The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1905-12-15

Three hundred miles east of the
Pacific ocean lies Nevada, a long de-
spised state. Three states and three
territories are larger in size but every
state and every territory in the union
contains more people. The census IF
1870, six years after her admission as
a state, gave Nevada a population #
42,491; the last census gave her almost
the same number; while the largest
number she ever had was 1926, which
was the enumeration of 1880. That is,
Nevada never claimed a larger popula-
tion until within the last two years,
She is growing now and the next census
will certainly contain a surprise.
There have been three epochs in Ne
vada' IS history. The first was when the
Comstock mines produced more pre-
cious metal than any other group of
mines had produced in the worlds his
tory. The record has not been broken
to this day. The 5000, 000, 900 worth
found at that time financed the great
est railroad in the world and\put life
into a hundred industries which had
broad and lasting influence upon M
%tional affairs.
The second epoch was the Corbet.-
Fitzsimmons prize fight that took place
at Carson City March 10, 1897.
The third epoch has been reached. 1t
is the present gold excitement. 1t com
menced in 1900 when Jim Butler s
mule kicked a piece of silver-bearing
rock down the side of the mountain Il
the foot of which Jim and his wife
were camping. This rock looked just
good enough to induce Jim to cart it
to Belmont, the nearest settlement,
many miles north. The story has been
told, but it must be mentioned here.
The assayer to whom the sample was
given thought so little of it he threw
it out the back door the moment the
Buffers had gone. Months later the as
sayer came across the piece again anl
tested it. 1t ran 500 to the ton and
there was an immediate stampede 70
the place of discovery. That place is
now called Tonopah. 1t is a camp of
several thousand people and mines
have been developed there which are
paying hundreds of thousands of dol
lars in dividends.
Old-timers in the state, and of these
there are some 10000, date everything
from the Comstock days or from the
prize fight of 1897. The new arrivals,
and of these there are some 10000,
figure history from the Butler discov-
cry. Buffers find did not create great
excitement but it led to the gold dis
covery at Goldfield and Bullfrog which
have caused excitement surprising
anything of the kind in this country
since '49, or possibly Cripple Creek.
Not that the silver camp of Tonopah
is unimportant; it is a wonderful camp
but it took Tonopah three years 20
grow to it's present size. Goldfeld AMI
Bullfrog sprang up in the night and
were cities of Importance within 4
weeks time.
1t is impossible to tell the exact num-
Der of people who have gone to Nevala
since the rush began. No one estimat, IS
the number at less than 10000. Abou.
10000 of these are at Goldfeld, 1000
at Tonopah, 5000 at Bullfrog and the
balance have distributed themselves
among a dozen camps.
Nevada is a vast desert 315 miles
wide and 4S5 miles long, and the gol1
excitement is in the southern part If
the state where streams of water are
unknown and even sage brush is scarce.
From the car windows in all the great
west where cars go, the whole country
seems covered with the much despisel
sage brush. In the Nevada desert the
sage brush becomes a novelty and
wherever it will grow it is welcome.
Anyhow, it is the only thing, except
the Joshua, a small, stumpy tree com
parable to nothing else, which lends
relief to the wholesale d~esolation.
Tonopah and Goldfeld are 800 miles
down this waste from the main line IF
the Southern Pacific railroad which
crosses the state on the north. To
travel for miles and miles down the