Ophir mine work of, 70–71, 73, 90, 113–14, 121, 374, 375, 403
opportunity to work his way into mine ownership wanted by, 76–77, 88–89, 121–22
post–Civil War depression and, 193–94
practical mining experience of, 170–71
rebuilding of mines, after Virginia City fire, 360–62, 363
Rising Star mine, Idaho, and, 237, 240–41
Sharon’s illness and death and, 407, 408
son Willie’s work with, 418
speculation in mining shares and, 84, 334
stock advice offered by, 331
stock market investments and, 239
transatlantic cable companies of, 402, 403–4, 408–9, 411, 416, 420
transatlantic cable war with Gould in, 399, 400, 402–3, 408, 409, 411, 415
transpacific cable project and, 426–27
Union mine ownership by, 76, 89, 103, 134–35, 148, 158, 171
Union mine work of, 76–77, 88, 90, 114–15
Virginia City fire and, 353–54, 355, 357, 360
Virginia City fire relief and, 360
Virginia City life and, 84, 86
wages paid by, 372, 408
Walker partnership with, 170–71
Williams Station Indian massacre and, 93
working for wages in mines by, 121–22
working for feet as pay by, 76–77, 89, 121, 134, 158
PERSONALITY AND TRAITS, 168–69
ambition, 90, 129, 285
art collecting, 383–84, 400–402
capacity for hard work, 39, 41, 89, 90, 129, 135, 272, 394, 415
carpentry skills, 23, 40, 113–14, 128, 201
cleanliness, 384
competence expected, 122, 128, 169
competitiveness and desire to win, 208
conversational style, 168
cooking abilities at Downieville, 39
desire to make money, 40, 88–89
devotion to and pride in wife, 383, 384, 391
efforts to improve his technical and geological knowledge, 135, 168, 206
fighting to hold his place, 3, 324, 411
friendships, 168, 220, 385, 400
kindness and philanthropy, 219, 371, 423
leadership qualities, 128–29, 169
mining knowledge and competence of, 128, 135
opinion of European aristocrats, 391
opinions on wealth and money, 201, 205–6, 302, 364, 371, 381, 396, 416, 427
physical appearance, 2, 40, 285, 388, 415, 432
plainspoken, unaffected manner, 156, 169, 370, 371
poker playing by, 371–72
political party affiliation, 382
pride in work, 122
rags-to-riches story, 415–16
reaction to Grant’s compliments, 380
regret of lack of formal education, 10, 370
reputation, 370–72
requests from strangers for money, 386
sense of humor, 169, 323
social life with friends and, 168–69, 371–72, 385–86
stutter, 2, 10, 90, 168, 323
temper, 128, 169, 245, 323, 373
theatrical performances and music, 11, 206, 220, 371, 384, 385, 386
Mackay, John William, Jr. “Willie” (son)
birth of, 272–73
childhood of, 281–82, 283, 284, 316, 319, 323
education and career of, 366, 384, 402, 418–19, 420
sickness and death of, 424–25, 426
Mackay, Katherine Duer, 426, 430–31
Mackay, Louise (born Marie Louise; wife)
art collecting by, 400–402
childhood life of, 164–65
daughter Eva’s hip operation and, 285, 302
daughter Eva’s wedding and marriage and, 404–5, 422
death and obituary of, 430
devotion to husband, 383
early sewing and teaching jobs of, 167, 193, 209–10
European vacations of, 284–85, 301–2, 387, 388, 390–91, 413
first marriage to Dr. Bryant by, 164–68, 193, 208–9, 210
granddaughter’s novel about, 165–66, 432
Grant’s visit to, 375, 376–77
London residences of, 402, 408, 418
Mackay’s courtship of, 212, 219–20
Mackay’s marriage celebration with, 220–21
Mackay’s shooting and, 420–21
Meissonier’s portrait of, 401–2, 418
Paris move and residence of, 366–67, 377–85, 393
philanthropies of, 366–67, 385, 423
physical appearance of, 166, 210, 323, 376, 390–91, 420
