[PDF]Tonopah, The Greatest, the Richest, and the Best Mining Camp in the World

Tonopah

The Greatest, the Richest, and the
best Mining Camp in the World



Tonopah

The Greatest, the Richest, and the
Best Mining Camp in the World



Robert D. McCracken



Nye County Press
Tonopah Nevada



All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information
storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.



TONOPAH

The Greatest, the Richest, and the Best Mining Camp in the World*
by Robert D. McCracken



* This description of Tonopah appeared in the Tonopah Bonanza,
April 29, 1905, p. 8.



Second printing 1992

Copyright 1990 by Nye County Press



Published in 1990 by Nye County Press
P.O. Box 3070
Tonopah, Nevada 89049



Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 90-060549
ISBN: 1-878138-50-2



DESIGNED BY PAUL CIRAC, WHITE SAGE STUDIOS, VIRGINIA CITY,
NEVADA PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA



To my father, Robert G. McCracken,
and all the other miners who
worked underground in Nye County

To the Metscher brothers
for their tireless efforts
to understand and preserve
Nevada history



In appreciation for their unwavering support and
encouragement for the Nye County Town History Project:



Nye County Commissioners

Robert "Bobby" N. Revert
Joe S. Garcia, Jr.
Richard L. Carver
Barbara J. Raper

and Nye County Planning Consultant
Stephen T. Bradhurst, Jr.



Content



PREFACE

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION

ONE THE FIRST INHABITANTS
The Western Shoshone Indians
Indians After European Contact
Early Exploration

TWO THE SEARCH FOR SILVER

THREE THE BIG STRIKE!

Tonopah's First Cook

Eastern Capitalists Take Over Tonopah

Last of the Desert Frontiersmen

The Tonopah Railroad

FOUR SLOW AND STEADY GROWTH
The Panic of 1907

Fires in the Belmont Shaft —1911 and 1939

FIVE IN AND AROUND THE MINES

The Tonopah Mining Company

The Tonopah Belmont Development Company

The Montana-Tonopah Mining Company

The Jim Butler Tonopah Mining Company

The West End Consolidated Mining Company

The Tonopah Extension Mining Company

Specialists in the Tonopah Mines

Silicosis

The Comstock vs. Tonopah and Goldfield
The Leasing System
Women in Tonopah
Mining Widows

Childhood Activities in Tonopah
Ethnic Groups in Tonopah

SIX TONOPAH'S NIGHTLIFE



SEVEN THE TONOPAH ARMY AIR BASE



EIGHT THETONOPAH TEST RANGE AND THE NEVADA TEST SITE
The Proposed Yucca Mountain Repository
The Central Nevada Museum



REFERENCES



Preface



Historians generally consider the year 1890 as the close of the American frontier. By
then, most of the western United States had been settled, ranches and farms developed,
communities established, and roads and railroads constructed. The mining boomtowns, based
on the lure of overnight riches from newly developed lodes, were but a memory.

Although Nevada was granted statehood in 1864, examination of any map of the state
from the late 1800s shows that although much of the state was mapped and its geographical
features named, a vast region — stretching from Belmont south to the Las Vegas meadows,
comprising most of Nye County— remained largely unsettled and unmapped. In 1890 most of
southcentral Nevada remained very much a frontier, and it continued to be so for at least
another twenty years.

The great mining booms at Tonopah (1900), Goldfield (1902), and Rhyolite (1904)
represent the last major flowering of what might be called the Old West. Consequently,
southcentral Nevada, notably Nye County— perhaps more than any other region of the West-
remains close to the American frontier. In a real sense, a significant part of the frontier can still
be found there. It exists in the attitudes, values, lifestyles, and memories of area residents. The
frontier-like character of the area also is visible in the relatively undisturbed condition of the
natural environment, most of it essentially untouched by humans.

Aware of Nye County's close ties to our nation's frontier past and the scarcity of written
sources on local history (especially after 1920), the Nye County Board of Commissioners
initiated the Nye County Town History Project (NCTHP) in 1987. The NCTHP is an effort to
systematically collect and preserve the history of Nye County. The centerpiece of the NCTHP is
a large set of interviews conducted with individuals who had knowledge of local history. The
interviews provide a composite view of community and county history, revealing the flow of life
and events for a part of Nevada that has heretofore been largely neglected by historians. Each
interview was recorded, transcribed, and then edited lightly to preserve the language and
speech patterns of those interviews. All oral history interviews have been printed on acid-free
paper and bound and archived in Nye County libraries, Special Collections in the James R.
Dickinson Library at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and at other archival sites located
throughout Nevada.

