the town became known as the "City of Mines." Victor officially became a city on July 16, 1894. In 1894 the Woods brothers discovered gold when they began digging the foundation for a building, which resulted in the creation of the Gold Coin Mine. At that time 8,000 people lived in Victor. The town boomed as the surrounding Cripple Creek mining district quickly became the most productive gold mining district in Colorado. Mines in Victor and Cripple Creek provided 21 million ounces of gold. In 2010, the value of the gold would have been more than $10 billion. The mining district, which hit its peak in 1900, became the 2nd largest gold district in the country's history. Although Victor's fame was overshadowed by that of its neighbor, Cripple Creek, many of the best gold mines of the Cripple Creek district were located at Victor, including Stratton's Independence Mine and Mill and the Portland Mine. Half of Battle Mountain's gold was extracted by the Portland Mine, which was called the 'Queen of the District." The town declined steadily in the 20th century, as the gold mines became worked out and the cost of mining rose relative to the price of gold (fixed at $20.67/troy ounce). Area miners enlisted during World War I, and the loss of workers created a steep decline in mining activity to which the area has never recovered. Gold mining increased in 1934 when the federal government raised the price of gold to $34/ounce, but gold mining was shut down during World War II as nonessential to the war effort. Some mines opened after the war, but all mines in the district closed by 1962. In 1976 The Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Company was formed as a joint venture to restart mining in the district. From 1976 to 1989, the company produced 150,000 troy ounces of gold by reprocessing tailings and mining two small surface deposits. The Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mining Company began the first large-scale open pit mining in the district in 1994. In 1995 an open pit gold mining operation began on Battle Mountain. The Cresson mine open pits are located a few miles north of Victor. Mining continues today under the ownership of AngloGold Ashanti, producing about 250,000 troy ounces of gold in 2012.] Download Original Image
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