The Cook Bank is the most iconic building in Rhyolite and is one of the most photographed ruins in Nevada. John Cook and his brother started the John S. Cook & Company Bank in Goldfield, Nevada in January 1905. Later that same year, they opened a . . . — — Map (db m195416) HM
One of many early 1900 gold camps, Round Mountain is unique because: ...It has been a producer for more than 60 years. ...All the gold occurred in free, visible, metallic form. ...Many small, high-grade veins were easily mined with hand tools. . . . — — Map (db m89414) HM
This statue depicts Big Bill Murphy, hero of the tragic Tonopah Belmont Mine fire that killed 17 miners on February 23, 1911. Murphy went down in the mine cage a number of times to bring up stricken miners.
On the last trip he did not return. . . . — — Map (db m62320) HM
Life in the early frontier mining camp of Tonopah was primitive and lonely. Most of the population, single men, lived in tents. Though water was hauled in from springs several miles away, food was brought in from great distances by freight teams. By . . . — — Map (db m188165) HM
For Belle to be so involved in the business of mining was unusual. In 1900 women were not allowed to vote, be on juries or hold elected office, and it was certainly socially inappropriate to be involved in "men's work" as heavily as was Bell, but . . . — — Map (db m188147) HM
The Glory Hole was created in 1922 when a large underground stope caved in. It happed in the evening as the mine was only working one shift at a time, no one was hurt. The size of the stope can be judged by the size of the hole. There are many more . . . — — Map (db m188142) HM
It was one thing to blast, drill and muck up the rock underground. It was quite another to get the rock with the riches to the surface. The most obvious solution was to put the rocks in a bucket of some kind and push, or lift it, to get it out of . . . — — Map (db m188151) HM
Look above you to the large headframe of the Mizpah Mine on the hill. Imagine entering a cage at the bottom of that headframe. You would be lowered 1,500 feet (more than a 1/4 of a mile!), the depth of the Mizpah shaft. When you reached the bottom . . . — — Map (db m89625) HM
In May 1900, Jim and Belle Butler came prospecting from their hay ranch at Belmont to stake the claims that gave rise to Tonopah. This was the first silver bonanza of the 20th century. It prompted a mining renaissance and this heritage is Tonopah's . . . — — Map (db m62321) HM
Born - June 13, 1874 Lake Linden, Michigan
Died - March 4, 1931 San Francisco, California
This monument, constructed in 1931 was dedicated in memory of John G. Kirchen. Tonopah businessman and manager of The Tonopah Extension Mining Co. . . . — — Map (db m46508) HM
In 1907-08, to celebrate Tonopah's newfound prosperity, Geo Wingfield, Geo Nixon, Bob Govan and the Brougher Brothers collaborated to erect "The best hotel in Nevada". 1931 saw legalized gambling returned and a small casino was opened. 1956 new . . . — — Map (db m89426) HM
Jim and Belle Butler, along with their associates, sold their claims to investors who formed the Tonopah Mining Company of Nevada. In 1902 development began on the Silver Top Claim. A shaft was suck to 700 feet and eventually a wooden headframe was . . . — — Map (db m188164) HM
When the prospectors wandered the Nevada Desert, they looked for specific types and combinations of rock. Often a certain rock, such as quartz in this vicinity, would signal the presence of gold, silver, or other metals which could mean a new . . . — — Map (db m107137) HM
The stopes are where the ore bodies were mined out. These show where the veins actually came to the surface. Jim Butler's original discovery was on these veins near the back of the old fire house. The ore bodies averaged about 500' in depth and most . . . — — Map (db m89627) HM
Once the ore was mined and sacked, it had to be hauled to the railroad. That task was entrusted to the Teamsters, so called because they drove teams of mules, horses or both. Each Teamster was assisted by a Swamper, who watered and fed the . . . — — Map (db m89632) HM
A great mystery of the desert is how quickly word travels of a rich mineral strike! The discovery started America's last great mining rush. Belle and Jim devised a plan to handle the rush. They leased parts of their claim, the richest of . . . — — Map (db m89626) HM
