The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1908-05-25
HISTORY OF THESE GREAT OLD SILVER PRODUCING
SECTIoNS-A LOOK INTO THE PAST AND
GLANCE AT THE FUTURE-PRODUCTION is AGAIN
BEING MADE PROFITABLE AND IN TIME WILL
BRING GREATER PROSPERITY THAN EVER
BY ALLEN G. BRAGG.


vada was young in years, but old in
point of mineral production, when
the grand old Comstock occupied a
place on the center of the world
stage, the boundary stakes of White
Pine county were driven. What was
a part of Lander county, with Austin
as its copital was set aside to make
a new part of the commonwealth of
Nevada and the new county at once
went to the straw 10 give birth 10
the White Pine Mining district,
around which are clustered many in
teresting and soul stirring events,
nov in history Treasure Hill was
the objective point of many sturdy
pioneers, who lived in Nevada. They
were then young men, adventurous
and full of vim and push. who came
in in the hope of making a little
quick money. They dreamed of
other and more congenial climes
where the winter rigors of Treasure
Hill could not reach them. The won
derful riches of the new district were
heralded to the world and early COM
ers were ready to undergo any hard
ship to have their dreams of wealth
realized The hill produced some
thing like S45, 100000 of almost pure
silver. The metal was so rich that
it could almost be carved out in
slabs with an ak. About the time
that Treasure Hill and Hamilton
were at their zenith, statesmen
throughout the land began agitating
the financial question and in 1873
a fatal blow was given the producers
of silver by the congress dropping
from the coinage act of that year the
silver dollar Nevada people became
much discouraged when silyer-Ne-
vada's chief product-fell from ! 20
% per fine ounce to less than half
that price They put in few years
in the national political arena and
tried in every way in their power to
teach the people of the United States
that the minis of the nation should
be at once re-opened to the free and
unlimited coinage of silver at the
time honored ratio of 16 to l, with
or without the consent of any other
power They fought the battle to a
finish and grew poorer each year
while the silver war was on. The
states population dwindled away un-
III Int1t WAS ltSS lndu tbBVNV ptOltit
in her 10000 square miles of ter
ritory But like all things else the
silver war finally came to an end and
the friends of the white metal began
casting their lines in other waters
for something the world needed more
than silver TO keep the wheels of
commerce oiled and running. The
change was like magic and in few
years Nevada became a state less
abused and began attracting atten-
ton on other and more stable lines.
But | am DEPRESSING and did not
intend to open the silver question,
which, to borrow sentence from
somewhat recent speech from Sena-
tor Newlands, silver is sleeping in
allowance, and it is not my purpose
to awaken the rancor that still oc-
cupies a place in the hearts of many
of the states people, but to tell of
White Pine Mining district as it is
today.
The district is / . miles square and
situated in the most prolific mineral
section in the county, If not in the
state. Look where you may and you
can find mineral in place in almost
every instance. Why so rich a sec
ton should stand for 40 years prac-
tically untouched. while the hustling
American is looking for field where
his condition can be made better is
a mystery that must take wiser
head than mine to solve. There are
many properties more or less devel
oped, to he sure, but none of them
have been Systematically mined. No,
not even hardly scratched. There are
many, very many good properties
covered by United States patents that
have not been touched by the hand of
man for more than generation,
many of the owners are dead, and
another generation may come and
go before their treasures are unlock
ed. There is much valuable ground
open for location today and a few
properties are being worked in way
and their product stand wagon
haul of 40 or so miles. then have to
be loaded in narrow gauge cars and
hauled to Palisade, there to be trans
ferred to Southern Pacific cars and
transported TO Salt Lake or Vallejo
for reduction. A mine that can be
made to pay with all those disadvan-
tages to overcome must be rich, in
deed Yet there are many such prop
critics in the district. that net their
owners goodly sum.
In my next letter | will individual