San Francisco residence of, 319–20, 322–23, 353
social entertainments of, 383, 384, 385, 386, 390–91, 417, 420
son Clarence’s birth and, 322–23
son Willie’s birth and, 272–73
son Willie’s death and, 425–26
Virginia fire and, 353–54
Mackay family
death of father and, 10
early years in New York City of, 9–11
immigration to New York City by, 6, 7
Irish background of, 6–7
John’s first job as newsboy to support, 10–11, 128, 201, 384–85
Mackay School of Mines, University of Nevada, Reno, 432
mail communication, 77
Pony Express and, 83, 87, 101
railroad and, 233
stagecoach lines and, 31, 38
telegraph networks and, 38
Wells Fargo and, 233
Maldonado, Gabriel, 70
Manogue, Patrick, 166, 167, 193, 208, 210, 220, 259, 360, 423
Marshall, James, 13
Mason, Richard Barnes, 18–19
Masonic Lodges and Masons, 39–40, 137, 170
Maximilian I, Emperor of Mexico, 209
McCullough, John, 220, 386
McLaughlin, Patrick, 51, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62, 66, 68, 69
Meissonier, Ernest, 400–402, 418
mercury (“quicksilver”)
dangers of using, 251
gold mining with, 28, 55, 60–61, 109
Meredith, Henry, 77, 88, 91, 92, 96–97
Mexican-American War, 13, 17, 100, 101
Mexican Californianos, loss of land rights to gold mining by, 35
Mexican immigrant miners, at Washoe Diggings, 120, 161, 249
Mexican mine, Comstock Lode, 73
collapse of gallery in, 160–62
Comstock’s selling of claim in, 70, 138
Gould & Curry claim and, 113
Grosh’s claim to, 175
Mackay’s work in, 90, 113–14, 121, 329
mining operations in, 73, 74, 76, 119, 120, 403
naming of, 71
productivity of, 107, 135, 149
value of shares in, 85, 86, 88, 115
vigilante hanging in, 286
Mexican mining techniques, 71, 120
Mexican patio process, 74, 108, 109, 178
Mexican raiding parties, in Arizona Territory, 386
Mexico
Hungerford’s fight against dictator in, 209
silver mines of, 73, 121, 157, 174
Meyer, Louise, 165, 193
mills
costs of, 224–25
mechanism of, 177–78
Mills, Darius Ogden
Bank of California and, 182, 185, 186, 344, 345, 347, 350, 351
Belcher mine stock and, 308
Crown Point mine and, 203
Hayward and, 277
on Mackay’s leadership, 128–29
Ophir mine management and, 341
Ralston’s death and, 350
San Francisco streets and buildings, 429–30
Sharon’s Palace Hotel project and, 343
Sutro’s tunnel project and, 204
Virginia & Truckee Railroad and, 233, 342
Milton mine, 148, 155, 158, 168, 169, 170, 171
mine owners
borrowing terms for,
106, 188, 202–3
classes of, 87–88
ignorance of underground geological conditions of, 113
lawsuits commonly used by, 106, 136, 175–77
ownership disputes between, 112–13
personalities of, 162
selling “feet” to raise capital by, 84, 88, 156–57
share speculation and, 105–6, 188
trading “feet” in a claim for work by, 76, 77, 85, 106, 174
miners. See also gold miners
alcohol (whisky) use by, 32, 33, 50, 86, 87, 163, 365
bicycle racing by, 248–49
confining, as stock price ruse, 229
fires feared by, 252–53
Mackay’s treatment of, 370–72
mine accidents and, 250–52
paydays for, 205
pride in work by, 252
rats and, 317–18
socializing after shifts by, 364–65
working conditions for, 223
mines. See also specific mines
appetite for investing in, 156–58
cages in, 215–17
classes of mine owners in, 87–88
Mackay’s insistence on clean, orderly work zones in, 128
miner paydays in, 205
multiple rich leads running in same direction in, 136
pump engine and pump machinery in, 217–19
rats in, 317–18
rebuilding of, after Virginia City fire, 360–62
