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We trust everyone
is still keeping their new year’s resolutions, right? We
don’t have a lot of news but a couple of items were important
enough to write a newsletter now. To give you more to read,
or not, I made the Tales from the Not so Old West a longer First a correction from the last
newsletter. I mentioned a wonderful donation of 4 x 2’s from
our friend Rodney. Regretfully I forgot to mention his
better half Carrie was also instrumental in that donation.
Thank you Carrie!!!!!! Red Dog found a real treasure
this year while doing our recycled Christmas card exchange from
the Wiley collection!!!!!! Before sending out the cards she
opens each one of the historical envelopes and checks them to make
sure that it is a Christmas card and not a get well or valentine’s
day card or such. Over the years she has come across cards
from Nevada governors, state congressmen and the such because of
Ora Mae’s husband Senator Harry Wiley. We keep those cards
because of their historical value and they will be put into a
large picture frame to be hung in the Post Office or Saloon. This year she
found one from 1957 addressed to Ora Mae Wiley’s son, Ken Powell,
who was the Chairman of Esmeralda County’s Democratic Committee,
by none other than, (at that time), Senator and Mrs. John F.
Kennedy!!! He signed it Best Wishes, Jack.
We believe it to be a true treasure and probably worth a few big
bucks. Those wishing to see a picture of it need only write
back and ask. I’ve scanned it in and saved it and will
attach it to your request. It is our policy to never attach
anything to our newsletters. Dennis and I have been working
next door again on the Gold Central cabin. It was a
restaurant in 1908. We have a photo of that also if you’d
like to see it. We have cleaned up and vacuumed out the old
wood cook stove and laid down a simple sub floor for the lino in
the kitchen and carpet in the living room. We are going to
paint the wood stove a flat black and paint the trim and lettering
with a silver or gold paint. When the cabin is finished, the
stove will be put in the corner and used to hold spices and such
on the top and maybe keep some pots and pans inside the oven.
It can also be used as part of the counter. Walt will be
starting to install the electrical plugs soon. When Dennis
comes back up at the end of the month he will be bringing some
paint with him. Our good neighbors Dan and Diane have
donated some very old wallpaper. It has a very light green
color background and some fruits on it. We believe it will
be just perfect for the kitchen. Dennis, being a
professional retired painter, will be tinting the paint to match
the green in the wall covering. The living room/bedroom (at
this time) we think will look good with a wainscot of some kind. We know a lot of you are
hungrily waiting for the Friends of Gold Point Cookbook, so here’s
an update. First of all we’re very sorry for the delay.
It seems that good things sometimes take a little longer than
originally planned. Sue and Red Dog have chosen the picture
of the front cover. It’s an old photo of a burro standing in
front of the Post Office taken back (we believe) in the 1940’s.
This last weekend, Red Dog, Cindy and I wrote a little information
for the back cover. Sue will be using info from different
sources to put in the different chapters to tell about Gold Point
and its history. There will be a little over 100 delicious
recipes to choose from. We hope it won’t be too much longer
for completion. Further information will be forwarded at a
later date. Last night our friend Joe,
Strangers son, Stranger is the skilled helper donating his time
working on Shangri-la, just showed up with a trailer load of 80
year old corrugated metal he took off two old buildings in
California to donate for use around Gold Point. Joe and his
friend, Jarrod, took it off of an 80-year-old house they re-roofed
in the fall. Our thanks to both of them for thinking of us and our
scrap needs. It was enough to make two stacks about 4
feet high and average 8 feet in length. We will be using it
for roofing over some cabins and for roofing on some outside
porches. Off course it has holes in it and a lot of them
have some good rust on one side. We will be using a lot for
the porch and roof at Shangri-la. He also brought us an old
Coors can that had the two holes you would punch open instead of
pulling off the old pull tabs and throwing them away. Some
old timers use to call them carburetor tops. A real treasure
he donated is a small brass statue of two pigs doing to each other
what some people are saying Congress is doing to America. Now some disappointing news.
After a very long discussion we have come to the harsh realization
that it is time to call and end to our annual Memorial day
celebration. For a lot of personal and private reasons we
can no longer continue. We’d like to thank everyone who came
out to support and help us for the last 9 years. We all knew
when we started that we couldn’t do them forever. We will be
here if anyone still wishes to come out for the weekend. Now another
chapter and a half, maybe even long enough for two chapters this
time, of “Tales from the Not so old West”, but it’s fast
and interesting reading. May3, 1908 Goldfield Daily
Tribune Vol. 2 no.223 Sunday “Hornsilver Co. promises to be a
Record Breaker. Prominent Goldfield operators on the ground
floor at newest camp. An important combination was
formed the past week for the purpose of conducting leases in the
Hornsilver, although those interested may no confine their efforts
to this particular place… The personnel of the syndicate is
as follows: J.H. Hassell, L.L. Patrick, R.L. Colburn, Lewis
H. Rogers, R.M. Henningsen, Charles F. Spillman. These gentlemen
visited Hornsilver Friday and carefully inspected the ground
embraced in two leases on the Deeling claim of the Silver King
property, previously secured by two members of the syndicate.
