White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1921-08-07
lBy n. r. MILLER.)
PART TWENTY-FIVE

ii.
,.ho at one time was the owner of
water rights on virtually every i'm
nortant stream In the county, includ-
mo great part OF White river az
we'll "a Steptoe creek, Duck creek.
Aybandle springs and other waters
throughout the county.
Axhandle springs was located about
the southeast corner of what later
became the farm of William McGill
and which, | believe. Is now the site
of the town of McGill. The springs
we're first filed on either by Mr..
Weatherington or by John Cowger.
acting for the former, 1t being the
custom OF Mr.. Weatherington, and
one which was generally in vogue
throughout the west at the time. to
have his employees file on water
rights and to purchase from them
when title was finally secured.
These filings were generally made
IN strings OF forty acres each and
usually from the head to the sink of
the different streams. This was par
ticularly true of all the streams above
mentioned with the exception of
Murry creek, where Mr.. Weathering-
ton secured the water rights only at
the mouth of the canyon ard around
Georgetown with the good land in
that section, the district farther up
being poorly adapted TO farming pur-
poses
Axhandle springs took their name
from the fact that Mr.. Weatherlngton
and Mr.. Cowger had a fight there. in
the course of which Mr.. Cowger
welded an AK handle with great ef-
feet and administered a sound thrash
ing to his opponent.
Mr.. Weatherington, during the last
days he resided i'm the state and after
he had begun To lose the greater part
Of his wealth. had the reputation of
indulglng In sharp practices in his
business dealings, and after he had
left for California he was indicted BY
the grand jury in connection with a
deal whereby he is alleged to have
refused to have his wife sign the
deeds after he had disposed of GER
tain water privileges TO the Monitor
people. but since Mr. Weatherington
never returned 10 the state the mat
ter was dropped. Before leaving the
state Mr.. Weatherington sold the
water rights on Murry creek. together
Yrith all lands in his possession, in
Guiding the ranches below town and
his White River valley holdings. to
Nichols and Parsons of Salt Lake.
The half-section OF land in which
was included the present townsite of
Ely was first located by George Lamb,
I believe, in 1869 or 1870. Mr.
Lamb held the land until about 1875
or 1876. when he sold IL To the late
Senator H. A comins, who later sold
II to the Aultman estate. The Ault-
man people at once purchased an ad.
ditional half-section for the purpose
OF protecting their extensive mining
interests In the district. When the
estate was divided among the heirs
OF Mr.. Aultman the holdings in Rob
inson and Taylor mining districts
were given To Mrs. George ID. Harter
one OF the heirs, who later. acting
through A. j. underhll, decided to
White Pine county sixteen acres as a
site for the county courthouse pro-
yided the county would move the
county seat from Hamilton 10 Ely and
erect courthouse on the decided
land
This was done under the Robert
Priggs appropriation net of 1885. in
which $4,000 was provided for the
construction OF the courthouse. Upon
the passage OF this measure II. A
comins and Sol Hip were appointed
by the legislature to assist the county
commissioners in the construction of
the new building. Mr.. comins "A
short time later went to San Fran
cisco to negotiate the sale of the
bonds. but he was unsuccessful in
his mission, as the financiers of the
>Bay city were not anxious to invest
IN White Pine county bonds. The
citizens of Ely then got together to
finance the building and most of the
bond issue was taken by w G.. Ly-
ons. other citizens subscribing for the
email balance
The writer hauled the material
from the railroad to build the court
house In 1885. As soon as the state
and county had accepted the OFFER OF
Mrs. Harter for the site OF sixteen
acres. which was situated just a mile
and a quarter west OF the center of
the county line OF White Pine county,
Mr.. Underhill at once laid out and
staked on small townsite. naming
the town Ely.
As far IA the writer knows the rea-
son for thus naming the town has
never been definitely known, there
being several conflicting rumors con-
oerning 1t. One of these is to the Of
feet that John Ely. partner OF Will
liam Raymond. owners of the famous
RAYMOND and Ely mine at Phoebe.
had assisted Mr.. Underhill with
loan along in the early '70s. and that
In appreciation of this favor Mr.. Tn
derhill had named the town after
his friend.
Another version is that the town
took its name from Smith Ely. who
financed a man by the name OF Long
In the construction in the early sos
OF the little copper furnace Just at
the west side of the old town OF Ely
The writer is inclined to the latter
story as giving the more probable
origin of the name OF tho town.
This copper furnace was operated
by water power taken from Murry
creek and Mr.. Long shipped consid-
erable crude copper in matte or Stag
form to Deseret, Utah, using Mormon
teams to freight the mines output.
The writer visited Murry creek as
the town was called mt the time this