Transporting supplies to the mines and hauling ore and bullion out to the mills and to marker was the job of the railroads. The Tonopah & Goldfield standard gauge railroad arrived in camp on Monday August 16, 1905. With spurs extending to the mines, . . . — — Map (db m188131) HM
In 1900. Jim Butler stopped at a site known as Tonapah, or Little Water, in the Western Shoshone language. Taking a few rock samples, he discovered a mine that led to one of the most important mineral finds of the early twentieth century. As the . . . — — Map (db m52843) HM
Eight miles northwest of this point lies what was formerly one of the leading lead-producing districts in the nation. Producing erratically from ore discovery in 1866 to the present (the last mill closed in 1937), Tybo has managed to achieve an . . . — — Map (db m89416) HM
The hidden vein of silver ore in the middle of the road was exposed when the road was bladed in the 1950's. The vein was missed by the old timers and is an example of how all the outcropped veins looked when they were discovered by Jim Butler in May . . . — — Map (db m89633) HM
Raising thousands of pounds of rock from the depths of the earth required a massive headframe, strong engines and powerful cables to make it all work. The Mizpah had one of the earliest steel headframes. It weighed about 60,000 pounds and could . . . — — Map (db m188116) HM
Crazy Corners Saloon was purchased in April of 1978 by Frank and Sandra Myers. When the Myers took over ownership Crazy Corners was not just a bar, it was also a convenience store and gas station. They sold everything from bread to fishing . . . — — Map (db m167005) HM
Legalized prostitution is part of the colorful chapter in Nevada's history, and Lovelock's paragraph is as red as the lights that marked such establishments.
Irene York owned the La' Belle brothel, which was located "across the tracks" at 140 . . . — — Map (db m238055) HM
The Seven Troughs Mining District is located at the western slope of the Seven Troughs Mountain Range, just west of Lovelock. The name of the range and mining district comes from the seven water troughs built by a local sheep rancher, Frank M. . . . — — Map (db m167134) HM
The Ice House stood just about 150 feet behind you. It was part of the Pitt Mill & Elevator Company which sold several products including lumber, garden supplies, farm supplies, paint and wall paper. The company was moved to the site around 1912 . . . — — Map (db m166722) HM
Rochester was discovered and named in the early 1860s by prospectors from Rochester, New York. The area was relocated in 1912 when Joseph Nenzel discovered large bodies of silver ore which led to the great mining boom a year later. Rochester . . . — — Map (db m168373) HM
Near this site is the Imperial Co. gloryhole that produced the first Comstock millionaires. Adjoining claims held by Eilley (Orrum) Cowan and Sandy Bowers, whom she later married. Produced over $1,000,000 in gold and silver. The Bowers Mansion in . . . — — Map (db m229767) HM
Site of the Historic
Maynard Block
Here was the Heart
of the City
A large building housed the
post office & stock exchange
dry goods & drug stores meat & grocery markets French modiste hair dresser barber shop & doctors . . . — — Map (db m46074) HM
Old address 62 So. C Street, this building had two commercial spaces. Moses Wertheimer a German Jewish immigrant owner of a San Francisco cigar factory was in the south half of the building in 1868. It operated until the mid 1890’s. North half was a . . . — — Map (db m22655) HM
Between 1866 and 1875, a remarkable business thrived in Virginia City. Free-born William A.G. Brown operated the Boston Saloon, serving Virginia City's African Americans. Archaeologists have revealed that Brown offered his customers finely prepared . . . — — Map (db m192425) HM
American City was located west at the American Flat mining district, and by 1863 was a thriving town. In 1864 its promoters tried to secure the territorial capitol from Carson City by offering the government $50,000 to relocate there. The venture, . . . — — Map (db m238351) HM
On this site, the Virginia City Agency of the Bank of California was established on September 6, 1864.
