author
William H. Storms
b. 1859
A pioneering California mining expert, he turned years of field experience into practical works on mine timbering, drainage, and the state’s mineral districts. His reports helped document the mines of California during a formative era in Western mining.
1 Audiobook
Old Mines of Southern California Desert-Mountain-Coastal Areas Including the Calico-Salton Sea Colorado River Districts and Southern Counties
by William H. Storms, Harold W. (Harold Wellman) Fairbanks
About the author
Born in 1859, William H. Storms built his career in California’s mining and geological service. He worked as a field assistant under State Mineralogists William Irelan Jr. and J. J. Crawford, surveying mines and documenting the state’s mineral resources.
In 1900, Governor Henry Gage appointed Storms to study the mines of California’s Mother Lode, resulting in California State Mining Bureau Bulletin No. 18. He later served as California’s State Mineralogist from 1911 to 1913, after being appointed by Governor Hiram Johnson.
Storms wrote extensively on practical mining subjects, including The Mother Lode Region of California, Methods of Mine Timbering, and reports on the old mines of Southern California. His work combined firsthand observation with clear technical guidance for miners, engineers, and readers interested in the development of the American West.