By Suzanne
Norquist
Assayers may
have been the smartest guys in the gold rush. They jumped into the excitement
of the mining boom from the comfort of a laboratory in town. No need to labor
in the hot sun or underground. Miners respected and needed them.
In the late
1800s, prospectors rushed to Colorado to find their fortune. Many put in long
hours in harsh conditions only to lose everything. Miners performed
back-breaking tasks underground, often risking life and limb. Merchants fared better,
selling shovels and picks to the miners, making money without ever handling the
ore.
Assayers tested
ore samples for gold and other precious metals. They were in the thick of the
gold rush without the hard labor.
They listed
their prices in the local newspaper and performed analysis for anyone who
brought in a sample.
All sizeable mining operations maintained on-site assay offices.
Unlike chemical
laboratories of today, assay offices sat in ordinary buildings in the middle of
town. Toxic chemicals didn’t concern anyone. The one in the photograph below
was associated with the First National Bank.
I found an ad for an assayer “one door north of the news office.” The one in the price list shown above is located at a drug store. Makes sense. Druggists were often chemists, using similar apparatus and chemicals.
When a miner
brought in a sample, the assayer would grind it up and mix it with dry
chemicals (including lead). He would put it in a crucible, which looks like a
mug with no handle.
Then he
heated it in an oven at about 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
The entire process is difficult to describe with getting overly technical. But in the end, metals were poured out and cooled into a button. The assayer would stamp it with his mark.
Assayers
needed to convince people they were honest. They held the prospector’s future
in their hands.
Without Google reviews, they had to describe their credentials.
An
advertisement in the January 1, 1881 edition of the Dolores News states, “The
Best of References Given for Work Performed.”
An assay
office in Fairplay, Colorado, around the same time, calls itself, “The Old Reliable
Assay Office.”
The Southern
Assay Office in Del Norte, Colorado, provides a lengthy description of Mr. R.P.
Andrews’s work experience, which includes the Denver Mint.
Not all
assayers hid away in the laboratory. Some delved into mining as is evidenced by
this ad.
One in
Georgetown, Colorado apparently did silversmithing on the side. Not only that
he exhibited minerals and offered a reading room—with mining literature, of
course.
If I were to travel back in time to the Colorado gold rush, I think I’d be an assayer. All of the excitement without the back-breaking labor.
***
Suzanne
Norquist is the
author of two novellas, “A Song for Rose” in A Bouquet of Brides Collection and “Mending Sarah’s Heart” in the Thimbles and Threads Collection. Everything fascinates her. She has
worked as a chemist, professor, financial analyst, and even earned a doctorate
in economics. Research feeds her curiosity, and she shares the adventure with
her readers. She lives in New Mexico with her mining engineer husband and has
two grown children. When not writing, she explores the mountains, hikes, and
attends kickboxing class.
“Mending Sarah’s Heart” in the Thimbles and Threads Collection
Four
historical romances celebrating the arts of sewing and quilting.
Mending Sarah’s Heart by Suzanne
Norquist
Rockledge, Colorado, 1884
Sarah seeks a quiet life as a
seamstress. She doesn’t need anyone, especially her dead husband’s partner. If
only the Emporium of Fashion would stop stealing her customers, and the local
hoodlums would leave her sons alone. When she rejects her husband’s share of
the mine, his partner Jack seeks to serve her through other means. But will his
efforts only push her further away?
Very interesting! Thanks for sharing this!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. It was fun to learn about.
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