Here miners obtained the capital that financed the most spectacular boom in mining history. Nearly one billion dollars in gold and silver . . . — — Map (db m21540) HM
Originally a clothing store operated by Victor & Marcus Banner in 1868. Rebuilt after the 1875 fire and continued under the Banners until the late 1880’s. E.J. Dwyer & Co. continued operations until the 1920’s. Bill Marks opened the Crystal Bar . . . — — Map (db m22038) HM
The Bonner shaft was named in honor of mine superintendent, Charles S. Bonner and began operations in the mid-1860s to explore the lower levels of the Gould & Curry Mine. This four compartment shaft reached a depth of almost 700 feet and cost over . . . — — Map (db m45903) HM
The C&C was the largest and most modern of all Comstock era shafts and was located on the grounds of the California Mine. It was the joint property of the Consolidated Virginia and California Mining Companies. It was used to extract the fabulously . . . — — Map (db m50104) HM
First located in 1859, the Chollar was consolidated with the Potosi in 1865. As the Chollar-Potosi, it was one of the leading producers on the Comstock. The Nevada Mill was erected here in 1887 to process low-grade Chollar ore. It was the last to . . . — — Map (db m50109) HM
Built in 1874, the mill went into operation in January of 1975, and was destroyed later that year in the great fire of October 25th, but was quickly rebuilt at a cost of $350,000. The Con Virginia Pan Mill was built by Pacific Mill and Mining . . . — — Map (db m50100) HM
Constructed the year following the great 1875 conflagration, the building had deteriorated in latter-days until all that remained was the front brick façade in 1969. During this year the site was purchased by the Virginia City Chapter of E Clampus . . . — — Map (db m21986) HM
From the first recorded ore discoveries in 1859, the Comstock area was part of a global community. Arriving from places as diverse as the Germanies, Poland, Russia, and North America, Jewish immigrants with engineering backgrounds, . . . — — Map (db m40485) HM
Early pioneer of both the telegraph and telephone. He was builder of the first telegraph lines across the Sierra’s from Placerville to Genoa then on to Virginia City. He also had the distinction of telegraphing Nevada’s Constitution to President . . . — — Map (db m22342) HM
The Gould and Curry Mining Company was founded in the Spring of 1859 by Alvah (Alva) Gould and Abraham Curry. The original claim was just over 900 feet of the Comstock Lode between the Best & Belcher and the Savage mines. Both men later sold their . . . — — Map (db m21597) HM
Founded in 1859, the Hale & Norcross contained about 400 feet of original Comstock Lode located between the Savage and Chollar Mines. In 1868, a fierce stock battle was waged for ownership over this property. At the time, the mine was thought to be . . . — — Map (db m45902) HM
The Mackay family arrived, with John
age 9, in New York City from Ireland in
1840. A decade later he moved to
California to try his luck mining in the
Downieville area. He left penniless for
Virginia City soon after the 1859 discovery
of . . . — — Map (db m169841) HM
Gold and silver were discovered in 1907, 4 miles west along the Ophir Grade to Washoe Valley.
