Gold Digging

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It's real. Nearly 82% of the gold mining in the United States happens in this area. It is land that is sacred of the Shoshone tribe. They have been trying to fight against companies like Newmont Mining for nearly a century in order to prevent further development of mining. The tribe signed a treaty in the late 1800's in order to share the land with the US government as a form of peace keeping. Apart of this treaty said that mining would be allowed, as the US government viewed this the most important use of the western land. At the time, mining was performed by hand, with a pick axe. Nearly 150 years later, companies like Newmont, have adopted the open pit mining and cyanide heap leaching techniques to obtain their gold. Environmental affects are vast, causing contamination of drinking water and acid rain. The mines themselves are a couple miles wide and over 1,000ft deep. I have a feeling it will be really difficult to see them close up, but I have to try.