While inspecting the property they uncovered a ledge and brought
samples to Goldfield. These assays were made to-wit:
$85, $107, and $110. The fact dawned upon the average
seeker of new camps thirty days ago that a mine had been
discovered at Lime Point, and this was proven by carload
shipments. Then the stampede started. The Great
Western, which had proven its worth six months ago, was solitary
and alone up to the time the Tribune said that a new child had
been born to Esmeralda which is the prolific mother in all of the
sister counties in the state. Ever since there have been
automobiles hiking there and wagons loaded with the fellows who
know when they see a good think. As a result all of the
ground for miles around has been located and scores of leases have
been granted. In a dozen shafts there is a
better showing than on the surface of the big property.
Assays on the surface rock have been secured in the past week that
run in the thousands of ounces of silver and other assays are
being secured on the cross veins that run $1000 in gold. On
the Silver King ground there is paying ore in sight in five little
shallow shafts and cross-cuts. There was no town there thirty
days ago, but there is one there now, and no less than 100 tents
and frame houses are in evidence. From present indications
there will be a dozen shippers in the camp within the next few
months…” May 5, 1908 Goldfield Daily
Tribune Vol. 2 No. 225 Tuesday “townsite applications formally
approved…Rawhide Junction, Rawhide Junction addition, Granite, and
an addition to Hornsilver…” “Gets the Ore at 200 foot level.
Big silver property at Hornsilver proves up on values, and the
foot wall is yet to be encountered” May 6, 1908 Vol. 4 No. 2
Rhyolite Herald “Pannings… Charley Stevens, of
the Ice Palace, is shipping a carload of lumber, bar fixtures and
wet goods to Hornsilver, where he will establish a saloon.
W. H. Seaman will build the structure, which will be 20 by 40
feet…” “Opened ore at 200 feet… says
Tuesday s Goldfield Tribune. The rush to Hornsilver, 30 miles
to the south, apparently has only fairly started. Yesterday
no less than five aotomobiles left here for the new silver camp,
and many wagons went down, loaded with all kinds of material as
well as food stuff. Of those who went in the autos and
returned last night, not one bad word was heard about the
district, and on the other hand, if some of the stores of the
enthusiasts are true, there are more good things in the camp than
have yet been developed in any of the districts that have come to
the front in the past few years in the state… …a rule has
been adopted, for the present at least, not to allow any one
below. The small hoist has all that it can do to lift the
ore and waste rock, and if one was allowed to go down there would
be twenty others to claim the same privilege… all the
visitors are invited to help themselves to what ore they want to
carry away with them, as it is dumped into the bins…” May 6, 1908 Goldfield
Daily Tribune, Vol. 2 No. 226 Wednesday “Frisbee Lease at Hornsilver in
Big Values. Only a few feet down, yet the ore runs away up,
and shipments are certain. A representative of the Tribune
made a trip yesterday by auto to Hornsilver, and passed no less
than fifteen wagons headed for the new Mecca, all of them loaded
with material needed in a new camp, including lumber for the
construction of houses, as well as for shaft timbers. The Great Western is the big
mine of the camp, and the ore has been struck at the 200 foot
level, and it is wider and richer than in any of the upper levels.
Steady shipments are being made. A new hoist has been
ordered, and it is the intention to raise the gallows frame and
additional ten feet that the ore may be more economically placed
in the bins. In the past month there has been
a rush to the comparatively new district, and init there was some
of the wisest prospectors and mining investors who ever went into
a new mining district in the same length of time. For miles
around the original find the territory has been staked, and a
score or more of lessees are busy and in more than one of the
shallow shafts better ore than that mined on the Great Western is
being taken out. Yesterday, by actual count, there are 110
tens and frame houses in the town. One of the best showings is on
the Frisbee lease on the Red Top,, one of the properties owned by
the Silver King company. At a depth of twenty-two feet there
is showing two feet of quartz, and it is all high-grade.
