A quick search for:
arsenic mining archaeology
on scholar.google.com
yields 255 hits.
Some look pretty useful to you.

Cheers,
Tim

On Nov 22, 2005, at 6:49 PM, [log in to unmask] wrote:

> Hi -
>
> Couple of easy-to-locate background sources to check are:
>
> 1. State Bur. of Mines and Minerals reports.
>
> 2. US Bur. of Mines and USGS reports.
>
> 3. Professional mining journals such as the E&MJ.
>
> These are the basic sources that I usually start with.  These can  
> usually
> be found in a good college library.
>
> Most State's also had an Office of State Mining Inspector, or some  
> title
> like that.  You'd have to visit that state agency to see those out.  
> They
> are good sources for info on specific operations, including  
> material on
> equipment used by a particular, numbers of employees, and state or
> condition of the works.
>
> It was often produced by vaporizing copper, gold/silver, or lead  
> ores, and
> colleting the dust from the smelter flues. The Cottrell process was a
> common one.  Your chimmey probably served in that role, and as a vent.
> There was an arrangement just like that for the Butte copper  
> smelters at
> Anaconda.
>
> Toxic as hell.
>
> Carl Barna
> Regional Historian
> BLM Colorado State Office
>
>
>
>              Susan
>              <[log in to unmask]
>>                                                          To
>              Sent by:                  [log in to unmask]
>               
> HISTORICAL                                                 cc
>              ARCHAEOLOGY
>              <[log in to unmask]                                      
> Subject
>>                         arsenic mining
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Nov. 22, 2005
>
> Hello,
>
> I need some direction on locating information about arsenic mining  
> methods
> during the 1920s and 1930s.  They were mining arsenic as their main
> product, to be used in pesticides.  Our site includes a 180 foot  
> chimney
> that snakes up the mountainside, in San Diego County.  Any pointers?
> Thanks,
>
> S. Walter