The daily silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1903-1907, 1907-05-21
THE RESURRECTION OF NEVADA

A phenomenon OF eslrrect1On Is De-
ing accomplished by '~eience in Nevada.
Not the revivication of a lifeless hui
man body, but the generation OF a
communicable awakening & a city
that has been sleepisig the lethargic
sleep Of death for more than a quarter
of a century.
And a wonderful phase of this
qnickening section is that it was once
a mining town-wonderful because 1T
has been the history of the West that
a "dead' mining town is dead for all
time. California, Nevada, Arizona anu
Colorado are plentifully dotted with
deserted villages that are pathetic re-
minders Of some bygone bonanza era,
and even the most hopeful Of the hand
full that cling to them never dream of
a return of the days when booms were
in their glory. These communities
owed their origin ITO the mines, and
with the exhaustion of the ore bodies
the people faded away.
Who of us of this day and genera
ton ever heard of Belmont, Nevadaf
Few indeed! Yet Belmont was once
numbered among the great producers
of precious metals, and 5000 people for
years there found home and employ
ment and many of them wealth. It's
streets were swarming with workers,
adventures, gamblers and the rest of
the motely throng that contribute to
make the population of a prosperous
mining camp. The town prided itself
on its broad, we'l-iept streets, its
handsome three-storied courthouse, it's
hotels, public halls, shops, bank and
it's daily newspaper. While the thirsty
sons of the desert REGARDED with salts
faction the home enterprise that
prompted the building and operation of
a brewery.
But now the sounds IF population fail;
No cheerful murmurs 1uctuate the gale.
No busy steps the grass-grown footway
tread,
But all the bloomy nrsh of life is fed.
For twenty-five years the town had
less than one hundr q people within it's
borders, but TOY the return tide has
set in with the promise of renewed life
for science his discovered a method
of restoring its old inc energy and
vigor. Modern metelurgy is respon<
sible for the ~reinven ton of Belmont.
The mines are t. resame operations.
In the early days 45slmont sustained
the rather dubious distinction Of being
one of the TOUCHES camps on the
frontier, and more than one bad mar
took up permanent residence in the
OF the vigilants. in one instance
Judge Lynch presided at a triple
hanging, it having been demonstrated
to his satisfaction that the welfare of
the community necessitated the sudden
ard lasting departure Of the trio. Gen
tlemen of the road, too, found the
vicinity Of Belmont profitable ground,
and their propensity TO acquire bullion
without giving equivalent return kept
the sheriff busy and caused numerous
entries in the ''profif and loss account
of the mining eolapanies. But the
losses sustained in mis- respect were
trivial compared with those due to the
primitive mining me hods then in vo-
que. It was impossi lie to treat at a
profit an ore grading less than $40 per
tom, and in handling quartz of that
and higher class no irconsiderable per-
centage of the precious metal was car
ried owe the amalgam plates beyond
recovery. No attempt was made by
the Belmont operators to save the gold
and copper values with which the ores
were freghted, and upon such ores as
were sent to other points for treatment
returns were made on their silver val
ues only. Yet MINING exclusively for
the white metal in hose days must
have been highly -emunerative, for
in his issue of july q. 1877, the editor
of the Belmont Courier says: eve
were shown on Thursday some very
rich rock which assays all the way