Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-08-25
Mines and Mining
THE Drscovxax OF WONDER.
One Of the Youngest Of Nevadar
Bonanza Campo

One Of the Youngest Of Nevadar
Bonanza Campo
Special Correspondence Of The Star.
WONDER. Churchill County.
Nevada, August %. 1905.
When darcy and Stroud reached here
yesterday they came 1 ma big Golddeld
auto. They came In on April on foot.
tramped in with q burro or two to carry
supplies. as prospectors usually 60. They
were old Colorado miners. and the Colorado
miners think they know more about this
Nevada formation than those from other
states They did what, prospectors always
dedicated q lot OF ciaims-and then pro-
ceeded to call the ground. four by six miles
In dimensions. wonder" OF course. they
claim to have known that there were won
derful gold deposits In the big rocks here.
but the less fortunate ones call It Just pros
pectors' luck. - -.s.s s
Wonder Is sixty miles southeast of Hazen.
which is on the Southern Pacific main line.
1t is also eighteen miles due north OF Fair
view. and is reached by auto or stage from
Hazen via Falion. Eight miles away are
Horse creek and Bend creek. two fine
streams. an unusual thing In Nevada Four
hundred and fifty people are now here, all
digging. and dreaming Of riches that are
to GOMEZ. Wonder is one of the youngest
camps. and IL the earlier predictions yield
80 per cent in facts it will be one Of the
largest. This north country is country
Of wonders and Of keen interest.
They tell q story Of John McDevitt, who
is only twenty years old, has followed min
ing for six years and who claims to have
been here before Darcy and Stroud came.
Cox. brokers in Goldf1eld. He started
with a companion. who deserted him while
he slept In the beginning they had been
misfed by false rumors of strike. and
hn unlrn nfnO fn nd
alone and without water. He had heard
Of Horse creek and began the tramp for
just drink of water. En- route he passed
over the ground which is now the "Origi-
nal Wonder" eight claims. which were To-
Gated by Billy Seymour. Frank Schultz
and R. L. Smith,. who sold a half interest
to Col. RiSdon Of New York for the tidy
little sum of $4,000. McDevitt returned
the next day and found that Darcy and
Stroud had camped and located six Claims.
Over at Horse creek lived an old hermit,
Wonder. located one claim on April: and
struck rich ore ON the 7th. Then the rush
began and when two wealthy bankers
from Tonopah and Fairview, Douglass and
creek the Mexican hermit sold out to
them for 81 ,006-the reward for squat
ting for twenty years by the SIDE OF
stream and existing for the PERIOD OF q
year or two at q time without seeing
Entering the district through the main
canyon over q good accessible road, four
high peaks stand as sullen guards over
Wonder and Hercules-the other camp
mile aind half distant-forming corner
stakes over Natures claims. 1t Is just q
camp. $50 people, ten Of them wives OF
miners. There are stores. saloons. toogins
houses and q proud pile Of lumber. des-
tined to house the first bank of Wonder.
The geological formation certainly gives
promise and wonderful expectations. There
are q series Of great outcropping dykes OF
oh 1OIff o yxyifh
ping which carry rich quartz veins IN their
trend from northwest to southeast
There are eight claims in the original
Wonder. six in the Darcy group, four IN
the Queens, twenty-one in the Extension,
three in the Stray Horse, six In the Web
Der, one in the Deis, six In the Golden
Dawn. four in the May group. thirty-one In
the Ross property, three in the Murray
McNeal, six in the Rattle Snake. three In
the Last Chance and three in the Twilight
group. There has been very little devel-
opment work done. except on the original
Wonder, where a tunnel has been driven
for ninety-six feet and cut the big vein at
a depth of about seventy feet The widest
ledge here is almost forty feet. and assays
$1,000.
panies as yet-will tell you that they have
the finest prospects in the camp, and that
the country holds possibilities beyond I'M
agination. And yet, in miners' parlance. the
earth hadn't been scratched"
Life out here is an endless and remark
able story Of prvation, chance and luck.
1t is q fascinating game-and they say
''once a miner. always a MINER"
A year ago Wells Morton and his part
ner Cox, were clerks in q Goldfieid bank.
They grubstaked boy, and now they are
half owners In six promising claims and
sole owners OF five. Their properties adj
Join some Of the best. and they have taken
valuable ore from their own mines.
Wonder really is. 1t has come to stay,
and year hence there will be more here
than peaks, tents. Wild horses and pro-
family.