The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1922-03-14
JAMES r. O'BRIEN, MINING
WRITER, DIED IN ARIZONA

itidn WIN WtOtC PdOitity 1OA ssN~
Gold Circle district year or so ago,
died Sunday morning in Oatman,
Ariz., from pneumonia following an
illness of but few days. He was
one of best known mining writers of
the west, whose career was linked
closely with the mining development
of Southern Nevada during the
past twenty years, in which he took
an active and prominent part.
His death recalls the famous
boom days of Goldfield and the try
ing days of the pioneers of the
camp before it became famous and
the greatest gold camp in the
country.
With a decrepit printing plant, a
few reams of paper and bucket
of ink, Mr.. O'Brien started the first
paper in the camp, the Goldfield
News. He was the Tonopah repre-
sentative of the Denver Mining
Record at that time and the report
of rich strike at Grandpa on the
desert attracted his attention. He
went there in the fall of 1903 and
found a few tents and a few pros
pectors working. Several times he
visited the camp.
Early in 1904 printing plant
was shipped across the desert
headed for the new mining district.
When the owners reached Ramsey's
Well they became discouraged and
prevailed upon Mr.. O'Brien to buy
it. He had but $3.50 in his pocket
and the owner wanted $500, but the
people of Goldfeld wanted news
paper and Mr.. O'Brien had little
trouble in securing the necessary
money and on April 30, 1904, Gold
fields first newspaper was born
The first issue of 1900 copies were
sold before the ink was dry but the
equipment was taxed to issue that
many, as each copy had to be
handled four times before the pa
per was ready for distribution.
With copies of the News distribu-
tod in the East and West the boom
at Goldfield began. The paper was
the leading mining publication OF
Southern Nevada and within a
year its growth was so large that it
was printed in well-equiped plant
in its own building. Mr.. O'Brien
also wrote publicity matter, which
was eagerly accepted by newspapers
everywhere and this lead to the
great Goldfeld rush of 1904 and
1905. He threw all his energy into
the publication of the paper until
his health failed and on January l,
1906, he sold the News to L. p.
LOTUS for $4,000 and with his
family left on a trip to Tahiti for
his health.
Returning to San Francisco, he
went through the earthquake and
lire of 1906, and then came to Reno
to enter the real estate business.
With Judge Owens as a partner he
acquired extensive real estate hold
ings in what is known as O'Brien's
Southbrae addition to Reno, but
this venture was not altogether
successful. He sold the greater
part of his property, however, just
a few months ago. In 1910 he
took over the publication of the
Yerington Times at Yerington, re-
naming there for a year, and in
1916 he edited the Tonopah Miner.
Mr.. O'Brien was native of
Springfield, Mass, where he was
born on February 8, 1866. Early in
life he went to Denver and engaged
in newspaper work, Owning his first
paper at Castle Rock, Colo, selling
this to engaged in the job printing
business at Colorado Springs. He
was married in Denver, twenty-five
years ago to Miss Anna T. Connell
of Meriden, Conn.,, who with two
children, Davoren C. O'Brien of
Denver and Katherine M. O'Brien
of Reno, survive.
Mr.. O'Brien went to Oatman
last month to conduct a publicity
campaign but housing conditions
there were so bad and he contracted
pneumonia, perhaps the more easily
because his health for some time
had not been robust. The body will
be SHIPPED to Oakland, where the
funeral services will be conducted
by the Elks. His widow and
daughter will go to Oakland tomor-
row night The body will be Gre
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