Imperial Valley press., 1936-01-26
Rising Price Of Gold Leads
to New Booms in Towns
Long Since Forgotten
BY E. E. AIbertson

NNCE again the gold fields of the West are astr
~ and ghost towns that crumbled from thriving
mining camps to deserted villages slowly re-
awakening to the intriguing music of thirtyfive-
dollar-an-ounce gold. Colorful figures of the old
days, only scattered few of whom survive. are
turning faded eyes, agleam with new light,
toward the old fields where history carved out
in the days of their youth and the precious yellow
metal poured like water from the mountains and
the river beds, bringing fabulous wealth to some,
a moderate fortune to many, and red-blooded ad-
venture and romance to all.
Jim Cain, who went to Bodie to sell lumber IN
1879, when that almost completely deserted
ghost town at the peak of the gold boom, to
become miner mine operator, and finally banker,
is typical of the "od-timer' with indefatigable
faith who has steadfastly held to the belief that
the West is still storehouse of gold He has never
left Bodie Now he proudly testifes to the fact
that Eastern syndicate has leased practically
the entire town and is to begin operation of
some of the old mines.
Other ghost towns scattered throughout the
mountain regions of California, Arizona, Nevada
and the Northwest are being resurrected. Virginia
City Nevada, where Mark Twain worked as
a reporter Tonopah, Austin and Manhattan in the
state; Jacksonville and Gold Hill in Oregon;
Golden and Republic, Washington, all are coming
to life.
Jim Cain relates stories of shootings stage rob-
berries, hangings, and "wide-open" towns.
"Bodie had population of than 10000
people in 1879, he said There sixty saloons.
Everybody packed couple of rods. Gambling was
mostly cards don't recall any roulette in Bodie.
There were plenty of shootings most of them
claim jumping and cards, and sometimes over
women. The most excitement came whenever the
Cluggage Stage Line which ran from Carson to
Bodie was held up This happened often, and the
biggest haul made was 100000. The man
who held up the stage captured and sent to
Jail for twenty years. but he hid the money before
he caught and spent twelve years in Jail before
he would tell the hiding place."
THE automobile, the radio, electric lights and
! power have wrought great changes in the life of
the miner and prospector. Much of the loneliness
Ind most of the dust which stifed the early ad-
venturers gone. Though they objected most
to the loneliness, it little worse than the alka
dust that made summer travel nightmare and
with the arrival of the winter rains the roads
became almost impossible Whereas it once
quired the labor of 1000 heavy freight teams blan
keted with summer dust or toiling belly-deep in
the mud and snow of the Sierra passes to suply
the mines of Virginia City, the motor truck
gides easily through the mountains smooth
hard-surfaced roads. The mines of the Boise basin
were once a months hard freghting from The
Dalles and a great deal more from Sacramento
Today they can be reached in few hours by
motor truck from the main line of the Union
Pacific
Law and order has reigned in the gold towns
and ghosts towns for many years. Many things
have changed with the years, but mans desire for
gold remains the same.
Today their old mining men relive the great
days In Thunder Mountain, Tonopah, Godfield
Virginia City, Oatman Republic, Rawhde, Rands-
burg and Rhyoite. They rete the old tales of