What was the goal of prospectors out west?

Answer 1

The ultimate goal was to find riches in the Earth's crust and to exploit them. Depending on the location prospectors sought out gold , silver, uranium, molybdenum, copper , etc. The minerals they sought run in bands throughout the mountainous regions of the West and are the reason for such isolation of location for searching at times. The mineral belts located in the West ranged from close to civilized population centers such as Denver and Phoenix to such remote, and diverse spots as the wilds of Alaska to the the empty stretches of barren, Sun scorched ground, devoid of of life, such as Death Valley.