selling “feet” to raise capital for, 84
speculation about locations that might be on main lode in, 88
square-set timbering system in, 115–20, 117
Virginia City fire and, 354–55, 360
working conditions for, 223
mining. See also gold mining; silver mining
California stamp mill technique for processing ores in, 108–10, 119
caves during, 32, 113, 114, 116, 317, 373
crosscuts in, 107
custom mills in, 201–2
drifts in, 107
dynamite used in, 236, 250, 326, 369
ignorance of underground geological conditions in, 113
proposed ban on California capital in, 126, 127
speedy extraction vital in, 120
taxes in, 336–37
winzes in, 120–21, 179
Mining & Scientific Press, 149, 170, 173, 175, 179, 194, 200, 205, 213, 225, 235, 236, 240, 241, 268, 274, 285, 294, 301, 317, 322, 331, 333, 365
mining camps
alcohol use in, 32, 33, 50, 86, 87, 164
anonymity of miners in, 34
attempts to “civilize,” 164
crimes and justice in, 32, 58, 286
desire for regular delivery of letters and newspapers to, 31
food and provisions in, 77, 86–87
gambling in, 33
lack of women and children in, 132, 165, 210
living conditions in, 33, 49
miners’ drifting between, 34
morality and religious traditions in, 33–34
poor conditions and disease in, 31–32
prostitution in, 33
shootings and violence in, 388
staying the winter in, 113
Sunday law proposal and, 126–27
mining claims
boundaries of, 57–58
jumping of, 32
living arrangements near, 33, 49
marking of, 29
one-ledge legal theory on, 176–77
Mexican Californianos and, 35
quartz mining and, 54, 55
recorders for, 29, 62
rights under, 28–29
speculation in, 29, 41
mining districts, 28, 57, 62, 99
mining law. See also laws and legislation
company’s claiming two separate ledges under, 176
early lack of, in California, 14–15
first codification of quartz-mining law in, 54
governance under, 175
Mackay on, 293
one-ledge theory in, 176–77
Montana mines, 69n, 189, 235–36, 273
morality, in mining camps, 33–34
Morrow, Robert, 348
Mormons
California gold strike and, 13
rumor about Williams Station Indian massacre and, 92
San Francisco gold fever and, 14
Utah mines and, 47
Utah territorial government and, 112
mules
equine influenza and, 312
mine transportation using, 281, 287–89, 295, 307, 335–36, 362
Virginia City fire and, 355, 362
mutual aid societies, 40
National Cable Railway Company, 399
Nevada Bank of San Francisco, 364, 368
capitalization of, 372
Fair and, 403, 411, 412
founding of, 338, 340, 341
Mackay’s sale of, 417–18
opening of, 351
problems at, 410–12
profits from, 381
Nevada legislature
Fair’s election to U.S. Senate and, 382
mining tax structure and, 336–37
proposed ban on California capital and, 126, 127
Sharon’s bribing of members of, 228, 330
Sharon’s candidacy to U.S. Senate and, 330
Sunday law proposal and, 126–27
Sutro’s tunnel project, 191
Nevada National Bank, 417
Nevada Territory
Civil War and, 123–24, 140
drought in, 173–74
Fenimore’s contribution to development of, 126
migration from California to, 159
Orion Clemens as secretary of, 152
Sunday law proposal for, 126–27
Utah Territory’s independence from, 124
newsboys, New York City
hard labor of, 10–11
Mackay’s first job as, 10, 384–85
Mackay’s later memories of work as, 128, 201
social life of, 11
newspapers. See also specific newspapers
Bank of California solvency reports in, 341, 344, 345–46, 347
California gold discovery in, 14, 17, 18
Civil War news in, 139, 140, 192
Clemens’s reporting job on, 153–54, 155, 162, 207–8
