WAUEvansGeorgePHColl636.xmlGuide to the George Watkin Evans Gold Mining Photographs 1939Evans (George Watkin) Gold Mining PhotographsFunding for encoding this finding aid was partially provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries© 2005 (Last modified: 4/9/2021)
Seattle, WA 98195
Finding aid written in English.Finding aid based on DACS (Describing Archives: A Content Standard).University of Washington Libraries, Special CollectionsPH0636Evans, George Watkin, 1876-1951George Watkin Evans Gold Mining Photographs193935 photographic prints (1 box) ; 8 x 10 in. or smallerCollection materials are in English. Photographs made in 1939 by George Watkin Evans, showing gold mining, construction, and cyanide washing plants on the West Coast.

George Watkin Evans was born in Abercarne, South Wales, in 1876, and came to the United States with his parents as a young boy. His father was a coal miner, and the family lived in Pennsylvania before coming west to the Washington coal fields. Beginning at the age of eleven, Evans spent his youth working in coal mines. Having no formal education, he taught himself to read the Welsh Bible and studied in the evenings, taking a correspondence course in preparation for college.

At the age of 20, Evans entered the Mining Engineering Department at the State College of Washington in Pullman. While in college, he took a year off and went to Dawson in the Yukon Territory during the Klondike Gold Rush. He took a job on El Dorado Creek, one of the richest placer creeks of the time, hoisting gravel out of a mine shaft. This work was his introduction to gold mining.

Returning to college, he earned his degree in Mining and Engineering and found employment in Colorado at the Dorcas Cyanide Mill. Working every department in the mill, he then moved on to take charge of a cyanide mill in Silver Cliff, Colorado. While his days were spent working, his evenings were spent studying the metallurgy of gold and silver. When Evans was poisoned by cyanogen gas and was forced to leave the metallurgy profession, he returned to coal mining.

Evans spent the next several years as a consulting mining engineer conducting coal surveys for the U.S. Bureau of Mines, the United States Navy, and the Northern Pacific Railroad. He was an authority in his field, recognized in engineering circles in North America and England.

Later in his life, Evans returned to his interest in gold mining and did professional consulting work in the gold fields of Colorado, California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho, and parts of Alaska.

This collection contains black-and-white photographs taken in 1939 by George Watkin Evans in his capacity as consulting mining engineer with offices in Smith Tower, Seattle. The photographs show gold mining operations, construction sites, and cyanide washing plants in various parts of California, Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia.

The photographs were originally part of an album and are arranged according to their original order.

The collection is open to the public.

Request at UW

Restrictions might exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact the repository for details.

Processed by Elizabeth Parks, 2004; Revised by Stefanie Terasaki, 2014.

The photographs were originally housed in an album, which was disassembled for preservation purposes.

The George Evans Papers, Collection No. 4647, also available in Special Collections, include coal mining photographs.

Visual Materials Collections (University of Washington)California--PhotographsWest (U.S.)--PhotographsGold mines and mining--California--PhotographsGold mines and mining--West (U.S.)--PhotographsGold mines and mining--British Columbia--PhotographsGold mines and mining--Washington (State)--PhotographsGold mines and mining--Oregon--PhotographsGold mines and mining--Equipment and supplies--PhotographsMines and Mineral ResourcesPhotographsWashington (State)OregonBusiness, Industry, and LaborPhotographic prints

 

1/11View of Sutters Mill, South Fork of the American River19391/12James W. Marshall Monument, Coloma, California19391/13Foundation of Sutters Mill19391/24Main Street, Coloma, California19391/35George McKnight Monument, Grass Valley, California19391/36North Star Central Mill, Grass Valley, California19391/37Empire Mill, Grass Valley, California19391/38Brunswick Shaft of Idaho-Maryland Mine, Grass Valley, California19391/39Central Shaft of North Star Mine, Grass Valley, California19391/310Idaho-Maryland mill and cyanide plant, Grass Valley, California19391/311Main shaft of Idaho-Maryland Mine, Grass Valley, California19391/412Washing plant of Scandia Mine, Klamath River, California19391/513Knob Hill Mill, Knob Hill Mining Company, Republic, Washington19391/514Power shovel operation, Knob Hill Mining Company, Republic, Washington19391/615View of drag-line and washer, Boulder Creek operations, Turnagain River Gold District, Northern British Columbia19391/616Washer, dragline, and pipeline, Boulder Creek operations, Turnagain River Gold District, Northern British Columbia19391/617Bulldozer removing gravel from sluice box end, Boulder Creek operations, Turnagain River Gold District, Northern British Columbia19391/618Dump box, grizzly, and sluice boxes of washer, Boulder Creek operations, Turnagain River Gold District, Northern British Columbia19391/619Equipment dragging gravel to dump box19391/620Jack Wheaton's mining pit19391/721View of Howe Sound Mine, Holden, Washington19391/822a-cThree views of Bodinson Gravel Washery, Sardine Creek District, Grants Pass, Oregon19391/823Bodinson Gravel Washery, Sardine Creek District, Grants Pass, Oregon (enlargement of 22c)19391/824Bodinson Gravel Washery, Sardine Creek District, Grants Pass, Oregon (enlargement of 22b)19391/825Men working at washery19391/926Equipment at construction site of U.S. 99E overcrossing, Albany, Oregon19391/1027Mining equipment at gravel site19391/1128Mining equipment at gravel site19391/1229Interior of processing plant19391/1330Mountain view19391/1431Mining equipment at gravel site19391/1532Man and equipment at gravel site19391/1533-34Mining equipment at gravel site19391/1535Cyanide mill of the First Thought Mining Company, Orient, Washington1939