The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1913-11-29
Another History of
Early Comstock Days

1t is little than SO years since Willie Prouse
young Mormon went into camp with number Of others OF his
people, the bank of Gold creek Nevada
the Washoe and far from present
Dayton, says William the Mining and Engineering
World.
This fact would Importance we're it not that while
waiting for the prepare the midday he
milk and going the gravel bank the edge the
scraped and washed quantity the dirt finding
coos of gold in the The amount of gold present
small very attractive for each member of this Mormon
party looking forward eagerly their arrival their destna
ton in California where according report fortune
ed them For this the party but learning
day two later that the Sierra Nevada yet impossible
owing to the deep they returned to Gold and mined
there for short tme but again started towards California
learned that it possible the
Others however had arrived MEANWHILE and located claims
Gold creek and by the Fall of 1851 there 200 that
camp Average from work with rockers and
$5 $40 From FALL after the flow of the springs had
creased after the first had increased the water supply
the canyon, until the following Summer placer mining carried
with considerable vgo but midsummer when the
ply became the left their claims
other profitable fields.
Notwithstanding gold the alluva of Gold
canyon least early May l5 1851 and that gold had
been discovered and mined in mile the large
vine north of Gold Canyon nearly 10 years
Comstock Lode which the head OF both these
discov miners had slowly worked their way up both
canyons ong after but discovery of
ponce made work done the great lode proper before
discovery by Finney Od Vrgnny his
cates of Gold HILL and this discovery
when the the ground Finney having observed
oucrop previous occasion when the ground bare
The dirt they dug after clearing the found be
godthey had found the oucrop of the Comsock Lode
In this immediate vicinity in later years developed the
Yellow Jacket Becher mnes the total produc
ton of which s1OOOOOOOO In Six-Me canyon two
miners ORey and Pat Mclaughlin had worked for
changing of operations from time time
failed each change being pou higher the The
labor dcouaging being but $3.50 to 50 day
continued for Walker
reported there good dggng Water daily
growing and they dug small basin which collect
the little cklng stream order supply their rocker The
dirt the pit different from that they had been working
so they decided like it, and washed few pans of it'll
in the rocker When they made they found the boom
of the covered with metal At first they looked
upon the strange stuff bogus This discovery made about
of the discovery of Fnney and his partners at
Gold HILL and was outcrop of what later became the Oph
mne which in later produced many millions dollars
It now that it had required ten for the
miners to discover great od but it simply practical IL
saon of the fact knowledge of geology applied min
inc was entirely lacking among them Were the Comstock Lode
to-day gold be discovered for the first time
bar Gold CANYON Mile the lode itself would surely be
dcovered within month"; all probability within "a hours
have long since that the of placer gold is in
the and rocks higher point either the ad
hillside or and they not slow in tracing the
la ~; original source no matter far may be- how diff
fcult the task.