Golden Streets: The Accidental Paving of Kalgoorlie-Boulder’s Rich History

In the late 19th century, the streets of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, Australia were unintentionally covered with gold. This mining town experienced an unexpected gold rush when gold-laden tellurite rocks were mistaken for pyrite and discarded. These valuable rocks were subsequently used as paving stones in the town’s streets. Interestingly, Kalgoorlie-Boulder is part of the Goldfields-Esperance region in […]

The first U.S. gold rush…

The first U.S. gold rush started in North Carolina in 1803 when a 12-year-old boy found a 17-pound gold nugget on his father’s farm. It supplied all the gold for the nation’s mints until 1829.

Despite popular belief, El Dorado was not a legendary city of gold in South America…

Despite popular belief, El Dorado was not a legendary city of gold in South America, but a person. El Dorado was a tribal chief of the indigenous Muisca people, and the initiation rites to becoming chief included offering immense amounts of gold to their gods by throwing it into a holy lake, Lake Guatavita. The Conquistadores eventually found the lake and reclaimed the gold, meaning that every expedition which has set out to find the city of gold afterwards has been in vain, because the mythical riches of El Dorado have actually already been found.