Collection of the oral histories has been accompanied by the assembling of a set of
photographs depicting each community's history. These pictures have been obtained from
participants in the oral history interviews and other present and past Nye County residents.
Complete sets of these photographs have been archived along with the oral histories.

The oral histories and photo collections, as well as written sources, served as the basis
for the preparation of this volume on Tonopah history. It is one in a series of volumes on the
history of all major Nye County communities.

In a real sense this volume, like the others in the NCTHP series, is the result of a
community effort. Before the oral interviews were conducted, a number of local residents
provided advice on which community members had lived in the area the longest, possessed and
recalled information not available to others, and were available and willing to participate.



Because of time and budgetary constraints, many highly qualified persons were not
interviewed.

Following the interviews, the participants gave even more of their time and energy:
They elaborated upon and clarified points made during the taped interviews; they went
through family albums and identified photographs; and they located books, dates, family
records, and so forth. During the preparation of this manuscript, a number of community
members were contacted, sometimes repeatedly (if asked, some would probably readily admit
that they felt pestered), to answer questions that arose during the writing and editing of the
manuscript. Moreover, once the manuscripts were in more or less final form, each individual
who was discussed for more than a paragraph or two in the text was provided with a copy of his
or her portion of the text and was asked to check that portion for errors. Appropriate changes
were then made in the manuscript.

Once that stage was completed, several individuals in Tonopah were asked to review
the entire manuscript for errors of omission and commission. At each stage, this quality-control
process resulted in the elimination of factual errors and raised our confidence in the validity of
the contents.

The author's training as an anthropologist, not a historian (although the difference
between the disciplines is probably less than some might suppose), likely has something to do
with the community approach taken in the preparation of this volume. It also may contribute to
the focus on the details of individuals and their families as opposed to a general description of
local residents and their communities. Perhaps this volume, as well as a concern with variability
among individuals and their contribution to a community, reflects an "ethnographic," as
opposed to a "historical," perspective on local history. In the author's view, there is no such
thing as "the history" of a community; there are many histories of a community. A community's
history is like a sunrise — the colors are determined by a multitude of factors, such as the time
of year, weather, and point of view. This history of Tonopah was greatly determined by the
input of those who helped produce it. If others had participated, both the subjects treated and
the relative emphasis the subjects received would have been, at least, somewhat different.
Many basic facts would, of course, remain much the same— such things as names, dates, and
locations of events. But the focus, the details illustrating how facts and human beings come
together, would have been different. History is, and always will remain, sensitive to perspective
and impressionistic, in the finest and most beautiful sense of the word.

A longer and more thoroughly referenced (though non-illustrated) companion to this volume,
titled A History of Tonopah, Nevada, is also available through Nye County Press. Virtually all
written material contained in the present volume was obtained from the longer volume. Those
who desire more comprehensive referencing should consult the longer version of Tonopah
history.

I hope that readers enjoy this illustrated history of Tonopah, Nevada. Tonopah is a very
special and interesting place — part frontier, part modern; part yesterday, part tomorrow.
Situated in the high desert on some of the most beautiful real estate in the world, it was one of
the most notable mining camps in history. If not "The Greatest, the Richest and the Best Mining
Camp in the World," it was certainly in the running for that title.

Robert D. McCracken



Acknowledgments



This volume was produced under the Nye County Town History Project, initiated by the
Nye County Board of Commissioners. Appreciation goes to Chairman Joe S. Garcia, Jr., Robert
"Bobby" N. Revert, and Pat Mankins; Mr. Revert and Mr. Garcia, in particular, showed deep
interest and unyielding support for the project from its inception. Thanks also go to current
commissioners Richard L. Carver and Barbara J. Raper, who have since joined Mr. Revert on the
board and who have continued the project with enthusiastic support. Stephen T. Bradhurst, Jr.,
planning consultant for Nye County, gave unwavering support and advocacy, provided advice
and input regarding the conduct of the research, and constantly served as a sounding board as
production problems were worked out. This volume would never have been possible without
the enthusiastic support of the Nye County commissioners and Mr. Bradhurst.

Thanks go to the participants of the Nye County Town History Project, especially those
from Tonopah, who kindly provided much of the information; thanks, also, to residents from
Tonopah and throughout southern Nevada — too numerous to mention by name — who
provided assistance, historical information, and photographs, many of which are included in
this volume.

