Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-08-08
STORY OF THE
HARDIN Mine
Rich Silver Property Situated in
The Black Rock Range
In Nevada.
EXACT LOCATION UNKNOWN.
Efforts to Find Lost Mine in Late
Years Have Thus Far Proved
Unsuccessful.

desert, not many miles from Rosebud,
there is n mine of extreme richness,
says the News OF Rosebud, Nevada.
1t is one of the lost mines of the early
history of Nevada, 1t is called the
Hardin Silver Mine" and its rich
ness has often been told of by CALI
fornia emigrants who We're with Har-
din when he picked up the slab of
white metal.
1t was in the early part of the year
1850 that an emgrant train crossed
the Black Rock desert ON It's way 10
the then great gold fields of CALI
fornia. At point near the extreme
southern end OF the Black Rock range
one of the party, Mr.. Hardin, was de-
train with game, which was then quite
plentiful, there being herds OF ante
tupe and deer in that part of the
country. Towards evening Mr.. Har-
din was coming down one of the
mountains and in stepping from one
ledge of rock to another his attention
was attracted by the sound caused by
his boots coming i'll contact with
something that gave a metallic ring.
He stopped to investigate and picked
up a large slab of almost solid min
eral, resembling lead. Taking piece
with him to the place where the
train was camped for the night he
showed 1t to his comrades and they
were all of the same opinion, that 1t
was lead.
Little or nothing was known OF sill
yer ore at that time, SO the piece OF
supposed lead was thrown into one of
the wagons and forgotten. Several
weeks afterward, as the emigrant
train was travelling down the Pitt
River valley, in California the party
was attacked by Indians and their
ammunition having run short one of
the emigrants happened to think OF
the mysterious metal which had been
found ON the desert by Hardin. 1t
was melted into bullets which were
used with good effect in skirmishes
with the marauding redskins AS the
story goes not few of the Indians
were sent to the happy hunting
grounds by we'll aimed missiles nodded
from what afterward proved to be
pure silver.
This knowledge did not come until
several years later. after the discov-
cry of silver on the Comstock. Then
members & the emigrant party re-
turned to the Black Rock country and
at their old camping ground found
several pieces of the metal which they
had cast into bullets years before. 1t
WAS ltsleu pIoNSu " NC ooii0
yer.
A company was organized at Peta-
luna, CAL where Mr.. Hardin was
running a blacksmith shop and he with
others. started for the scene OF the
silver discovery. Arriving at what Mr.
Hardin thought was the place they
commenced to prospect and spent con-
siderable time in diligent search with
out finding the place where he had
~, .s.t, tal l,A
claimed there was plenty Of it scatter
ed on the hillside Unsuccessful in the
search, the party was forced to abandon
the treasure hunt and returned to Cal
ifornia
In later years Mr. Hardin made n
number OF trips into the Black Rock
desert but they. like the first expedi-
ton, were all unsuccessful.
More recently rich silver float has
been found near the place where Har-
din was supposed TO have picked UP the
native ore. but the search for the ledge
whence 1t came has always ended in
failure.
The formation where the Hardin 81
yer was found is very similar to that
at Rosebud. The Brown Palace has ore
of almost pure silver and there is good
reason 10 believe that another rich
mineral belt lies further out on the
desert TO the west.
The Hardin emigrant party left the
Humboldt river at point near where
Mil City now stands and passed
through by Rabbit Hole Springs,
where there was an old fort erected
for the protection OF the emigrants
passing through to California. This
place was the last watering place be-
fore reaching the other side Of the
Block Rock desert. From the fort thu
train crossed the desert to Black Rock
range OF mountains and then northward
to Soldiers meadows When Mr. Har-
din brought in the rich silver ore the
party was camped at what Is now call :
ed Hardin City, there being spring OF
water there