The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1915-10-09
REAWAKfNINC OF
HUMBOLDT COUNTY

In an age of stock speculation, it is
peculiar that Humboldt county, Neva-
da. which boasts Of the first silverlead
smelter in the United States and the
richest highgrade gold ore ever discov-
eged, should be developing its mines al
most exclusively by local capital or by
the money already taken from the
ground in this district 1t means that
northern Nevada is about to establish
an unique record in western mining by
centralized control of her own re-
sources or that she is about TO be
thrown open to one of the most aggres-
sive stock manipulations of decade.
These two alternatives stand on the
very brink of opportunity. In either
way the actual wealth of the world will
lie greatly increased, for the ore is
here, and whether its benefits are held
in the hands of the few optimists who
have sought to develop this portion of
Nevada, or whether there is distribu-
tion to other states, the Golfers OF the
nation will be replenished with the gold
and silver of Humboldt county
Once in 2 while In writing mining
news il is permissible to indulge in the
realms of fancy. There has never been
a mining district developed without the
| imagination, and it is a matter of rec
erd that the dreamers have often been
| the greatest winners. Mining is prae-
teal science. il is true. but il frequent
ly assumes erratic propensities that
lead on to sudden fortune or equally
dramatic failure.
| Taking into consideration these adj
mitted uncertainties. the past and
4 boNN yaraffc Of hn Hum nhaIh
range in Nevada offer most alluring
possibilities Considered further from
The practical demonstration of the ore
showings in Rochester Hin where, with
Seven Troughs Coalition, the deepest
working of the county has been aehiev-
el, il NAV now safely be assumed that
all previous theories as to the ore
Iedies of the Humboldt range have
been exploded and that il must now be
accepted as fact that these mountains
! offer some of the greatest ore bodies
ever discovered, and that in fact, their
! real significance is Just beginning to
I he appreciated.
! To digress for a moment il might be
we'll to talk abont the past of Hum
boldt county. In that history is found
I the dramatic elements of early mining
} FHtH WttliU Wb~ iioh N'AN
ground under the erudest methods and
where after having experienced their
/ brief day of extravaganza the pioneers
went their way to leave the real min
! ing to the next generation.
Ii was in 1863 that the Arabia dis
tfict of the Trinity range just across
the valley from the Humboldt, fur
njshed the ore for the first silverlead
smelter of the United States at Oreana.
+ The Montezuma mine produced three
: quarters of million dollars and this
l bullion went 10 Sacramento by OK team.
/ Within a few miles of Oreana and just
across the hill from the present camp
( nf Rochester American canyon poured
forth a flood If placer gold into the
mint of San Francisco. variously estl-
mated from sl2000,000 TO $20,0OO,OOo.
| Most of this dust was taken out by
! Cinnamon. and the heydav of these op-
erations occurred in the SOS.
= AWAY back in the year 1860. when
the Central Pacific was not then incor-
pcrated and transeontinental railway
was little more than dream, mining
aetivity began in the Humboldt dis
tr:ct, on the northwest slope of Star
| Peak. several miles from the site of the
new camp of Rochester.
1t was necessary TO haul supplies and
r,aebinerv from Marysvale and Saera-
mento over the mountains in wagons.
( Mining machinery at that period had
rft reached the present state OF perfee-
tion. and in consequence that intensity
in mining which rules today was not
fnllowed The Star and Buena Vista
districts were organized in 1861, and
dnring the Civil war and the recovery
from that conflict these isolated desert
communities attained their greatest
prosperity Mines We're opened along
both fianks of the Humboldt range and
the settlements of Star City and I'm
ionville soon crew into impOrtanee.
Unionville was the county seat nf
Humboldt county at that time and dur
inp the period Of 1860 to 1880 was the
nast important center of Nevada min.
ING activities. In 1870 there Were three
tens stamp mills in operation. The av-
erage cost of mining and milling was
about s24 a ton. The milling ore aver
aged about 500 a ton. and some ore
shipped 10 San Francisco crude, ranged
{, ON $500 ton upward. One lot Of
l70 tons shipped in 1871 netted s7s,
COO and the total ore mined that year
i.y the Arizona association which op
Grated the Arizona and Silver eompa
Eies was 1000 tons.
In 1879 the output declined to 3.9l'
tons. of which 81 tons Of about $33s
grade were shipped TO San Francisco
The mine continued TO he worked uni
1880, but since that time little has beer
done with il. 1t produced in all in th'
neiehborhood of $a,0O0.000.
Government reports of the district i.
which Rochester is situated show tha
il is one of the best mining sections O
the state of Nevada. On the west sid'
oi the Humboldt range mining was 4
progress at many places during the re
rod when I'nionville fourished. Amoa.
the noted silver mines on that side O
IL . range are the Humboldt Queen an
/. u L. al