Jean Charney and Jean Stoess did the word processing and, along with Gary Roberts,
Maire Hayes, and Jodie Hanson, provided editorial comments, review, and suggestions. Alice
Levine and Michelle Starika edited several drafts of the manuscript and contributed measurably
to this volume's scholarship and readability; Alice Levine also served as production consultant.
Gretchen Loeffler and Bambi McCracken assisted in numerous secretarial and clerical duties.
Gordon Loeffler and Donn Knepp copied photographs; Paul Cirac, who was raised in central
Nevada, was responsible for the design and layout of this book.

William J. Metscher, who probably knows more about Tonopah history than any other
individual, helped select and identify all photographs presented here from the Central Nevada
Historical Society's collection on Tonopah. He also kindly critiqued several drafts of the
manuscript, and his assistance and support have been invaluable. Albert N. Bradshaw, Norman
Coombs, Don B. Potts, Jeanne Potts, Edward R. Slavin, and Solan Terrell also made thoughtful
comments and graciously answered many questions regarding local history. Kevin Rafferty and
Lynda Blair, from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Environmental Research Center,
provided helpful suggestions on the section concerning the archaeology of Native Americans in
the Tonopah area; Margaret J. Waski, with the Tonopah Resource Area, U.S.D.I., Bureau of Land
Management, also provided advice on archaeology. Phillip Earl of the Nevada Historical Society
contributed valuable support and criticism throughout, and Tom King at the Oral History
Program of the University of Nevada, Reno, served as consulting oral historian. Susan Jarvis of
Special Collections, James R. Dickinson Library, University of Nevada, Las Vegas, assisted greatly
with research conducted at that institution. Much deserved thanks are extended to all these
persons.

All aspects of production of this volume were supported by the U.S. Department of
Energy, Grant No. DE-FG08-89NV10820. However, any opinions, findings, conclusions, or
recommendations expressed herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the
views of DOE. Any errors and deficiencies are, of course, the author's responsibility.



R. D. M.



Tonopah

The Greatest, the Richest, and the
best Mining Camp in the World



Famous photo (taken by Mimosa Pittman, wife of Senator Key Pittman) of a lightning strike in
Tonopah, Nevada. (Copyright 1904 by Key Pittman.) Nye County Town History Project — Revert

Collection



Introduction

Tonopah and the mining communities that it spawned in the southern part of Nevada
-including Las Vegas, which arguably might be a far different place today were it not for
Tonopah — represent the last flowering of the Old West in America. In the Old West, the
discovery of precious metals and ranching combined with individualism and the lure of wealth
and adventure to create communities immortalized in song and lore because they symbolize
the core American values of personal freedom and opportunities for self-betterment. Perhaps
more than almost any place in the country, much of the Old West still survives in the Tonopah
region; this helps make central Nevada a special place — an unusually fascinating area.

The era of the underground miner has almost ended. This type of mining involves skills
that few know and for which there now is almost no demand. As the world turns more and
more to open-pit mines and to plastic and ceramic replacements for metals, there is no reason
to think that demand will be revived. The era of the small-time mine operator and leaser has
also vanished. To be a leaser one had to be a dreamer, a wishful thinker — one whose
expectations, perhaps, had become confused with his hopes — a chaser of rainbows. In
Tonopah the leasers started the camp and they closed it. Many made good money, but most
made only wages, if that.

The glory days of Tonopah were sandwiched between the two eras of leasing. The town
boomed. But companies dominated by wealthy Eastern capitalists controlled the mining and
thus the economy. The Easterners were in mining for the money and cared little for the town or
the miners and their families. They took what they could and then they left. They took the
wealth from the hills and left the town to survive on its own.

But Tonopah did survive! Unlike so many mining camps in central Nevada, it made the
transition from mining to a mixed economy. World War II brought the air base and, later, there
was the influx of other defense-related money.

During the 1980s, the boom in open-pit mining, including the molybdenum/copper
deposit north of town and extensive activities at Round Mountain and Candelaria, provided
further stimulation for the Queen of the Silver Camps, once called "the greatest, the richest and
the best mining camp in the world" (Tonopah Bonanza, April 29, 1905).



An Indian woman and her daughter in Tonopah, circa 1904. note the water jug, made
waterproof by a covering of pitch; a lard can serve as a flower pot - Central Nevada historical

Society - UNLV Special Collections



CHAPTER ONE
The First Inhabitants



The archaeological history of the Tonopah area is divided into two major epochs — the
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