The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1905-09-01
RIeHEs OF pEATH VALLEY
To THE MAN WHO Can SEE
WEALTH, IT IS GREAT.
Richnes Of Her Mines Beyond Com
putatiOn-9Ien Literally Shovel
Gold Into Sacks.

CH- A OFT in Topeka State Journal. )
4 trip across the desert 20 a great
many people IS one Of extreme mono
tony; however, to Us II was one fall
OF interest Not because we had new
er seen a desert before, for we had
seen many. but because OF the posi-
bilities and treasures OF this one. The
interest depends entirely upon what
is seen in the desert To the average
traveller it is one awful stretch Of hot
sand or white adobe earth full OF al
kali with no green upon II except the
useless sage chico. grease wood. or
sharp needed cactus To another.
with on ordinary knowledge Of ply
steal geography. geology, and miner
alOgy. the desert has possibilities well
worth our study. Such a man sees
great dams can be constructed in
which 20 catch and husband the pre-
ciOus waters when they fall, he notes
that the soil is deep and rich in phOs-
pilates 50 necessary in the prOduc-
ton Of great crops, because they have
not been leached out for centuries in
the past. He sees in the mountains
marvellous mineral possibilities which
need only the brave heart and q
strong hand to win from them for
tune and fame. The geology Of the
desert is largely an open book. and
many an intelligent prOspector tax
ing his cue from the government sur
vey and reports, has planted his feet
quickly upon rich mineral Out-crOps
which in turn have cast a fortune into
his lap.
A recent trip TO the Pacific coast
was routed purpOsely through this
new and desert country. Starting
southwest from Salt Lake City. over
the brand new Salt Lake line, our
course took US across southern Utah
and Nevada and into southern Cali
fOrnia near the famous Death Val
ley" astretch Of country rarely seen
before this line Of rail way pushed its
way through to the coast, by any save
the bold pTOspectOr- For 500 miles
We Travelled across desert wastes with
here and there a town in embryo con-
sisting Of a few wooden shacks and
sprinkle OF tents, smimmering like
molten furnace under a scorching sun
and a clOUdless sky. This desert lies
between the Wasatch mountains on
the east and the Sierra Nevada ranges
on the west, a lofty plateau in north
eTn Utah with an elevation Of 1000
feet, but gradually descending south
ward until in the Death Valley Of
southern California, it is several hun
bred feet below the sea level. When
we reached southern Nevada we found
our interest wonderfully quickened
because Of the recent discoveries in
its great gold fields.
The eyes Of the Pacific coast ara
turned just now feverishly upon
Nevada From all parts men are COM
ing into the state determined to win
a fortune out Of her golden heart
The present time contrasts strangely
with conditions a few years ago Al
ter extracting $6OO,OOO,0OO from the
g eat ComstOck mines at Virginia
City a generation ago, which made
miIliOnafres Of the Floods, the Fairs
and the MaCkays, there was a great
slump in Nevada's prosperity, and her
star began to siI-k below her once
roseate horizon. Her mines closed
down, her m 'liOnaires went to Cal
ifOrnia to there invest their millions
and everybody who could got out Of
the state, and the population dwindled
down TO a handfuI-no more than
that embraced in an average eastern
second class city. The state had a
population too small TO admit any
territory to statehood, and its lands,
were they distributed, would have
given over 1900 acres to every man,
woman and child in the state. Ne
vada became conspicuous in congress
because Of its pretensiOns compared
with is possessions.
A SeCOHd Awakening.
But now Nevada is in the flush OF
a second awakening. There is excite
ment and industry from one end OF
the desert commonwealth TO the 9TH
er. The United States government
has recently completed in this state
its first great irrigation sect for the
reclamation Of the ari1 lands Of the
great western plateau extending from
the Mexican line on the south to the
British Columbian border on the
north, embracing a width OF FIVE hun
dred miles. Taking three millions Of
dollars received from the sale Of gov
eminent lands since 1900, they turn
ed the Truckee river from its course,
husbanded il in a mighty dam. and
then led ii into the great Carson
Sink, and before this year is out 5O,-
600 acres Of the finest land OF the
west will be made to blossom as the
rose
However, il is the mineral discov-
cries which are Just now creating the
new Nevada. The first discoveries
were the gold lObes Of TOnopah and
GOldfield in the western part Of the
state. The former is said to have one
gold mine worthy fifty millions Of
dollars GOldfield since the first Of
the year has yielded four million dol
lars in the precious metal. Here even
the surface dust was found to be so
rich that II was sacked ike -four and
laboriOUsly transported where water
and heat could be used in effecting
the separation In two years a town
from eight to ten thousand pOpula-
ton spra1g up on the once waterleSs
sage brush desert The ICdes seem to
lie parallel TO the eastern slope Of the
Sierra mountains like those in Cali
fornia do along the western slope.
Rich deposits Of gold were found by
the diligent prospectors one hundred
miles south Of GOldfeld, and the town
Of BullfrOg became a great mining
center with thousands OF eager men
swarmfng over the neighbOTing hills
Later Rhyolite became a thrifty min
ing center. In this region, out from
salt Lake line. into the Sierras on the
west, and over to the deep canon
bound Colorado on the east, the on
nipresent prospector could be seen
Just now the new town OF Search
light seems to give promise Of a gold
field equal or superior to any other
in the romantic Cinderella state"
A ride from salt Lake City south
west through southern Utah and Ne
vada and California is fun Of interest
As q fHr-nrsn-F7 line the Salt Ike v-orrfa