The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-12-30
THE ALLIsoN-RANcH MINE.
What Was Once the Richest Gold
Producer in the West.


the following interesting account of
the old Allison-Ranch mine. in Ne
Vada county, California, and to old
timers this article will recall bygone
days when there was more excitement
than at the present time. The Stand
ard says:
There are many Grass valley men in
Butte and other parts of Montana who
are very much interested in the re-
port from San Francisco that the once
famous Allison-Ranch mine in Nevada
county would soon be put in operation
again by John w. Mackay and James
l.. Flood, the present owners. The
story sent out by the press reports
is that the mine had been closed down
for % years because of a flood of water
caused by miner accidentally tapning
tremendous vein of water which
filled the mine in a few moments and
kept it filled for these % years.
A well-known Grass valley man in
Butte tells a widely different story as
to the cause of the flooding of the
mine. At one time the Allison-Ranch
was the richest gold mine in the
world. Asa Davis, q brother of the
late A. ]. Davis of Butte, had the con-
trolling interest in the property at that
time. Davis was known all over that
part of California by the sobriquet of
Hog" a nickname given him from the
fact that he used to drive hogs into
Allison-Ranch camp and sell them
there Hog" Davis had only a part
interest in the famous mine, the prop
erty being in litigation at the time,
and not being miner himself he
leased it to a number of men. At that
time it was generally believed that
the mine had been worked out, but the
leasers went to work and in a short
time struck a rich lead and they took
out all kinds of gold. Stories of a
fabulous strike were circulated and
Hog" Davis got anxious about the
mine and tried to get the lease back.
He could not buy the men out and
then resorted to schemes to force them
out. He discovered a flaw in the lease
under which he could take the pumps
out of the mine and lost no time in
doing so, and in a few days the mine
was filed to the top with water. The
leasers were helpless. About this time
some of the owners of the mine died,
several were sent to the insane asy-
lum and the litigation increased, re-
Sulting in the entire abandonment of
the property, in which condition it has
remained for 2S years or more.
The recent report from San Francisco
indicates that the litigation has finally
been settled and an effort will be made
to reopen the property. 1t is estimated
that it will take two or three years to
pump all the water out.
The Allison-Ranch is located on Wolf
creek in what is known as Boston ra-
vine, in Nevada county. 1t was To-
Gated more than So years ago and
few years later was ranked as the
greatest producer in the world. The
original owners fairly shoveled out the
gold and old CalifOrnians will remem-
Der what the state biographies taught
them in school regarding the mine.
One of the questions in the book was:
Where is the richest gold mine in
the world?'
And the young California idea re-
piled with pride as he gave the answer
he had committed to memory:
The Allison Ranch, Nevada coun-
ty, California"
The original locators and owners of
the mine were a party of Irishmen.
They had been unused to good luck
and like many other good men they
could not stand prosperity. They soon
had so much money that they didn't
know what to do with it. Some of
them built houses-the handsomest
residences that could be found in Cali
fornia in those days. That they were
costly may be gathered from the fact
that every article of material had to
be freighted into Allison Ranch from
ana san FRANCISCO ON ;
team Others spent their gains in
other ways, and several drank all the
liquor they could buy and ended up
in the insane asylum. The property I
was allowed to run itself and it ran
itself to ruin. Several of the owners
died; new parties purchased, or other |
wise acquired interests in it; litigation
began, and the property was tied up.
Allison-R Ranch, at the height of its !
was the liveliest mining |
camp in California and at one time |
had a population of about 1000 In the |
early days of the mine the ore was |
worked with an arastra in the bed of |
Wolf creek. Later a mill was erected, |
and was at that time the finest and |
most expensive mill in the state. The |
stamp stems were of oak, Shod with |
iron. The great cost of all supplies |
and material would have made it inn |
possible to operate the mine if it had |
not been a fabulous producer 1t paid |
millions of dollars in dividends and |
old Grass valley men believe that it |
Will again prove to be one of the rich
est mines in California.
During all the time the Allison |
Ranch was operated but one man lost |
his life in it. and his death caused |
throughout the valley His |
funeral was probably the most i'm /
posing ever witnessed in that part of |
the state and the mining company |
erected a magnificent monument to |
his memory.
In 1864 the people of Allison Ranch /
cut a sensational figure in politics in /