Questions and Answers from Web Visitors
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The questions are coming in to us from our web sites. If anyone knows the answer to the following ones we haven't yet answered, we'd appreciate it if you'd let us know.
We lived in Bristol in 1948 and went to the little school house there. I am sending a picture of some of the houses (attached) which includes the one we lived in and the school house on the right. ~Joanne C. (Wigglesworth) Miller
Someone in Virginia is wanting information about Pioche Mines Consolidated, Inc. There was litigation going on in 1960 concerning the closing of the mine and also against the president of the mine, John Janney. He doesn't have any idea of what happened after that.
Someone is interested in finding out all he can about Beverage, California, which is a ghost town on Panamint Mt. (Editor's Note: There's a lot of information on Panamint Mountains going WAY back in time, in our "heavy" story on another one of our sites. It starts with the "Secrets of the Mojave" and there's more later in the story of Genesis.)
Here's great info from a reader:You had indicated somebody had an interest in "Beverage" a ghost town in the Panamint Mountains in California. I may have some information which would be of interest. While I have not been to the site, I have been in the area and have met individuals that have been there.
The 'town' was actually a camp called "Beveridge", located in the Inyo Mountains of California, and named for John Beveridge, a citizen of some renown, having had some involvement in discoveries east of Cerro Gordo.
Getting to the old site is difficult, but can be undertaken by persons in good physical shape, carrying ample water, and traveling in spring or fall. Located east-southeast of Keynot Peak, Beveridge is on the eastern slope of the Inyo Mountains, below the junction of Beveridge and Cave Canyons. Due to the inaccessability of this camp, it gets few visitors. Last visitors to the area reported a few ruined wooden buildings and some mining machinery remains.
The best approach would be from the east side, from the Saline Valley Road. This is desert, and there are no services for many miles. Good hiking equipment, a 4WD vehicle, and plenty of water are required.
From Dutch Henry
Another person is looking for ANY information on the Hornsilver/Gold Point area of Nevada and on John William Dunfee for whom the mountain east of there was named after (Mt. Dunfee).
We have an answer to that one!
Dear Cowboy George: Just surfing and was fascinated to see your website. Excellent! My name is Shawn Hall and I have been writing books on Nevada's ghost towns for almost twenty years. I am currently writing one on Esmeralda and Mineral Counties. I have quite a bit of information on Hornsilver but it hasn't been put in written form so the listing of information might be choppy, and I apologize.
Hornsilver was also known as Gold Point and Lime Point. The only reference to Dunfee is that he ran a lease from 1915 to 1921 which produced 38K in gold and silver. Lime deposits were discovered here in 1868 but little else happened until 1905 when the Great Western Mine was reopened by Howard Russell and William Kavanaugh. The mine had been worked to a small extent in the 1880s when the ore was shipped to Lida. In the first year, the mine produced 91K. The "Hornsilver Herald" began publication in May, 1908, and was run by Earle Clemens, who also ran the "Rhyolite Herald." By this time, the town had 1000 residents. Within five weeks of the town's founding, Hornsilver had a population of 700, 220 frame buildings, tents, shacks, and sheds. M.A. Maher ran the Cuprite-Hawthorne stage, $7 round trip. Businesses included the Barnes Bros. Gen. Merchandise, Westside Grocery, Exploration Mercantile, Hornsilver Hotel and Restaurant, Empire Lumber, Union Bakery, Hornsilver Townsite Co. In April, a telephone line to Cuprite was completed. Active mining companies included the Great Western Gold Mining and Milling Co., Silver King M. Co., Richmond Gold Mountain M. Co. Post office opened on May 16, 1908 and remained in operation until January 12, 1968. Postmasters were Ernest Hammon, Mary Kelley, Martha Clark, Ora Wiley, M.W. Strange, and William Marsdeth. From 1907 to 1921, mines in the area produced $515K. The Ohio Mines Corp. was the only real producer after 1921, and was in operation from 1930 until October, 1941, when virtually all mining activity ceased. In 1935, the co. built a 100-ton cyanide mill. In February, 1949, the school district was abolished. Today, many beautiful wood buildings still remain and it is a fascinating place to visit.
I hope this summary is of some help. I am always interested in communicating with other "ghosttowners" and would enjoy hearing from them.
Happy Hunting,
Shawn Hall ~ shawnrhall@aol.com
How much did it cost for an old west funeral, and is it true the gunfighters kept money hidden in their gunbarrels for the purpose of burying them?
I doubt very much
that gunfighters kept burial money in their gunbarrels, because if they did they'd need it
very quickly (they couldn't shoot -- it would block the bullet's path through the barrel).
However, I have seen some documentation (awhile ago -- would have to dig up the source
again) that some old westerners were known to keep a rolled up note (i.e., paper money)
inside one chamber of their revolver's cylinder. This might make some sense, since the
single-action revolvers of that era were safely carried only with the hammer down on an
empty chamber (otherwise, their was a chance of accidental discharge if the revolver fell
and landed on the hammer). However, I doubt if many old-timers actually did this,
especially "gunfighters" since it would certainly cause problems with reloading
in case of a protracted gunfight (such as when attacked by Indians or by the sheriff's
posse). It does make a great story however, and that's probably why it endures to the
present day.
From HILLBEACHY@EROLS.COM
One man sent a letter saying he stayed in Pioche for a while in 1951, and remembers the Mt. View Hotel. The lady that owned it had a granddaughter by the name of Pat Muir, and he'd very much like to hear from her. Also, there was a girl named Ellen Hines. Anyone who knows the whereabouts of these two women, can write to Morry Nelson, 19959 Brick Road, South Bend, Indiana 46637. He'd greatly appreciate it.
Another, who e-mailed us, wants to know about the years of operation of the Pioche Trading Post and of any trade tokens they may have issued.
If you can help any of the above or if you have a comment or question, e-mail me and I'll post it here:
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