Union Pacific Railroad, 264–65
Union Reduction Works, 122
Union Trust Company, 418
Union Tunnel, 114–16
Deidesheimer’s square-set timbering in, 115–17
U.S. Assay Office, 26
U.S. Geological Survey, 57–58, 307
U.S. Mint, 19, 31
United States Notes, 134. See also greenbacks
U.S. Postal Office, 31
U.S. Senate
Fair’s campaign for, 382
Hearst in, 417
Sharon’s election to, 298, 330, 382
University of Nevada, Reno, Mackay School of Mines, 432
Utah mines, 325
Utah Territory
independence of, 124
rumors of gold and silver in, 2, 41
secession of states before Civil War and, 123
territorial government in, 112
vigilance committees, 164, 285–86
Virginia and Gold Hill Water Company, 227, 289, 314, 381
Virginia & Truckee (V&T) Railroad, 269–71, 319
construction of, 270
cost of building, 232, 270
Crown Point Trestle of, 266, 269
financing of, 234, 337
Mackay’s rivalry with, 337
mine booms and use of, 308, 326, 363
Ralston’s ownership of, 338, 340, 342
reception for first train in, 269–70
route decision in, 234
safety issues with, 270–71
Sharon and, 233, 234, 266, 269, 270, 337
Virginia City fire and, 354, 359–60
Virginia City, Nevada, 81, 105, 359
bank offices in, 72, 185–86, 187–88, 189, 203, 346
cholera epidemic in, 248
Civil War end and rejoicing in, 191–92
Clemens’s stay in, 153–55, 207–8
Comstock mine share slides and economic impact on, 188–89
deep-mining industry and, 185–86
economic decline and, 188–89
equine influenza in, 311, 312
Fair family’s move to, 211–12
fears of Indian massacres and martial law at, 99–100
Fenimore’s contribution to development of, 126
Fifteenth Amendment ratification celebration in, 271
fires in, 162, 282, 351–57
focus on silver mining at, 73
gold fever migration and boom in, 82–83, 84–85, 86, 88, 159–60
growth of, 110–11, 159–60
Hungerford family’s move to, 164–66
incorporation and expansion of, 125–26, 137
living conditions at, 71–72, 73, 75, 84, 126–27, 137–38, 160–61, 364–66
Louise Mackay’s donation to, 366–67
miner paydays and, 205
miners’ socializing in, 365–66
mine stock madness in, 157–58
mining claim lawsuits in, 175–76
mining operations around, 144–45, 149
naming of, 71
nefarious business practices in, 86
population of miners and others at, 75–76, 364, 428
President Grant’s visit to Comstock and, 379
railroad celebration in, 269–70
range of workers at, 259–60
rebuilding of, after fire, 359–60, 363
smallpox in, 138
snow and windstorms in, 75, 77, 78, 93–94, 199–200, 212, 230
social life and sports in, 248–49, 282–83
speculation in mining shares in, 84–85, 188, 295
Sunday law proposal and, 126–27
telegraph line to, 72, 85, 132–33
theater company in, 220
traffic jams in, 137, 159–60
transportation costs and, 233
transportation monopoly in, 337
transportation options in, 137, 138
violence and shootings in, 111–12, 123–24, 163–64, 167–68, 285–87
water supply in, 125, 290–91, 314–15, 326
Williams Station Indian massacre and, 90–92, 99–100, 101, 102–3
women in, 162–63
Virginia Daily Union, 163, 170, 176, 192
Virginia Ledge, 141–42
Wakelee, Charles H., 189
Walker, Jonas M., 238
death of, 422–23
Flood’s friendship with, 239
Mackay’s partnership in Kentuck mine with, 170–71, 174, 208, 213, 214
post–Civil War depression and, 193–94
Walker, Samuel, 101
Walsh, Judge James, 63, 66, 67–68, 69, 70, 74–75, 240
Ward, George G., 402, 408–9, 427
Washington Territory, 138
Washoe Diggings, 45–80. See also Gold Hill mine; Ophir mine; and other specific mines
Californians’ journey to, 81–84, 159–60, 163
classes of mine owners in, 87–88
claiming frenzy over, 62–63
concentration of mineral wealth in, 47
description of topography of, 45–46
difficulty of mining at, 53–54, 62, 66–67
early miners at, 41–42, 48–49
Fenimore’s contribution to development of, 126
Fenimore’s search for new diggings in, 51–52, 55–56, 58
first discovery of gold at, 46–47
focus on silver mining at, 73
gold and silver believed to be in every ledge in, 136
lawsuits entangling claims in, 136, 175–76
living conditions at, 49–50, 71–72
Mackay and O’Brien’s awareness of rumors about, 41
Mackay and O’Brien’s decision to leave for, 43
Mackay and O’Brien’s trek to, 43
maps of, 48, 64–65
