The simplest form of rock drill consists of a long chisel or drill steel that was struck with a sledgehammer. Mark Twain, who worked unsuccessfully as a silver miner in the early 1860s before taking up journalism, described the process: “One of us held the iron drill in its place and another would strike with an eight-pound sledge–it was like driving nails on a large scale. In the course of an hour or two the drill would reach a depth of two or three feet, making a hole a couple of inches in diameter.” This hole was then filled with the blasting powder. In “jump-driving”, a team of 2-4 men worked a single hole, each taking turns pounding. Around 1900, the average a jump-driver could produce 50 feet (15 m) of hole a day.

Powered rock drills eventually replaced the manual use of a chisel to bore holes by the turn of the 20th century. The dramatic differences between the hand steel and power drills was the basis for the legend of American folk hero John Henry, who according to folklore undertook a competition pitting his hand steel against a steam power drill, only to collapse dead when victorious.

The first steam drill was developed in 1813 by Richard Trevithick. Steam drills found greater use in surface quarries than in underground mines, as there they could be much closer to the requisite boilers.

In 1849, J. J. Couch, an American inventor from Philadelphia, received the first patent for a rock drill. It featured a drill rod which passed through a hollow piston and was thrown against the rock.

In 1851, James Fowle received a patent for a rock drill powered by steam or compressed air.

In 1867, French civil engineer M. Leschott introduced the diamond drill bit.