Dana Bennett is President of the Nevada Mining Association.
Mining played a central role in the Silver State’s heritage. In the decades following statehood, mining boom and busts would affect the state’s population and economy. Mining districts like the Comstock, Rochester and Tonopah helped build the very foundations of Nevada history.
Nevada Day gives us an opportunity to celebrate Nevada’s rich heritage – mining and otherwise – but also provides for us a great opportunity to take a step back and realize how much Nevada has changed in the last 152 years.
It goes without saying since then the world has changed immeasurably, and today’s Nevada is barely recognizable. Nevada has become a home for high-tech manufacturing with companies like Tesla and Faraday moving in, and Nevada firms like Switch help connect people all over the world.
Even a short walk down the Las Vegas Strip will show the various ways our world-class resorts have developed new technologies that have revolutionized the way our State can attract new visitors. You can even place bets at your favorite sports book from your smartphone.
Even with all these changes, in the eyes of most Nevadans, the image of the mining industry remains unchanged: grizzled miners, posing in front of a mine entrance, covered in the grime of a hard day’s work.
In reality, as the Silver State has evolved over the last 152 years, its mining industry has evolved along with it. The industry seen in Nevada’s history books is completely foreign when compared to our world-class, twenty-first century mines.
For the rest of this article, click here: http://www.rgj.com/story/life/2016/10/27/nevada-day-152-years-mining-silver-state/92851872/