A Mine to Make a Mine: Financing the Colorado Mining Industry, 1859-1902Entranced by visions of instant wealth, the fabled prospector and his trusty burro combed the hills of the Rocky Mountain West for that one huge deposit of pay ore. Close behind the prospector--and drawn by the same vision--came the speculator. Capital, a scarce though essential commodity on the frontier, was supplied by the speculators and made possible the development of a hardrock mining industry that helped shape the early history of the region. Between the Civil War and the turn of the century, the gold and silver mines of Colorado were a gaudy, unsavory, but important element in the American financial scene and in the economic history of the West. Joseph E. King, drawing upon contemporary sources, provides the first comprehensive and scholarly examination of eastern investors in Colorado and challenges the popular notion that eastern investors did little more than exploit the mines of Colorado. Not surprisingly, the prospector and the lusty boom towns he visited have often captivated the imagination of historians at the expense of the later stages in the development of a mineral industry. Professor King stresses the contributions of promoters, businessmen, and mining engineers in the development of the "Wild West." |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 21
Page 51
... Comstock , six Homestake , five Potosi , and two Gould and Curry mines , each a rich property outside the state , but likely to mislead and confound the easterner who knew the name and the reputation but nothing more.33 Even the most ...
... Comstock , six Homestake , five Potosi , and two Gould and Curry mines , each a rich property outside the state , but likely to mislead and confound the easterner who knew the name and the reputation but nothing more.33 Even the most ...
Page 89
... Comstock that he was forced to hock his wife's jewels and mortgage large tracts of choice real estate . Unlike the contrived drops in ore reduction that had characterized Comstock speculation in the past , in 1878 and 1879 the Nevada ...
... Comstock that he was forced to hock his wife's jewels and mortgage large tracts of choice real estate . Unlike the contrived drops in ore reduction that had characterized Comstock speculation in the past , in 1878 and 1879 the Nevada ...
Page 90
... Comstock mines , Kearneyism began to turn a number of mining financiers and promoters away from Nevada and away from the sagging fortunes of San Francisco to greener pastures.10 Just as the miners , mine managers , and engineers who had ...
... Comstock mines , Kearneyism began to turn a number of mining financiers and promoters away from Nevada and away from the sagging fortunes of San Francisco to greener pastures.10 Just as the miners , mine managers , and engineers who had ...
Other editions - View all
A Mine to Make a Mine: Financing the Colorado Mining Industry, 1859-1902 Joseph E. King No preview available - 1977 |
Common terms and phrases
absentee American April Aspen bonanza boom Boston Bradford Prince Bullion camp capital capitalists Central City Chaffee Chicago Chrysolite claims Clear Creek County Clifford Colo Colorado mining Comstock Comstock Lode Cripple Creek Cyrus McCormick David Moffat December Denver dividends dollars early East eastern Eben Smith Engineering and Mining enterprise February Frank Fossett George Gilpin County Gold and Silver Henry Historical Society History Horace Tabor Hyman Idaho Springs investors January John Leadville leasing Little Pittsburg lode March McCormick mill million miners Mining Company mining engineer Mining in Colorado mining industry Mining Investments Mining Journal mining properties Mining Record mining stocks mining ventures Moffat October officers operations owners panies Papers precious metal production profit promoters prospector prospectus purchase rado railroad Raymond reported Rickard Roberts Rocky Mountain sell shareholders shares Silver Cliff Silver Mines speculation Stock Exchange stockholders Tabor Thomas West western mining York