HISTORICAL SKETCH AND REMINISCENCES

OF

DAYTON, NEVADA

BY

MRS. FANNY G. HAZLETT

AND HER DAUGHTER

GERTRUDE HAZLETT RANDALL, Deceased

With Illustrations

FOREWORD

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            Mrs. Fannie G. Hazlett is a real pioneer. Some years ago she was minded to compile a brief history of the place where nearly all of her life has been spent. With her daughter's assistance she prepared this manuscript which now, edited by the Secretary of the Nevada Historical Society, appears in this form. Her last work upon it was done in 1910. Many changes have occurred in Dayton since that time. In some instances these have been chronicled in the footnotes, all of which latter have been added by the Editor.

            To those who know Mrs. Hazlett, still so youthful and progressive in spirit at the age of eighty-four, it was no matter of surprise when the news was recently flashed across the continent that she had taken a ride in an aeroplane. How unusual it seemed to strangers that she should, at this advanced age, participate in so exciting an adventure, is indicated by the requests that came to her from the largest newspapers in America for the details of the trip and for photographs of herself. The picture here reproduced shows her as she is preparing to take the flight. One can read in the lines of the picture the same intrepid courage and interest in the new things of life that brought her West in those pioneer days of hardships. Her story speaks for itself.   

                                                                        JEANNE ELIZABETH WIER, Secretary.

ANALYTICAL OUTLINE OF PAPER

PART I

            I. Social and Economic Beginnings of Dayton, 1849 - 1857 : Immigrant supplies and gold discovery cause settlement of Dayton; mining parties in 1850; "Old Virginia" and others in 1851; the Ellis Journal and 1853; Dayton the scene of Nevada's first dance; the first barbecue; the first marriage and divorce; a pioneer marriage contract; the first white birth; California emigrants pass by; Johntown a rival of Dayton; Indian war averted; why Dayton was called Chinatown; loss of Mormon population.

            II. Permanent Foundations Laid, 1857-1862: Discovery of Comstock Lode; population drawn away from Dayton; milling operations begun; hardships of winter, 1859-1860; Dayton in 1859; wages in 1860; 1860 and "Mineral Rapids"; Dayton is christened, 1861; an unpaid board-bill; proposed water connection with Humboldt River; Dayton reaches for the capital; Dayton cemetery, how "Old Virginia" was buried; the Territory of Nevada, and Dayton a county-seat.

            III. The Dayton Mills, 1861 - 1862: Dayton shares

prosperity of Comstock; the Rock Point Mill; the Chinatown group of mills; mills on higher ground; mills below Dayton; Gold Canyon mills; reduction difficulties; a new use for sagebrush; flood of 1861-1862 and the "Tailings" industry; tailings mills; Dayton in 1862.

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PART II. REMINISCENCES

            I. First Experiences in Nevada, 1862: My arrival in Nevada, 1862; new occupations for my brother; my life in a wood-camp; illness brings me to Dayton; a legal execution at Dayton; Indians paid for pine trees.

            II. The Dayton That I First Knew: Dayton in 1862; the hay - yards of 1862; lumber - yards; meat markets; gas company, but no gas.

            III. How Dayton Developed: Dayton in 1863; hotels; the toll-road of 1863; some high prices; lost turkeys and pigs; a unique wedding; a ball in Como; the Buckland ball; stage connections with Dayton.

            IV. Social Conditions in Dayton: How about schools? a noted physician; lawyers a-plenty; gamblers not lacking; fortunes and misfortunes; the lodges of Dayton; an interrupted dance; pioneer compassion; the Episcopal Church and pioneer labors; the fortunes of Methodism; Sunday School always; a Dayton vigilance committee; the Dayton press.

            V. Some Eventful Happenings: A costly courthouse; a water system; the Gridley Sack of Flour in Dayton; when Lincoln was assassinated; 1865 prices; the wood business; the two big fires; piecemeal burning and a fire engine; Sutro Tunnel; first railroad connections; the wonderful C. & C.