Con. Virginia mine in, 303, 305, 306, 311, 312–13, 316, 325, 326–28, 332, 374
Five Points, New York City, slum in, 9
Gold Rush successes and failures reported in, 24
Gould covered in, 394, 395
Gould’s ownership of, 395
Grant’s visit to Louise Mackay in Paris in, 376–77
Hale & Norcross’s confinement of miners in, 229–30, 242
Hale & Norcross’s share prices in, 243, 244
initial Pony Express run reported by, 83
Mackay-Dewey dispute in, 374
Mackay-Gould transatlantic cable war in, 399, 400, 402–3, 408, 409, 411
Mackay’s marriage and, 220–21
Mackay’s wealth reported in, 351
miners’ daily earnings reported in, 16, 18
miners’ desire for regular shipment of, 31
newsboys and, 10–11, 384–85
Nevada Territory mineral wealth in, 156
Ophir mine mismanagement in, 341
Pyramid Lake battles in, 99, 102
Ralston’s suicide in, 348, 349
Senator Fair stories in, 388–90
Sharon’s coverage in, 228, 330
violence and shootings reported in, 163
Virginia City fire in, 352, 355, 356, 357, 360, 361
Virginia City life reported in, 364–66
Washoe Diggings success in, 70
New York City
cholera and unsanitary conditions in, 17–18, 20, 22
Five Points slum in, 5, 8–9, 384, 414
gold fever and departures for California from, 19–20
&nb
sp; Irish immigrants in slums of, 5, 7, 11–12
Mackay family’s arrival in, 7–8
Mackay family’s early years in, 9–10
Mackay’s later visits to, 283–84, 316
news of gold discovery reported in, 15–16
squalid living conditions in, 9
tenements in, 8–9, 283
New York Herald
Bennett, Jr.’s ownership of, 385
California gold strike stories in, 15–16, 21
Mackay’s work as newsboy for, 11
New York Times, 89, 123, 132, 133, 142, 173, 174, 181–82, 197, 311, 351, 378, 390, 394, 397, 398, 403–4, 408, 409, 419, 424, 426, 430, 434
New York Tribune, 16, 17, 18, 22, 364, 411–12
Nobel, Alfred, 236
Northern Pacific Railroad, 321
Northern Paiute Indians, 50
Numaga (Paiute chief), 91
Nye, James, 126, 163, 295
O’Brien, Jack, 1–3
Comstock Lode work of, 75
decision to leave for Gold Hill by, 43
Durgan’s Flat claim, and, 40, 41
Gold Hill mine rumors and, 41
Mackay’s friendship with, 169
Ophir mine work of, 73
Union mine work and, 89n
O’Brien, William “Billy,” 237
background and early businesses of, 238, 239
Bank of California solvency and, 343, 344, 346, 349
Con. Virginia mine and, 293, 299, 311, 312, 316
death of, 377
Flood on, 417
Hale & Norcross mine and, 243, 244–45, 249, 267, 268, 289
Nevada Bank of and, 341, 368
reputation of, 368–69
Rising Star mine, Idaho, and, 237, 240
stock market investments by, 239
water supply and, 290
Ogden, Richard L. “Podgers,” 89, 124, 133, 142, 175, 181–82, 197
O’Grady, Alexander, 323–24, 383, 384
O’Grady, Alice, 283, 323, 384
“Old Virginny.” See Fenimore, James
one-ledge legal theory, 176–77
Ophir mine, Comstock Lode, 73, 137, 429
California Crosscut and, 327–28
Clemens’s visit to, 152
collapse of gallery in, 161–63
Comstock’s sale of interest in, 68, 138
Con. Virginia’s shaft and, 299, 324
Dewey’s management of, 372–73, 374
eastward dip of vein in, 115, 170, 175
fire at, 355–57, 360
floods in, 107, 160–61, 403
four adjacent claims in, 73
geologist’s evaluation of, 141–42
Gould & Curry claim and, 113
Grosh’s claim to, 175
Hearst’s ownership of shares of, 69, 77, 88, 92
Houseworth’s work at, 194–95
Mackay’s arrival at, 70–71, 73
Mackay’s ownership of shares of, 158, 329, 362
Mackay’s work in, 70–71, 90, 113–14, 121, 374, 375, 403
management issues at, 174–75, 341
mechanization of, 107–8
The Bonanza King Page 79