Selby Mining Co. built the first mill, followed by the Jumbo Saloon, Mineral Barber Shop, Hotel Jumbo, and until 1910 a U.S. Post Office. The Jumbo . . . — — Map (db m238352) HM
Virginia City, circa. 1880’s, was a bustling industrial community of about 25,000 people which included Gold Hill and the Silver City communities. Gold and silver mining was a corporate environment that was owned by either the bank of California or . . . — — Map (db m81819) HM
The Gould & Curry Mining Co. office escaped the 1875 fire to also become the home of John Mackay, “Boss” of the Big Bonanza, which made him the richest man in the Comstock (over $100,000,000). Mackay also founded the Postal Telegraph Co. — — Map (db m21595) HM
100 years ago, in 1864, Samuel Clemens left the Territorial Enterprise, moving on to California and world-wide fame. He was a reporter here in 1863 when he first used the name, Mark Twain. He later described his colorful adventures in Nevada in . . . — — Map (db m22682) HM
In 1862, Ivy Mead, John McCone, and Mr. Tascar established a foundry at Johntown, two miles south east of here in Gold Canyon. After two years they moved their operation to this point and erected a large granite building. John McCone became the sole . . . — — Map (db m229954) HM
Lester A. Pelton invented and patented this type of wheel in 1864 while working in Yuba County, California. The Pelton wheel is similar to a water wheel used to raise water a few feet from a ditch or stream. The difference in this instance is that . . . — — Map (db m223881) HM
The Red Dog Saloon was a bar and live music venue located in the isolated 1860s mining town of Virginia City, Nevada which played an important role in the history of the hippie movement. In April 1963 Chandler A. Laughlin III established a kind of . . . — — Map (db m45572) HM
On this spot once stood the cribs of Virginia City’s “Sporting Row.” Near this site, in Crib 1, was housed the celebrated courtesan of the Comstock, Julia C. Bulette, brutally murdered January 20, 1867 for her jewels by John Millian. — — Map (db m45843) HM
This elegant mansion, designed in a French Second Empire style, served as a residence for the superintendent, as well as a mine office for the Savage Mining Company. The first floor served as the mine office while the upper two stories provided a . . . — — Map (db m89479) HM
Claimed on July 4, 1859 by R. Crale, C. Chase, H. Carmack, W. Surtevant, A.O. Savage and L.C. Savage, the original Savage claim consisted of 1,800 feet along the Comstock Lode. In 1865, the company built a mill in Washoe Valley to process ore. . . . — — Map (db m22437) HM
Camels first arrived in Virginia City in April, 1964. The U.S. Camel Corps was disbanded in 1863, and the animals sold to Nevada traders. Camels were used for hauling freight, firewood, and marsh salt use in refining silver ore. Although one camel . . . — — Map (db m45644) HM
In order to break solid rock, holes had to be drilled in specific patterns and then loaded with explosives. Hand drilling, which was a method used in the early mining days, was extremely labor intensive but was really the only option until about . . . — — Map (db m223882) HM
[Panel 1]:
Comstock Trail
You will find the trail head sign a hundred yards ahead, next to the recycling/dump site. Beyond the dump site is a ridge extending to your left. The trail winds along this ridge for two miles through . . . — — Map (db m46131) HM
The doors were first opened for business in 1871 by original owner Grant Israel. In the early 1880’s Con Sheen became the second owner. In 1909 William H. Marks became the third owner. The bar is still in the family as William L. And Margaret Marks . . . — — Map (db m114320) HM
In Sept. 1864, while Atlanta smoldered, the first use of military force to allay labor unrest in the West occurred when Governor J. W. Nye ordered 2 companies of Calvary from Fort Churchill to end a strike by The Story County Miner’s League. The . . . — — Map (db m21957) HM
Millionaires Club and Oldest Saloon in Virginia City
͠ Since ͠
1862
[Marker Located on Back Wall of Saloon]
Millionaires Club
of the
Washoe
This historic club was formed in the mid-1870’s by the elite gentlemen of . . . — — Map (db m22466) HM
Built in 1862-63, this building was first the office of the private bankers Paxton and Thornburgh. After their move to Reese River in 1864-65, it was used sporadically until the Nevada Bank of San Francisco opened January 10, 1876.
Owned by . . . — — Map (db m22551) HM
Near this site Nov. 3, 1860 was published the first Territorial Enterprise under a Virginia City dateline. Born 1858 at Genoa the Enterprise was to become a celebrated property of the Old West whose Editors, Joe Goodman, Rollin Daggett, Mark Twain, . . . — — Map (db m21693) HM
Beer was not forgotten, and six breweries could scarcely supply the people with beer, for Virginia City has a dry climate.
