Idaho has a long and diverse history of minerals exploration and production. A comprehensive look at this history, combined with documentation of the distribution and magnitude of past and present mineral production, can lead to a better understanding of the mineral endowment and potential resources. The total mineral production of Idaho (1905?1972), when examined as unit regional values and compared to the rest of the United States, shows that Idaho has produced above the median value of other States for both metals and precious materials, near the median value for nonmetals, and below the median value for construction materials and fuels. An examination of selected commodities within Idaho, by county, for a fifty-year period (1902?1951) shows the dominance of Shoshone County in total production within the State for silver, copper, lead, and zinc.
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USGS Numbered Series
Historical perspective of the mineral production of Idaho, with comments on the Hailey 1 degree x 2 degrees quadrangle, Idaho