Gold in the Sierra Nevada — The Graphic, February 1883

This rare and historically evocative original wood engraving, published in Volume XXVII of The Graphic in February 1883, presents views of the Hite Cove Mine — one of the most celebrated hard-rock gold mines in the Sierra Nevada, situated in the dramatic canyon of the South Fork of the Merced River in Mariposa County, California, in the heart of the Mother Lode country that had drawn the world to California in 1849.

The Hite Cove Mine was discovered in 1862 by John R. Hite, a prospector who recognised the gold-bearing potential of the quartz veins exposed in the canyon walls above the Merced. Unlike the placer deposits of the early Gold Rush — the surface gold that could be washed from stream gravels with a pan or a sluice — the Hite Cove was a hard-rock operation, requiring the sinking of shafts, the blasting of tunnels, and the crushing of ore in stamp mills to extract the gold locked within the quartz. By the early 1880s it had grown into a substantial enterprise, with a bustling mining town on the canyon floor that served the needs of the miners and their families.

The setting was extraordinary. The South Fork canyon — steep-walled, densely wooded, and accessible only by a narrow trail from the Yosemite Valley road — placed the mine in one of the most spectacular landscapes in California, and the contrast between the industrial activity of the mine and the sublime natural scenery that surrounded it was not lost on visitors or illustrators. The Graphic's engraved views brought this remote and remarkable place to the attention of British readers at the height of the mine's productive years, before the fire of 1924 that would destroy much of the town and bring the great era of Hite Cove mining to a close.

• Publication: The Graphic, London (Volume XXVII)
• Date: February 1883
• Subject: Views of the Hite Cove hard-rock gold mine, Mariposa County, Sierra Nevada, California
• Medium: Original wood engraving
• Size: Approximately 25 × 30 cm (10 × 12 inches)
• Scan: 350 dpi
• Condition: Original antique print — age-toning consistent with period. Any slight tears along the edges of the original print will be repaired using acid-free archival tape. No original prints will be sold where there is damage to the principal image area.

A rare and distinguished piece for collectors of California Gold Rush history, Sierra Nevada and Yosemite history, American mining history, or Gilded Age western Americana — and a significant and unusual addition to any collection.