Originally located at 40 North C Street and destroyed by the Fire of 1865, the Union Brewery moved to its present location . . . — — Map (db m45564) HM
Early in the morning of April 7, 1869, day shift miners were lowered into the depths of the inter connected Yellow Jacket, Crown Point and Kentuck mines. A fire at the 800' level, probably from a night shift miner's misplaced candle, collapsed the . . . — — Map (db m184321) HM
Following the discovery of silver and gold, the miners obtained their water from the small streams or from the springs located in the canyons such as Ophir Ravine, in Virginis City, and Bullion and Crown Point ravines above Gold Hill. Originally . . . — — Map (db m35942) HM
[Located in the center of town is a monument on which there is mounted six markers commemorating historical events and people of Virginia City]West Side - Front of Monument:
In June of 1859 in Gold Canyon, a second group of . . . — — Map (db m21565) HM
Managed the Bank of California during the Comstock’s Bonanza period. During this time, he was known as the “King of the Comstock.”
William Sharon was the father of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad. He also formed the “Union . . . — — Map (db m21555) HM
Empire was founded in 1923 when Pacific Portland Cement Company set up a tent city to mine a patent established in 1910. The 40th Parallel Survey of 1876 mentioned selenite (crystalline gypsum) domes 20 – 30 feet high and 50 feet wide at the . . . — — Map (db m189378) HM
Located on the mountain above are the remnants of the "Great Incline of the Sierra Nevada." Completed in 1880, this 4,000 foot long lift was constructed by the Sierra Nevada Wood and Lumber Company. A unique steam-powered cable railway carried . . . — — Map (db m94306) HM
History records Sand Harbor as playing an important role in the operations of the Sierra Nevada Wood and Lumber company, one of three large combines supplying lumber and cord wood to the Comstock mines during the late 19th century. Walter Scott . . . — — Map (db m208666) HM
Galena had a dual personality. It was developed in 1860 as a mining property by R. S. and Andrew Hatch. The Hatch brothers' quartz mill and smelter were among the earliest erected on this side of the Sierras. The gold float from the local mines . . . — — Map (db m93942) HM
IN ITS HEYDAY, Bowers Mansion was one of the most extravagant houses in the Nevada Territory, a product of mining wealth and personal taste. The story of Eilley and Sandy Bowers is a historic boom and bust tale. The mansion itself remains a . . . — — Map (db m163622) HM
Replacement Marker:
Built - 1864 Restored - 1967
Bowers Mansion recalls the wealth of the Comstock Bonanza. Lemuel S. "Sandy" & Eilley Orrum Bowers were probably the first millionaires produced by the famous find in Gold Canyon. As . . . — — Map (db m89418) HM
Orson Hyde, probate judge of Carson County, Utah Territory, founded Franktown in the Wassau (Washoe) Valley in 1855.
A sawmill became an important enterprise in furnishing timber to the Comstock mines after 1859. The Dall Mill, a quartz mill of . . . — — Map (db m93939) HM
Mill erected in 1861 for the reduction of the ore from famed Comstock Ophir Mine. The Ophir Mill ceased to operate in 1866. Here a thriving town grew, second only in size to Washoe City, which at that time was the largest town in Washoe County. . . . — — Map (db m163884) HM
Reminders of the Past THE OLD FARM EQUIPMENT you see here once belonged to Washoe Valley's early ranchers. In spite of the area's famous mining heyday, agriculture and ranching have been the real mainstays of life for local residents since the . . . — — Map (db m163623) HM
The cemetery's first known burials were in 1861, the year Nevada became a Territory and Washoe City became the Washoe County seat. Wood and water to work the Comstock ores were the vital resources that made Washoe City an industrial community. . . . — — Map (db m238356) HM
Frederick Joseph DeLongechamps was Nevada’s foremost architect of his time. Statewide he was prolific in the number of buildings he designed. From this point one can see a group of structures that stand, collectively, as a monument to . . . — — Map (db m44217) HM
[south base]Clock originally located at 133 North Virginia Street November, 1935 Harry Ginsburg, Proprietor In the mid 1960’s, the clock was donated to Park Lane Mall on Plumb Lane and South Virginia Street by Sam Ginsburg who took over the . . . — — Map (db m163887) HM
Discoverites of gold and silver in the early 1860s led to the founding of Peavine. Later it was re-named Poe City in honor of John Poe, but was referred to as Poeville or Podunk.