>From picked samples assays have been secured that went as high as
$2000 a ton in gold and silver. J. Willard, comptroller of
the state of New Jersey, is one of those who have taken an
interest in the new camp, and he is associated with W. F.F. Fogg
and others in the development of a lease where there is ore
already sight. May 7, 1908 Goldfield
Daily Tribune Vol. 2 No. 227 Thursday “Wall Street People Buy into
Hornsilver Section. Johnny Hobbs Secures a part of the
Frisbee Lease, which has big ore. Member of Gates’ party
which visited here. Man who sells interest is the one who
sent out first ore from Cripple Creek. An interest in the Frisbee lease
on the Hornsilver King Ground, at Hornsilver, was purchased
yesterday by John H. Hobbs. The consideration could not be
learned, but the fact that the young plunger has invested any
money was the cause of general comment….” May 8, 1908 Goldfield Daily
Tribune Vol. 2 No. 228 Friday “Captain Bradley’s Rich Strike
at Hornsilver. Biggest of All Phenomenal Finds Adds A
Spectacular Touch to the Wonderful Development of a Week. Capt. J. F. Bradley, ex-sheriff
and the only Republican in the state assembly from Esmeralda
county, has struck it rich on the Red Top claim of the Great
Western Gold Mining company at Hornsilver. He secured a
lease on a block of the ground in a little gulch to the West of
the main find some 800 feet a few weeks ago. There were no
surface out-croppings that look good to the average seeker after a
good thing. Ore was in evidence on the trend of the dyke
east and west of him and surmised that a little depression in the
earth would not cause that true fissure to change its course, and
apparently wisely concluded that right in those depressions very
high-grade ore would be found. His judgment was confirmed by
assays mad yesterday. The samples went all the way
from a few hundred ounces in silver to better than 4,000 ounces
with half an ounce of gold thrown in. it appears to be the
biggest find yet made in the Lime Point section of Gold Mountain,
and as a result, that new little town of Hornsilver is growing so
rapidly that nothing like it has ever been seen in the section of
the country. One month ago today the first
tent was pitched upon the ground, and by actual count there were
210 frame and tent-houses there yesterday. The news of a
real mining camp has spread far and wide, and roads leading into
the district are kept dusty by aotomobiles, stages and wagons
loaded with all kinds of travelers and supplies from Goldfield.
There in-going vehicles are met by others that are heavily laden,
but moving more slowly, as the wagons are loaded with ore. The Bradley shaft is down only
18 feet, and it is now being timbered. The wash was deep for
that country, and when the 4 x 7 shaft is timbered up, the work on
sinking will be continued.” “Exploiting Gold Resources of
the Hornsilver District. … The original point upon the face of
nature, known as Lime Point, was so-called from a peculiar
projection extending from the hills toward the low-lying desert,
and containing a belt of white formation containing limestone.
Since the rich strikes have been made in the vicinity of Lime
Point, the possibly more appropriate name of Hornsilver, has been
given to the new town and district. As the name implies, all the
mines so far opened up in the near vicinity of the town show
silver far in excess of the gold values, the ration of the gold
however, rising in proportion to the silver values. In the same easterly and
westerly trend of the mineralized zone, and about one and one-half
miles easterly of the Great Western shaft, the formation changes
to a considerable extent, and the condition are largely reversed.
The gold belt referred to is a slate and lime contact, with well
defined veins, showing upon the surface in many places 100 feet in
width, and panning free gold all the way across. Dr. Frances E. Williams, J.
Prescott Dyos and P. L. Duffy had procured a lease upon block 4 of
the Sunset claim of the Lime Point Gold Mining and Milling
company’s estate, comprising a block of 300 x 600 feet, and have
incorporated the Frances Lime Point Mining company, for the
purpose of developing the lease. Up on this block is an
80-foot shaft showing three feet of ore at the bottom, a general
sample of the entire width carrying assay values upwards of $30 a
ton. Upon the same block, in a 40-foot shaft, the stringers
return values from $85 to $105 per ton. The ore is strictly
free milling, and by screening the ore the company expects to sack
shipping grade within thirty days after mining operations are
under way. The company now has all
arrangements made for the installing upon the property of a
first-class hoisting plant, which will be in charge of
Superintendent P. L. Duffy, who is well known as one among the
most proficient and economical mine operators of the Goldfield
district, having for the past two years handled the Atlanta Boom
Mining and Leasing company’s operation on the Atlanta. The company also
owns a group of claims near Hornsilver. The officers of the
company are W. B. Thomas Jr. president; Dr. Frances E. Williams,
vice-president: J. Prescott Dyos, secretary and treasurer, and P.
L. Duffy, superintendent and mine manger.” That’s it for now from our
little town in the middle of nowhere. If I’ve forgotten
anything I’ll let you known next time. Until next time stay healthy. happy trails and sunsets Sheriff Stone and/or Red Dog Lil |
