{"podcast":{"title":"Bay Curious","slug":"bay-curious-6896","podcast_index_feed_id":6896,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC4698044094","website_url":"https://www.kqed.org/podcasts/baycurious","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/405c75b6-01b3-11ea-b4dc-270e003b0694/image/KQED_Podcast_tiles_-_NPR_network_Bay_Curious.png?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"KQED","episode_count":515,"summary":"Bay Curious is a show about your questions – and the adventures you find when you go looking for the answers. Join host Olivia Allen-Price to explore all aspects of the San Francisco Bay Area – from the debate over \"Frisco\", to the dinosaurs that once roamed California, to the causes of homelessness. Whether you lived here your whole life, or just arrived, Bay Curious will deepen your understanding of this place you call home.","last_synced_at":null,"page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/bay-curious-6896"},"episode":{"title":"The Mercury Mine That Built a Boomtown Near San Jose","slug":"the-mercury-mine-that-built-a-boomtown-near-san-jose","published_at":"2026-03-26T10:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/bay-curious-6896/the-mercury-mine-that-built-a-boomtown-near-san-jose","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/bay-curious-6896","url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/KQINC1509074453.mp3?updated=1774475274","audio_url":"https://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/pdst.fm/e/traffic.megaphone.fm/KQINC1509074453.mp3?updated=1774475274","summary":"Before Silicon Valley, before the Valley of Heart’s Delight, the hills south of San Jose were home to one of the world’s richest mercury mines: New Almaden. Its quicksilver powered the California Gold Rush, but today, few traces of those boom boom days remain, other than the toxic legacy still circulating in the San Francisco Bay. In today's episode we answer three listener questions about the mine and it's history. Additional Resources: New Almaden: The Mercury Mine That Built a Boomtown South of San José Read the transcript for this episode Sign up for our newsletter Got a question you want answered? Ask! Your support makes KQED podcasts possible. You can show your love by going to https://kqed.org/donate/podcastsThis story was reported by Rachael Myrow. Bay Curious is made by Katrina Schwartz, Christopher Beale and Olivia Allen-Price. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Maha Sanad, Ethan Toven-Lindsey and everyone on Team KQED. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices","meta_description":"Before Silicon Valley, before the Valley of Heart’s Delight, the hills south of San Jose were home to one of the world’s richest mercury mines: New Almade…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1324,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/bay-curious-6896/episodes/the-mercury-mine-that-built-a-boomtown-near-san-jose/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/bay-curious-6896/the-mercury-mine-that-built-a-boomtown-near-san-jose.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}