The lure of gold in the American West beckoned to thousands of hungry settlers eager to stake a claim, reap the abundant wealth of the territory, and escape often difficult financial conditions at home, whether in Eastern cities, Europe or China. These prospectors found that Western gold and silver veins were elusive and subject to dry up with little notice. Forced to move often in search of the next big lode, they left behind them hundreds of mining camps and settlements, many of which still exist across the Western landscape.

This reference work catalogues silver and gold mining camps state-by-state in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Each entry includes location, names of miners known to have worked the site, year of discovery, and ore value. Unique details of each camp are given, including historical facts, buildings and businesses present, and, frequently, interesting anecdotes about the resident miners. The work is indexed by topic and mine, and appendices offer a glossary and a copy of the Miners' Ten Commandments, originally published in the Placerville (California) Herald in 1853.