During the 1860s and 1870s, this area was home to hundreds of miners seeking fortunes in gold. Towns and mining camps with hotels and other businesses sprang up to accommodate them. Miners removed gold from placer bars, or gravel deposits, using pressurized water from huge hoses called giants, and the gravel and gold were separated in sluice boxes. The gold here was difficult to extract, but its high quality made the effort worthwhile. In the late 1860s, most of the miners were Chinese, and Idaho had more Asian miners than any state or territory. They were usually forced to work less profitable claims than their Caucasian counterparts. There is no major mining activity in this area today.