Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-01-06
STRIKES It RICH.
Clay Peters Former wapello
County Boy Amasses Fortune.
IS PART OWNER In TONOPAH MINES
Has Made Fortune of 100000 in Two
Years and May Be Millionaire With
in Year-Is Son of John M. Peters,
Who Resides Northwest of City.

With fortune of 100000 and a
strong likelihood of being millionaire
within the next year, Clay Peters, a
former resident of Wapello county,
has no reason to regret that he has
courted the tickle goddess of fortune
in search for the golden metal. Mr.
Peters is the son of John NJ. Peters.
who resides three miles northwest of
the city. OF late years he has been
prospecting in the west and two years
ago he became interested in the great
Tonopah mines in Nevada. Mr., Peters
has amassed fortune of 100000 in
the two years from his interest in the
mines and has become one of the lead
Ing citizens in that community. A re-
cent issue of the Nevada miner tells
of his rapid rise in the mining world
as follows:
The power Of energy perseverance
and ability is well illustrated in the
successful career of Clay Peter in To-
nopah. Mr.. Peters was born in OF
tumwa, Iowa, September s, 1864, and
comes from the farm, which fact in
America generally means sturdy, ener-
getic, men. Interested in the devel-
opment of the great west he made sew
eral trips to the coast and finally in
1898 Joined the army of gold seekers,
then going to Alaska, going in over
the Chilkoot pass. Finally after a
year he emerged from the Yukon at
st. Michaels, having navigated the Yu-
kon from its source to the mouth. He
returned to San Francisco on three
masted schooner. While his Alaskan
trip did not reward him from finan-
cial standpoint, yet it added to his
wide experience. While living in
Iowa he had from time to time made
extensive trips and engaged in vari-
Gus newspaper projects, being con-
nected with the publication of two
public papers in southern California,
and afterwards in Oklahoma as re-
porter and editor.
On his return from Alaska he went
to Buffalo Hump, the then attractive
mining excitement of the west, and
not liking the outlook took pros
pecting trip across Idaho which
brought him to the much advertised
Thunder mountain country, then I'M
known to fame. His trip took him fl
nally to Butte City, from which point
he later went to Sumpter, Oregon,
great deal of attention. One year in
Sumpter, and after Investigating some
mining propositions in southern Ore
gon, Mr. Peters landed in San Fran
cisco. The GODDESS of fortune is a
coy flirt and leads most unexpectedly
into the paths where riches are found.
Being in the mining bureau at San
Francisco he accidentally picked up a
Virginia City Enterprise and read a
three line item about Tonopah. This
was in December, 1900. The item
stimulated inquiry and he consulted
| the files of other Nevada papers. Hav-
ing visited all the great mining CEN
tiers in the west, the fact that Tono-
pah was a great porphyry mineral
zone with a network of lodges at once
awakened his interest And the mid
die of January, 1901, found Mr.. Peters
| in Tonopah. His subsequent career
simply illustrates what keenness of
perception and the courage of ones
convictions can accomplish.
He at once appreciated the great