mining operations at, 108, 114–15, 120
naming of, 48
native Indian settlements and, 47–48, 50, 78–79
Pioneer Quartz Company claim in, 54–55
post–Civil War depression in, 193
productivity of, 140–41
public loss of confidence in, 174, 183
reports of good earnings at, 42
San Francisco’s economy and, 72, 75, 77, 122, 141
search for local mother veins in, 50–51
selling panic in, 182–83
sell-outs and consolidations of claims in, 67–68, 69–70
speculation about locations that might be on main lode in, 88
speculation in shares of, 85–86
steady slide of value of, 173–74
transportation of supplies to, 232–33
Washoe Indians, 48, 50, 78–79, 91
water supply
Bank Ring’s profits from, 227–28
gold mines’ need for, 27, 28, 49, 289
Mackay’s approach to, 290–91, 313–15
Virginia City and, 125, 289, 314, 326
Webb, William H., 12
Webb shipyard, New York City, 40, 113
fire in, 15
gold fever and boom in, 23, 24
Mackay’s later memories of work at, 128, 201
Mackay’s shipyard apprenticeship at, 12, 17, 21, 23
Mackay’s skills learned at, 23
Wells, Fargo & Company, 31, 72, 149, 174, 185, 233, 417
Wells Fargo & Company Bank, 417
Wells Fargo Bank and Union Trust Company, 418
Wells Fargo Nevada National Bank, 417–18
Western Shoshone Indians, 91
Western Union
Baltimore and Ohio Telegraph and, 413
coverage and dominance of, 395
Gould’s ownership of, 395, 396
Mackay’s alliance against, 402–3, 412–13
Mackay’s transatlantic cable company and, 402, 403–4, 408–9, 411
near monopoly of, 395–96
problems encountered by, 397
whisky use. See alcohol (whisky) use
White, James, 59, 60
White & Murphy mine, 292
wildcats (outside claims), 87–88
Williams Station Indian massacre, 90–92, 101, 102–3
California militia organized after, 99–100, 101–102
Indian meeting about, 91–92
Ormsby’s force in pursuit of Indians after, 93, 94–99
Virginia City vigilantes organized after, 93–94
white settlers’ reaction to, 91–93
Williams brothers’ kidnapping resulting in, 90–91
Winnemucca (Paiute chief), 91, 99
Winnemucca, Sarah, 91
Winters, John D., 225–26, 262
Winters, Joseph, 61–62, 66
Winters, Theodore, 127
Winters Company, 135
winzes, 120–21, 179
women
fashion and, 209–10
gold fever and, 17
Irish immigrants in New York City and, 6, 7, 9, 12
lack of, in mining camps, 132, 165, 210
letters to Mackay from, 386
migration to Washoe Diggings by, 46, 82, 159–60, 163
mining camp life and, 33, 75, 93, 110–11, 113, 162–63, 195n, 209
mining stock owned by, 298, 331
right to vote for, 271–72
San Francisco and, 25
violence and shootings and, 163–64
Virginia City and, 75, 110–11, 160, 162–63, 282, 321, 365, 428
women’s rights movement, 271–72
Woodworth, Joseph, 63, 68
Wright, William, 51, 154, 230. See also de Quille, Dan
“yellow fever,” 15. See also Gold Rush
Yellow Jacket mine, 195
claim boundary issues and, 57–58, 176–77, 194
fires in, 253–64, 265, 279, 296
Houseworth Claim and, 194–95
mining operations in, 200, 213, 241, 253–54, 288, 387
naming of, 57
one-ledge legal theory at, 176
productivity of, 143, 149, 193, 197–98, 200, 201, 272
railroad construction costs and, 234
safety issues in, 251
share price of, 158, 159, 198, 273, 274, 296
Sharon’s management of, 189–90, 202, 213, 223, 225–26
Young, Brigham, 92, 99
Young, John Russell, 380, 414
Yuba River diggings, 18, 27, 209, 238
Photograph Credits
Interior
Library of Congress: pages x–xi, 21, 131, 151, 223, 247, 269
Courtesy of the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley: pages 1, 48, 81, 117, 173, 199
New York Public Library: pages 5, 45
Special Collections, University of Nevada, Reno, Libraries: pages 64–65, 144–45, 146–47
University Archives, University of Nevada, Reno, Libraries: pages 105, 281, 301, 319, 359
Michel Parys: page 393
Courtesy of the Society of California Pioneers: page 415
Insert
Courtesy of the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley: 1, 2
New York Public Library: 3
Courtesy of the Society of California Pioneers: 4–7, 9, 10
Nevada Historical Society: 8, 18
OpenSFHistory/wnp37.00821: 11
University Archives, University of Nevada, Reno: 12–15, 17
The Mark Twain Project: 16
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The Bonanza King Page 81