The hands of Cornish miners bore scars of one of the most
sophisticated traditions of hard-rock mining in the world.
Toughened "Cousin Jacks" brought generations of toilsome
underground experience to the Americas from one of the oldest
mining regions of the world. Once here, their skill with granite
and ore won their fame as the industrial elite of western mining
camps. Heirs of a perfected system of excavation, a valuable
terminology, and the technical edge of a culture immersed in
sinkings, stopes, and winzes, they were the world's best hard-rock
miners. Pioneers in American mine operation, Cornish miners
utilized tribute pay to raise output and made themselves partners
with a grueling industry. Expertise made them company men,
superintendents, captains, and drillers, with their success
dependent almost entirely on their own initiative, coolness, and
skill. They are part of a culture that has survived because its
very roughness gave a resilience and durability that could be
transplanted and take root in an alien soil. The courage and
determination of these "Cousin Jacks" in their struggle against
overwhelming odds is dramatically illustrated in numerous personal
stories. The Atlantic crossing, and the journey overland to the new
mining districts, were exhausting trials. Although their skill in
working with rock and water was soon recognized, the extremes of
weather and temperature, strange sicknesses, the constant danger of
accidents, and the lawlessness of the camps, all made life hard to
endure. Many did not survive to send home for their families, yet
the majority persevered to spread their legendary mining skills and
to bring social as well as religious stability to mining areas that
extended from Wisconsin to California. In the continent-wide search
for bonanzas, Cornish miners and their families played a vital part
in the opening-up of the American West, and in the shaping of
modern industrial America. The author follows them across the
Atlantic to the lead mines and farms of Wisconsin, along the trails
to Oregon and Death Valley, the Sierras and the Sacramento in
California, then to the copper and iron ranges in the Hiawatha
country of Upper Michigan; from there to the silver and gold
canyons of the Rockies and the notorious Comstock Lode in Nevada,
and finally to the deserts of Utah, Idaho, and Arizona. Originally
published in 1967, this new edition contains an updated
introduction by Dr. Todd. With extensive footnotes and index,
handsomely printed on acid-free paper stock with cloth cover which
is stamped in gold foil on the spine and cover.
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