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NV - Silver City,Lyon County - Donovan Reduction Works Ephemera - Gil Schmidtmann Collection

Currency:USD Category:Collectibles / Western Americana Start Price:100.00 USD Estimated At:200.00 - 300.00 USD
NV - Silver City,Lyon County - Donovan Reduction Works Ephemera - Gil Schmidtmann Collection
Session D is a Mail-Bid Only Auction. Absentee bids will be accepted only. No live bidding will be allowed. All winners will be contacted after the auction. BIDDING ENDS MONDAY JUNE 27 AT 5PM PACIFIC TIME!!!
Lot of 6 groups.

1) Five Order Books 10.5”x8.5” lined with variety of items ordered by the company. 2) Approximately 200 canceled checks drawn on the Virginia City Bank and signed by Wm. Om. Donovan. 3) 30 sheets of monthly notarized reports of gold and silver with summary sheets and affidavits. 4) forms TS-1 from the US Mint in Washington DC. 5) 22 deeds on a variety of properties. 6) 5 leases.

The first gold nugget in what would become known as Gold Canyon was actually discovered at Devil’s Gate, just north of Silver City, by John Orr and Nicholas Kelly in June, 1850. For the next ten years, the canyon would become the scene of avid placer mining and the busy route to Virginia City, as thousands of miners made their way to the Comstock Lode.

During the brief Paiute War of May, 1860, the people of Silver City built a stone battlement atop the eastern summit of Devil’s Gate and constructed a wooden cannon for protection. Later that summer, one of the first stamp mills in Nevada Territory was erected just south of Devil’s Gate in Silver City.

By 1861, Silver City boasted several boarding houses, a number of saloons, four hotels and a population of about 1,200 people. As Virginia City boomed, Silver City became an important freighting center with extensive stables and corrals to serve the many people traveling between the Comstock Lode mines of Virginia City and the processing mills located near Dayton and along the Carson River.

Devil’s Gate, just north of Silver City, is two large walls of rock on either side of the road to Virginia City. Formed from lava rock, the rock was blasted and widened for a toll road. At the same time; however, another type of "toll” was often extracted from travelers through Devil’s Gate – robbery. In the late 1850s and early 1860s, the narrow opening was a popular hideout for highwaymen. Relieving travelers of their watches, wallets, gold and silver, Devil’s Gate earned a reputation for trouble and most came armed while passing through.

Silver City thrived for several years, though its mines and mills were never as productive as Virginia City and Gold Hill. When the Virginia & Truckee Railroad was completed in 1869, it spelled the demise of Silver City. However, the small town today continues to display a number of historic structures, is dotted with old mining equipment, and has a substantial historic cemetery. On the south side of Silver City, are the remains of a mostly intact mining facility.

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