Arrastras are ancient ore milling devices that could be cheaply built of local materials and operated with nearly any available source of power. Most were built and operated by small concerns in the American West. Those vernacular devices offer rich clues about cultural traditions, the adaptation of technology, and the niches carved out by small operators. In a broader comparative context, arrastras also provide insights into choices of milling technologies. That interpretive potential is illustrated with a small Italian mining operation in California.