The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-02-05
FROM NEVADA.
Interesting Sketch Of the dold
Mines.
Letter from a Minnesotian.


from judge REYNOLDS, late of Red Wing,
in the Red Wing Volsnteer Of this week.
t. will be read with great interest by all
who have got the gold fever 1t is un-
doubtedly fair account, so far as it goes,
of the mineral regions of Nevada Terri
tory:
CARSON CITY. NEVADA TERRITORY,l
December q, 1868.
had intended TO give some incidents of nv
tedious and tiresOme journey over the Rocky
Mountains, my stay at Salt Lake City and my
trip from that place over the Alkali Desert, but
my time was so occupied that / didn't find it
convenient l first stopped at Austin, in Lam
der county. located in long narrow canon
with high mountains on each side of it, with
one narrow street intersected by two or three
streets now opened. containing a few good
buildings and about 5000 inhabitants, the
growth of the past season. 1t is strictly a
mining town, and is what is known there as
the Reese River Mining District. / remained
there but one day. and then went to Virginia,
located high up the mountains in Story
county. and in the centre of another vast min
ing district. 1 found here tOurishing city of
about Il, 900 inhabitants. and on the sides of
the mountains upon which it is located could
see a vast number of poles and tunnels from
which was being extracted the ore which was
to be carried to the stamp mills for crushing.
am not able to tell YOU exactly how many
of these mills are in and around Virginia, but
don't think will err when say 35, erected at
cost ranging from $780, 900 to $500, 600. The
streets were pretty well filled with 6, 8 and 10
mule teams. with very large wagons, drawing
the quartz to the mills and returning again to
the lodges. l only remained here one day. and
then went over to Washoe City, flourishing
little town of about 1000 inhabitants. Here
too found several quartz mills and one be-
tGnOInO rlv Of
IA. and now one of the U. s. District Judges of
the Territory. l was much interested in pass
ing through it and examining the several pro-
cesses OF crushing, grinding, separating and
finally producing the bars of silver from the
third class rock of the Gould & Curry claim
which was being worked profitably for half the
result and yielding about sixty dollars to the
ton of ore. / remained here but one dav and
then came to Carson City, the capital of the
Territory. 1t is located in Carson Valley in
Ormsby county, and contains about 1000 in
habitants The Constitutional convention was
in session here. At the time the vote was TAX
en- on the Constitution. the members of Con-
gresS, the Judges of the Supreme and District
Courts. the members of the Legislature and the
State officers will be elected. The press of the
State announces among the candidates for
office j. w. North for Governor. and j. w.
Nye, the present Governor for one of the l..
8. Senators.
Since left Salt Lake City I have not seen
any snow except upon the summit of some
peaks of the mountains. and the weather has
been mild and pleasant, very much like our
Indian summer. l imagine very different from
what you are having in Minnesota.
From the time | left Atchison until ar
rived at Salt Lake City and in that place I
Heard much OF the direction of emigration in
The spring. being as | thought about equally
divided between BannOck and Reese River
but west of Salt Lake City, and west of Aus
tin. to include Virginia. Washoe. and Carson
and in fact from the whole district between
here and San Francisco. there is no doubt but
a great emigration will move towards Reese
River. variOusly estimated but don't believe
1t will be less than ten thousand persons and
many intelligent men estimate at not less than
thirty thousand. There are already there and
in that vicinity. several mining districts, in
each OF which there are from twenty to sew
'enty-fve locations already made, some CT
which have already proved worthless while
MANY are said to be rs rich and as large as any
vet found in the territory, and have no doubt
but many now are to be found, for it is evil
dent that the hills and mountains abound in it
above estimate.
The mining companies here are almost with
out number, and YOU can scarcely find man
but is talking of his number of feet in this or
that particular company or location: and
can scarcely look at paper, (and almost every
town supports at least one) but has one or two
pages filled with short mining notices of meet
ing of stockholders to elect trustees. of q levy
of an assessment upon each share or foot
usually from five cents to dollar, payable in
gold or silver coin" at some designated place
or of q sale TO be made of the shares or feet of
some Of the delinquents. l will send YOU
paper. And as soon as a town has attained
any considerable size it must have Board of
Brokers. who daily publish the standing of the
companies. which varies from twenty-five
cents to $4.509 per foot. In coming from
~, VI of In
Ophir works. Their mines are several miles
distant. From one Of the superintendent l
was informed. among other things, that the
Ophr Company had 140 feet on their ledge;
that in their mine and in their works they had
about 400 men employed; that their mines
yielded four different classes Of rock, ranging
from $40 to $50 and 81 coo to the ton; that
their mill had seventy-twO stamps and was
running constantly day and night and Sunday
as well As week day. The last monthly divi-
dend to the stockholders was sixty dollars per
foot. The stock is now held and selling for
$4,000 per foot. l was also informed in the
same office that the chief superintendent is
receiving an annual salary of $4,000 in gold
The Spanish mining company have fifty feet
adjoining the Ophir mine, and have works in
Guiding fine mill at Empire City. about ten
miles from their mine I am told that the
owners of the mine refuse to sell at any price
but that last summer a few feet was bought at
nineteen thousand dollars per foot. The
Gould u Curry company have think 1000
feet near to the Ophir mine and have the finest
mill in the Territory. One of the Virginia pa
pers noticed few days ago that in one week
it Welded S24O,OOO 1t has as 1 am informed
three classes of rock. the third class yielding
from forty-fiye to sixty dollars to the ton,
which is let out to transient or adjoining mills
on the half of the proceeds, the second class
from sixty to two hundred and fifty and three
hundred dollars, which is worked at their own
mill, and the first class from two hundred and
fifty and three hundred dollars, which is
worked at their own mill, and tne finest class
from two hundred and fifty and three hundred
dollars, upwards, which l am informed is
so rich that it pays them to freight it TO Cali
fornia and to ship TO England for crushing;
The stock of this company commands 81 300
per fool either in Virginia or San Francisco.
have alluded particularly to these companies
but Others are paying well and are valued az
very high figures. sometimes pause and in
my own mind wonder what must be the future
OF Nevada when prices come down to level
with other portions of our country, and 1t
seems III il WOuld indeed he WOndprfuI be-