The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1922-12-07
-ownslte Of Riveraide. Cal.


former Senator w. A. Clark OF Mon
tana. In jeff Davis guIch. in Beaver
head county Montana. are the ruins
of log cabin built some 60 years ago
one would pass it without a second
look, but in this cabin in the early COS
lived Senator Clark when his wealth
consisted of a few hundreds of dol
lars instead of his present hundreds
of millions. Nearby Clark shoveled
gravel into the sluice boxes from
morning to night. He was elected
first recorder of the mining district.
The Oldest deed in Montana was drawn
in connection with the sale of a min
ing claim in the gulch which bears
Senator Clark's signature. 1t bears a
date in July, 1868. Clark is one Of the
very few old prospectors who became
fabulously wealthy At the age of 50
he is vigorous and active and the most
notable living pioneer of the early
western gold camps.
In Sunset Hin cemetery on a hill
overlooking the city of Bozeman
Mont, a plain marble slab bears the
following inscription:
IN memory of Henry T. l.. Com
stock discoverer of the famous Com
stock lode Storey county Nevada
Died at Boeeman, Sept. 27 1870 Aged
so years"
Beneath this piece of marble lies
all that is mortal of the body Of one
of those adventures of the early
western gold camps whose picks tap
ped vast streams of golden wealth in
mountain gulches and who usually
died in squalor and misery. victims of
the lurid life of the mining camps On
the date given on the slab of marble
persisted by his own hand. friendless
and penniless. the man whose name is
borne by the richest gold and silver
bearing lode the world has ever
known-the famous Comstock lode of
Virginia City New, which produced
more than sS5O,OOO,O 600 for its owners,
and which was immortalized by Mark
Twain in history "Roughing IT.
comstook's sordid Story.
The story of Comstock is a sordid
NAARt1AA 'AiNf ANA AiANAt was NOlHlnE VI
the heroic about the man or his ex-
ploits. and although credited by pop
ular belief with being the discoverer
of the Comstock lode, he was not in
fact. The real story of the finding of
the fabuously rich lode of precious
metals at Virginia City, which made
the Nevada town the most famous
mining camp in the world in its day.
is obscured by maze of contradict
DRY tales and legends, but some time
ago a painstaking historian sifted out
what appear to be the true facts In
the case. and these reflect little enough
credit on Comstock although they
contain the elements of a sufficiently
thrilling tale concerning a search for
wealth.
The story of the discovery Of the
Comstock lode begins with the COM
ing to Nevada of two brothers. Hosea
and Allen Grosh. sons of a Pennsyl-
vania Universalist minister who
struck silver ore on portion of what
was called Comstock lode
about 1855 or 1856. and realized that
they had made an important discov-
cry They had no capital for quartz
mining however, and We're forced to
spend most of their time placer min
ing for gold to buy food, meanwhile
neglecting the rich quartz deposits
There is a story to the effect that a
rich stocSman and trader of the name
of Brown had agreed 70 supply them
with funds to develop their silver
mine. but just after he had sold his
store and was about to join them he
was murdered by road agents. Then
Hosea Grosh pierced his foot with the |
point Of his heavy pick and a month
later died in their rude cabin from /
blood poisoning
Enters comstoek
Allen Grosh, heartsick over the |
Heath of his brother, and discouraged /
~ repeated misfortunes, at length de-
,ided to cross the Sierra mountains to
California to raise money with which I
o develop the silver property, which 1
lie had proved by prospecting TO be far
bigger in size and richer than he and
AN hAOttNA HdN at hiHl lilouEHls Dul j.
lie fell a victim to what was called by
'ld-timers the curse of the Comstock
nd after being overcome in a noun
ain storm he managed to drag him
elf to mining camp and died there ,
rom the results Of exposure y days
alter.
When Allen Grosh started on his
atal journey, he cast about for some
ne to leave in charge of his effects.
he most available man seemed to be 1
he placer miner Henry Comstoclx, 7
fho was working on a creek nearby. q
t is said that contract was drawn 7
D. by the terms of which ComstOclS
fas to have one-fourth interest in one
lain for keeping the property from
eing Jumped" in the absence of
Irosh. Comstock agreed to live in
he stone cabin that had been built q
n the claim by the Grosh brothers.
Iowever, Allen Grosh who was 4