The district’s boom was brief lasting only four years. The main . . . — — Map (db m195365) HM
A Missouri mulepacker, William C. Fuller failed to strike it rich in California’s gold fields. His trek home, around 1859 or 1860, included a stop in the marshy valley known as the Truckee Meadows, located north of the Comstock Mining District, . . . — — Map (db m77626) HM
Flowing out of the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the west, the Truckee River is Reno’s most striking natural and historical feature. Shown below on a relief map of the surrounding Reno area are a few of the more significant historical sites near the . . . — — Map (db m44212) HM
This plaque marks the location of Jacob Davis's tailor shop where, in 1871, the riveted work pants we now call blue jeans were invented. Jacob Davis made heavy-duty work pants out of sturdy cotton duck fabric he obtained from the San Francisco . . . — — Map (db m237081) HM
Prospecting began in 1860 with additional claims being staked in 1864. The greatest activity took place between 1901 and 1903 and continued until 1921. Subsequently, mining has been sporadic over the years, but again is being done today. Total . . . — — Map (db m167370) HM
Built in 1905, the Bank of Sparks, the first bank in the City, served residents and railroad workers from the Southern Pacific Railroad.
The Romanesque Revival architecture of the building is rare in Sparks, and includes a wide stone arch around . . . — — Map (db m149932) HM
The Inyo Marble Works was erected on this site in 1890 by San Francisco financiers. The rough marble was cut and polished into columns and slabs using cheap water power from the Truckee River. The finished product was shipped by rail to California . . . — — Map (db m167878) HM
In 1864, the town of Crystal was laid out by the Crystal Peak Company west of this spot in order to prospect for gold in the rich quartz deposits that gave the peak its name. The miners were disappointed that the quartz deposits of Crystal Peak . . . — — Map (db m94302) HM
Here, at one time, was the largest town in White Pine County. Part of the Cherry Creek Mining District, Cherry Creek’s years of largest gold and silver production were between 1872 and 1883. At the peak of its prosperity, the town had an estimated . . . — — Map (db m1370) HM
The charcoal making process took a total of 13 days and 35 cords of wood, from the time each oven was filled, burned, and then emptied. The wood was hauled by wagons or hand carts to the front of the oven, and the process of layering the wood . . . — — Map (db m127176) HM
Osceola, most famous of the White Pine County gold producers, was probably the longest-lived placer camp in Nevada.
The gold-bearing quartz belt found in 1872 was 12 miles long by 7 miles wide. Placer gold was found in 1877 in a deep ravine . . . — — Map (db m69492) HM
Silver and gold were discovered in 1873, in what was to become Taylor, a typical mining community supported chiefly by the Argus and Monitor Mines. In 7 years, the town boasted a population of 1500 people, 7 saloons, 3 general stores, an opera . . . — — Map (db m27289) HM
Digging began on the Liberty Pit in 1908, the same time that the Nevada Northern Railway tracks reached Copper Flat from Ely.
When work started, the pit was not a pit at all, but two small hills instead. The old map below shows the original . . . — — Map (db m126499) HM
Willow creek, a year round stream located 1/4 mile to the north, was a major stopover for freighters on the Toano to Pioche route between 1870 and 1876. "Bullwhackers" (common term for freighters) would turn out their "Sleepers" (tired oxen) in this . . . — — Map (db m68763) HM
These ovens were constructed during the mid 1870's and are larger and of finer construction than most other ovens found in Nevada. They are 27 feet in diameter and 30 feet high with a capacity of about 35 cords of wood which was burned for a period . . . — — Map (db m62118) HM
The ghost town of Ward, in the foothills of the Egan Range, lies some eight miles west of here. Booming from 1876 until 1882, with a peak population of 1,500, Ward was somewhat of a lawless mining camp. Early killings did occur, but justice was . . . — — Map (db m27291) HM
1864–1964. The famed open-pit copper mines of Eastern Nevada including the Liberty Pit, largest in the state, are located two miles south of this point. Through the first half of the 20th century, this area produced nearly a billion . . . — — Map (db m69494) HM
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