In 1863, placer gold was discovered in Alder Gulch in Montana and the rush to find the mother lode began. Nevada City and Virginia City soon became boom towns. Between 1945 and 1978 Nevada City was restored as a living historical museum which includes over 100 buildings, most of which were moved to this site from other Montana locations and restored. Today this is a living history museum.
The assay office was an important feature of mining towns as the prospectors and mine owners had to know if their ore was valuable enough to warrant the expense needed to extract it from the ground. According to the display:
“At an assay office, miners could have their raw gold analyzed, with its weight and value assessed, or test an ore sample by fire assay. The multi-step fire assay process extracts gold from the ore using heat, chemicals and other reducing elements and has been used for hundred of years. The weight of the gold is compared to the starting sample weight to see how rich in gold the ore is.”
This building was originally from Raderburg, Montana, a mining camp established in 1866. The Assay building was moved to Nevada City in 1959.
Shown above are crucibles—heat-resistant vessels made of graphite or porcelain. They are used in fire assay for melting and reducing materials at high temperatures.
Museums 101
Museums 101 is a series of photo tours of museum exhibits. More from this series:
Museums 101: Saddles and Boots in Nevada City (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Cheap Cash Store (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: The Nevada City Blacksmith Shop (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Horse-Drawn Wagons in Fort Steele (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Some Farm Equipment at Fort Steele (Photo Diary)
Museums 101: Tar Paper Shacks and Balloon Houses (Photo Diary)
