This is a brief account of the Comstock Lode silver mines, and description of the geographic features of the state of Nevada including the railroads. Silver not only defined Nevada, but influenced the opening of the American West as far as San Francisco. Dan De Quille (pseudonym for William Wright) wrote extensively on the history of mining in the area of Nevada, and published the larger work “The Big Bonanza” assisted by Mark Twain, both of whom were part of the Sagebrush School of writers. - Summary by Larry Wilson
Chapters
1 Introductory 3 min 2 The State of Nevada - Boundaries and Areas 6 min 3 Physical Aspect of the State 7 min 4 The Rivers of Nevada - Humboldt River 5 min 5 Truckee River 4 min 6 Carson River 3 min 7 Walker River, Owyhee River, Reese River 3 min 8 Other Nevada Rivers 3 min 9 Mineral Treasures of Nevada 4 min 10 Agricultural Resources 6 min 11 The Comstock Mines, The Discovery of Silver 2 min 12 Placer Mining on Gold Canyon 9 min 13 The Grand Rush over the Sierras 3 min 14 The Discoverers and Their Fate 3 min 15 Early Mining and Milling 4 min 16 Mining Difficulties and Inventions 2 min 17 Various Mining and Milling Appliances, The Comstock as a School for Miners 4 min 18 Virginia City and Surroundings 9 min 19 City Improvements 4 min 20 The Great Fire 5 min 21 Virginia City at Present 5 min 22 Views from the City and Vicinity, The View from the Summit of Mount Davidson 3 min 23 The Virginia and Truckee Railroad 4 min 24 The Days of Bull Teams 4 min 25 The Virginia City and Gold Hill Water Works 4 min 26 The Big Water Pipes 3 min 27 Additional Great Pipes 4 min 28 The Sutro Tunnel, The Reduction Works of Early Days 5 min 29 The First Silver Mill, The Many Mills of the Early Days 6 min 30 Description of the Process of Working Comstock Silver Ores 9 min 31 The Two California Mills, The River and Canyon Mills 5 min 32 The Comstock Lode - Hoisting Works, Shafts and Mining, Past and Present 3 min 33 The Three Lines of Hoisting Works 6 min 34 The Combination Shaft, The Deepest Workings on the Lode 6 min 35 A Return to the Second Line of Works 4 min 36 The Old First Bonanzas, The New Departure 4 min 37 Present Yield of the Comstock Mines 9 min 38 Vicissitudes of Fortune in Mining 4 min 39 Towns of Western Nevada - Virginia City, Gold Hill , Silver City 5 min 40 Dayton and Sutro 6 min 41 Carson City 6 min 42 Empire City, Genoa and Reno 9 min 43 Other Towns in Washoe County 4 min 44 Lake Tahoe and Surroundings - Surrounding Objects of Interest 11 min 45 Emerald Bay through Rubicon Springs 8 min 46 Routes to Lake Tahoe 5 min 47 The Town Of Truckee, Donner Lake and the Donner Disaster 6 min 48 Surrounding Points of Interest, Independence Lake and Webber Lake Wonders 4 min 49 Pyramid Lake 4 min 50 Winnemucca Lake and Washoe Lake 3 min 51 Thermal and Medicinal Springs, Steamboat Springs 6 min 52 Shaw's Springs, State Prison Warm Springs, Walley's Springs and Other Springs 6 min 53 Railroads in Nevada - The Central Pacific, Virginia & Truckee, Carson & Colorado 5 min 54 Wabuska, Hawthorne, Luning, Bellville, Candelaria, Benton and Bishop Creek 4 min 55 Independence, Keeler, Owens Lake, and Mono Lake 4 min 56 Eureka and Palisade, Nevada Central, Battle Mountain, Austin, Nevada and California 6 min 57 Proposed Railroads - Salt Lake and Los Angeles, Nevada, Central, and Idaho 2 min 58 Nevada a Land of Great Possibilities 5 min
