Letter from Cornucopia. (March 4, 1876)
Letter 24
LETTER FROM CORNUCOPIA.
The Bridge Located—Aurora District—Its Discovery and its Mines—
A Bridge Argument—Personal.
Cornucopia, Feb. 29, ’76.
Since my last, in which I gave you the history of the business men in this town, I must “chop” a little.
In the first place I will mention ONE GRAND EVENT, that is the arrival of Hon. J. O. Ivory Esq. and Mr. Robert Hubbs, of the committee to locate the Owyhee bridge, veni vidi vici. The bridge is located at a feasible point on the Owyhee, below Power’s place, a good site. All are now anxious that the works of the committee will meet its fruition and reward. When the honorable committee left us the Judge had two babies in his possession, which he had donated to him by Sam and Lew Blonger of The Palace. Adious [sic], Judge; God bless you.
Now let us depart, and write something about AURORA, the new mining district. This district is located west of here, and near the Winnemucca and Cornucopia road. It was first noted by a sheep herder in 1871; but locations were not made, the herder thinking there was nothing in it. W. B. Vaux, an old prospector, well known in Cariboo, Idaho, Montana, and the discoverer of the celebrated Rabbit Creek District, in the Salmon River country, Idaho, and one of the party of five that traveled five hundred miles on snow-shoes in the dead of winter from the head of Salmon River to the head of Cedar Creek, and the lucky discoverer of the Last Chance mine on Quartz Creek, on the Missoula River, in the same district, discovered this new district of Aurora. In May, 1875, some other parties claim they knew all about it; but it is all false. Nothing was known about it until Vaux & Co. prospected it this last summer, fall, and winter, and brought it into notoriety. Billy Vaux and Bob Hutchingson [Hutchinson] are indomitable; two of the best prospectors in the country. They have formed a new district, and called it “Aurora,” adopted mining laws according to law and the Acts of Congress of the United States. They have located, first, the Aurora, croppings of which assay $201 per ton, assessment work all done; then the Pride of the West, four assays as follows from the croppings, $1,007, $1,012, $750, $2,000; next, the Savage, a well defined ledge, no assay yet made, but a splendid prospect is shown, next, the Washington, the float assays $500 per ton, this is a very large ledge—fac simile of the Leopard; next, the Florence comes, this is similar to the Washington, which it joins on the south; then comes the New El Dorado, a splendid ledge, and the same character as the Washington, can be traced for a mile and a half, and runs directly towards Cornucopia, and is in the same belt or porphyry range, is eighteen feet wide on top; then we see the John Adams, which joins the Washington extension, a well defined ledge; then the Thomas Jefferson, a well defined ledge, blind at first, but it shows good ore of a chloride character, and would astonish the old chloriders of Mountain City and Cornucopia in their palmy days. Thus, Mr Editor, from the sources from which I can glean information I must say that Aurora stands at the top of the heap. The boys say they will ship considerable of their croppings to the HUMBOLDT REDUCTION WORKS, and then they think they can make it pay.
Build the road, make it passable, and you can bet that the northern portion of Elko county will look to Winnemucca as its objective point on the railroad. Build the bridge and the miners of Aurora intend to give freight teams all the ore they can carry, to be worked at Winnemucca.
THINGS ABOUT TOWN. John Barrett is selling wood at $20 per cord. Judge Bassett is sending Chinamen to jail at Elko. Sam and Lew Blonger, at The Palace, are selling whisky and cigars as usual at two bits per drink. Jack Small now smiles upon us, but as yet there is no game for him. The Blue Jacket has lots of bullion snowed in at Bull Run. Smith Van Drillen will get it out in a few days—S. M. H.
What were the two babies Sam & Lou gave to the Judge?
Originally published in the Silver State on March 4, 1876. (link)