New Mexico Mineral Symposium — Abstracts

The use of inexpensive and easy-to-obtain explosives allowed miners to explore and develop many orebodies large and small beginning in the late 1800s. Miners often left behind remnants of their activity and, together with corporate explosives history, tell an interesting story. A brief history of the major explosives companies, their products, how they were used, and where they may be found will be discussed. Blasting artifacts related to mining, especially blasting cap tins, from the western U.S. and territories will be examined and placed in a context of rarity and collector interest.