The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1902-08-08
FROM POOR LAD
TO BONANZA KING
Life Story Of John w. Mackay
One 81 Well Earned Triumph
Over Adversely.
ONE OF FAMOUS QUARTET
Mackay, Fair, Flood and O'Brien Made
Vast Fortunes From the Wonder
derful Comstock Lode-Wife a @
Social Leader.

vast Fortunes From the Wonder
derful Comstock Lode-Wife a q
Social Leader.
New York special: Whatever is tolt
the tale of mans triumph over adversely
OF MS wrestling from the very earth the
fabulous fortunes nature has hidden ava,
IN her bosom, Of the good tina he has
zone with the power that has come to him
hand in hand with the millions of money
that 1lrst made him famous, there Is
known the name Of John William Mackay,
All the west knew him. All the east
krew him. All the world came to know
him when, stated with the accomplishment
OF every task he sought to work out to
success among his friends who had been
MS companions since the early days when
the nation glowed with the gold fever of
more. than half a century ago, he turned
to Wall street and earned his right. to be
ranked high among the captains of in
dustry who were the powers of the great
, financial world.
Welcomed as Leader.
New York, forty years after he had
passed unnoticed through the metropolis
On his journey to the then unknown west,
welcomed him back with open arms. His
hand guided monumental industries to
success, his caution and conservatism
made the ventures famous the world over
as safe investments for the shareholder.
John w. Mackay was born in Ireland
November Is, 1881, but he came to Amer
AGA when he was SO small a lad that he
carried with him scarce a memory of his
naive land. There was nothing in those
boyhood days to mark him as one who
would carve his way through all ad-
versity and reverses until his name was
1inlYn rys+l 4l~-~ "a TN-t. --s t--1 80
OBr1en, and the story Of his life would
be the story Of the upbuilding OF the great
west. =,
New York was his first home. The first
dollar he earned was gained by diligent
toll in a shipbuilding yard in this city.
He listened to the tales told by his COM
rades of what the rumors from far across
adventurer. .sl.
Off to Gold Fields.
He journeyed to Louisville, and there
the gold fever was at its height. John
Mackay resolved that If fortune awaited
any man in, the west, he would try to gain
his portion With a band Of about twenty.
five enthusiastic young men he started
for the gold fields and did not halt until
he reached California.
O'Brien and Flood were with him in
this descent upon a strange land, and
<~AS AA S3AA - A4O
ventured forth into the wilds Of the oun
try to search for the gold which had lured
him across the width Of the United States.
He mined as other men mined, finding
gold one day, finding none the next. But
he was prudent and saving where other
men were reckless with what they had
gained. For ten years he continued in
the mining districts Of California, some
times wandering over the country PROS
pecttng, sometimes working for others,
but always adding to his store Of knowl-
edge Of the best places to look for the
yellow treasure he was seeking. 4
What he saved he invested. Small In
were to be the foundation for the greater
things that he wa marked out to accom-
plish before his eventful career should end.
Sometimes success attended his efforts,
sometimes failure was his portion, but he
was ever ~persevering n full Of hope.
But in the last days of his rowing among
the gold fields he gathered more OF expert
ence than he did of the glittering metal
he sought.
In 1860 there came to the searchers for
gold in California faint tidings Of the
silver that was buried beneath the earth
In Nevada Mackay resolved upon a fresh
venture, and he deserted his prospecting
for the more valuable metal to join the
advance ranks Of those who sought for
SNA0 IA AK AS"3 dIAO - PAOAAASEs8 .EsE @-.~-
Life of Hardship.
For twelve years his was the life Of the
ordinary miner, with the disappointments
and the hardships that began with the
coming of each new day n did not end
with the sinking Of the sun. The win
tiers were terrible in their severity, but
these men, who were seeking the store
of wealth that the earth and the snow hid
from them, were not to be driven off by
such privations. Mackay bunked In a
cabin that was half cave, and he knew
all theS sufferings Of cold and OF hunger
and OF thirst. But his instinct to save
what he gained by his toll was ever ap-f
parent, and when his companions were
penniless 1t was to Mackay that they
turned for help, and it was eMackay who
aided them.
Fortune smiled on him in 1872. IT was
then he came upon the Comstock lode,
and with Fair and Flood and O'Brien set
Q amassing the wealth that helped
him to the eminence FROM where all the
world viewed him n marveled at his
progress to the SUBMITS Of success.
Find of Rich Ledge.
The Bonanza mines were found on a
ledge Of rock in the Sierra Nevadas un-
der what is now Virginia City. AS the
success Of the Bank$of Nevada was later
to mark the rise In pEorninence Of San
Francisco, so the. success or the Bonanza
mines helped to build Virginia City In the
shadow of the spot from where this man
was to wrest his wonderful fortune.
The control of the Hale and Norcross
mines had brought3toS Mackay and his as
sociates the capital with which to push
their way through the Comstock lode,
and at last they opened up the Console
dated Virginia n California mines. OF
the Bonanza mines Mr.. Mackay owned
stwo-flfths, or twice as much as was con