White Pine news. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1920-1923, 1921-06-16
NEVADA STATE IN THE MAKING;
0SCE0LA, GOLD-HUNTERS' MECCA
I,y IL. L. MILLER.
PART EIGHTEEN

spph watson anu frdnk HUNS pu'
virtually nothing was done In the
way of Development until about hve
wears later. The Oseeola placer
nelds were first discovered about
1877. or at least work on any consid- i
cradle scale was first undertaken
about that time. the writer going TO
she camp shortly after the first news
Of the gold discovery became known.
Probably the earliest placer mining
zone i'm Nevada was at Gold canyon,
in the Washoe county placer fields,
about 1855, but the gold was OF
poor quality and the canyon was
abandoned about the time OF the dis
: coycry of the Comstock in 1SJs or
1850
Another placer camp which was
worked for number OF years was
Mountain City. near the Nevada
Idaho line in the extreme northern
end of Elko county. The first placer
mining done there was by Chinese
who operated during the construction,
of the Central Pacific railroad aud
who sluiced thousands of dollars from
the ravines and hillsides. From along
IN the COS to the latter 70s the
Mountain City country was quite
lively, out when the writer passed
through the camp during the early
SOS on his way to the Duck Valley
Indian reservation there was only one
lone Chinaman holding down the
camp, which from mining stand
point had been virtually deserted for
years. Many stockmen. however
had located on the streams in the
vicinity of the camp, so that the
country was fairly we'll settled.
When the writer reached Osceola
4 fan I.A af ha ret a
ment he found only few people on
The ground before him. One of these
was A. J. Millick. who had lust OPEN
cd the first restaurant and was Just
starting to build a feed corral and
stockadc stable. There was no great
rush TO the camp. but IL grew steadily
and was always good. steady town.
While other camps in the county were
having their lean and fat years Osce-
ola was always producing gold, and
even before there was any water
brought into the town the dry-wash
boys always had plenty OF coin.
While Osceola was considered
placer camp. there were at least two
or three quartz mills erected In the
district. one just east of Sacramento
summit, which. | believe. was oper-
ated for only short time. Another
was located Just "a little way east OF
town, and IL Is my impression that
Jack Gilmer of stage fame built and
operated n quartz mill i'm Osceoia
along In the SOS. The writer's mam-
cry Is not quite clear as to the period
of operations prior TO 1889 or 1890.
when Ben Hampton began the CON
struetion of a hydraulic plant Mr..
Hampton, who spent $3.50. 900 before
he shipped an ounce of gold dust.
brought water from the mountains
fifteen or eighteen miles south of
town and built a big hydraulic plant
Tor the Osceola Gravel Mining Com
pany Just below town. the water also
being used to develop other placer
properties financed by eastern capt
talists.
The construction of this big hy-
draulie plant, incidentally. was used
as lever by Mr.. Hampton and tn.
writer TO secure more advantageous
freight rates and To establish Wells
as a distributing point for White Pine
county. Mr.. Hampton as result af
The deal getting special blanket
rate for Oseeola. The writer's freight
teams hauled from Wells several cars
OF building material. including a car
ioad OF finishing lumber. one of shin
giles, one of doors and windows and
another OF Kerosene and lubricating
Gil. This tonnage being new bust
ness. OF course, would naturally at
tract the attention OF railroad Of
fcials. which was the object aimed at.
Hampton was shrewd and keen and
lust the man to show the Oregon
Short Line people that II was not
only the haul from Salt Lake TO
Frisco, Utah. they were losing by the
wells route. but they were also losing
thls Wells business from the Oregon
mills to Salt Lake. Hampton saw to
that none OF the freight ever
touched the Oregon Short Line during
cur negotiations, and the result was
trafiic agreement whereby every
tning consigned to the Osceola Gravel
Mining Company thereafter had a fiat
,ate OF 40 cents hundred from Salt
Lake TO either Oasis or Frisco. ire
spective OF Classification The same
articles consigned to Glascock a. Mar
tiott, scott and other merchants of
osceola carried a rate OF 6e To 50
cents hundred and all freight hills
would show the same rate. but Hamp.
Ton company was taken care OF by a
refund made at the Salt Lake Office
Oh the railroad company.
Osceoia was for many years an ex-
.elient little business town and It's
merchants enjoyed good standing I'm
eine commercial world, always being
apie TO discount their bills regularly,
good volume of the trade of the
Town came from the ranchers and
s,ockmen for many miles around in
tue spring and Snake valleys
shake valley was one OF the most
productive valleys in the state. and
us earliest settlers represented the
hlghest type OF citizens In the coun-
W one OF the first of these settlers
was George w. Baker and his family.
ihciuuing his charming wife. his
uaughter. who married Dan simon
S9n, and his four sons, Martin, p. M.
1npoc) and the twins. Howard and
narry. ,y Mr.. Baker and his wife, who
we're we're engaged In farming and stock
iaISlng, came frnm fha nnutI a.