Evening star., 1933-06-04

towns, with their vacant houses and
stores, until the depression.
In 1929, to the sound of crashing stock
markets, the present depression was
ushered in. For one hectic month the
prices of securities tumbled about the
ears of frightened investors Other
prices, in due course, followed the trend
established by stocks and bonds. There
came.a time when all prices, except that
of gold, were far below what they had
been in many years.
\A/TTH materials, labor and all COM
wv modities exceptionally cheap, but
gold still of the same value, it became
possible to mine the metal more mex
pensively than before. Ore that had been
Improbable became profitable. Mines
that had been worthless became OF value.
It was as if a great wind had blown
through the High SierraS, waking the
slumbering ghost towns into new lie.
Mines that had not been operated for
years began to stir and grumble like
restless giants. Far underground heavy
blasts shook the earth. Men were at
work with axes, shovels and wheelbar-
rows.
Mines that had been worked only on a
small scale began to speed up their
operations. Men were in demand. They
poured into the ghost towns. There was
the sound of hammers and happy voices
as houses that had not been lived in for
years were repaired. Stores that had
not done business since the turn OF the
century again had their shelves stocked
with new wares. The ghost towns were
no longer ghost towns. They were living,
breathing communities. There was
money in gold mining.
Nevada City, in Nevada, County OF
California, is typical of the revived ghost
towns. Less than 10 years ago 1t had
a business district that took in SIX
streets. Stores, one-story office buildings
and houses were of wood. But they
were vacant, except for several blocks on
the one principal street. On the other
streets there was no life, no activity. The
wooden buildings sagged. The porches
sloped dangerously. Windows were
broken. The district was deserted,
avoided by the few citizens.
Attempts to operate the mines were
desultory. Some work was done, but on
a small scale The number of workers
was small They did not work full time,
nor for very large wages. There was
no money in the town. 1t was dull,
desolate place, with at least half of its
houses and more of its stores vacant.
In 1929 came the depression. Soon
the mines again were operating at full
blast Nevada City's population in
creased The miners began to work full
time There was more money to spend.
The business of merchants began to pick
up. New merchants were attracted to
the town. Old buildings were done over,
or torn down to make way for more
modern structures. 1t would be an exag-
geration to say that you would not recog-
nize Nevada City now. Physically 1t Is
about the same, but the towns spirit,
if towns have spirits, IS changed so that
one would not know it. This is ghost
town no longer. It is a live, buStling,
thriving little community. It's banks are
strong. It has its own prosperous news
paper There is a shopping district. 1t
is a ghost town that has come back to
life.
Prosperity came to these towns. It
grew and grew as other villages and COM
munities over the world felt the pinch
of depression. The ghost towns began
to attract many who had never before
thought of gold mining. An unknown
number of unemployed men and boys
gained livelihood combing the beds
of rivers and streams of the gold-pro-