            VI. Dreams that Never Came True: Dreams of coal mines; the Blanchard lime; dredging for gold.

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            VII. Some Modern Developments and Catastrophies: Electricity; literary appreciation; Capt. Davis and modern milling; Dayton farms; the flood of 1907; the courthouse destroyed; the district high school.

            VIII. Eccentric Characters: An Indian slacker; "Gentle Annie"; when Ike beautified; a pioneer "bleasure wagon"; when the hearse did not arrive; an incident of the cemetery; a children's party in a saloon.

            FINALE: Why do we not keep diaries?

PART I. HISTORICAL SKETCH OF DAYTON

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CHAPTER 1. SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC BEGINNINGS OF DAYTON, 1849-1857

Immigrant Supplies and Gold Discovery Cause Settlement of Dayton.

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Mining Parties in 1850.

            Early in the spring of 1850 several parties bound from Salt Lake to California were detained from making the crossing by snow on the mountains. With a view to prospecting they followed the Carson down to the mouth of the canyon where gold had previously been found, and there in the waters of the canyon creek, they tested for gold, and got gold. It was on the fifteenth day of May that William Prouse washed a little of the surface dirt in a milk pan at the mouth of Gold Canyon where Dayton now stands. John Orr and Nicholas Kelley, members of the same party, named the place Gold Canyon. On June

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first Mr. Orr thrust a butcher knife into a crevice at the edge of a small cascade arid pried out a nugget worth perhaps ten dollars. Not being miners, these men did not follow up the clew but packed up and went on to California. The news of the discovery in 1849 had reached the mining camps of California. In July of 1850 Mr. C. N. Noteware met a party of miners from California on the divide near Empire, who were going with a mining outfit to work at the canyon. Capt. Rob't. Lyon also testified that he saw placer mining carried on when he passed the mouth of the ravine in July of that year. In August some emigrants camping in the valley saw a train of Mexicans with mules, wooden bowls, provisions, and some mining tools cross the hills to Gold Canyon.

"Old Virginia" and Others in 1851.

            For the year 1852 there are few records, but enough exist to show that the field was not abandoned.

The Ellis Journal and 1853.

            With 1853 the story becomes more complete and authentic, for in that year James Ellis and his wife, Laura M., arrived and took up a ranch about one and one-half miles below the present Dayton. Here they built

Historical Sketch of Dayton    15

Dayton, the Scene of Nevada's First Dance.

            As in all pioneer mining communities there was a dearth

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The First Barbecue.

            In strong contrast to the nine women guests at the party were the approximate one hundred and fifty men, gathered from far and near, and representing the occupations of miner, rancher, and station-keeper. The Paiute Indians of western Utah were also bent on celebrating the paleface New Year, for down at Chalk Hills near Mound House next morning the first recorded barbecue in Nevada

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was held, and the dancers of New Year's eve were short two horses, while the rest of their animals were in peril of similar treatment. However, it is recorded that all of the latter were duly rescued from the Indians who had driven them off from the settlement the evening previous.

The First Marriage and Divorce.

A Pioneer Marriage Contract.

            Another couple, James Dover and Rachel Albrecht, wished to be married. There being no one at hand who

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was authorized to perform the ceremony, the parties appealed to Mrs. Ellis, who drew up a triplicate contract which was properly signed and witnessed, and they went on their way rejoicing. Some years later a divorce terminated this second wedding in Nevada. Mrs. Ellis, who tied the knot, will be remembered by some now living in Dayton.

First White Birth.

            The first native white child in western Utah was born here in 1854, and was named James Brimmel Ellis. He died in Virginia City in 1869.

California Emigrants Pass By.

            In the years 1853 and 1854 a large emigration passed through to California over the old emigrant road by the Rock Point to the foot of the hill near where John Lothrop's residence now stands. Traces of the old road still remain on the hills over which thousands of weary footsore people and worn-out animals plodded toward the setting sun and promised land of gold. The Ellis report enumerates two hundred and thirteen wagons, three hundred and sixty horses and mules, seven thousand five hundred and twenty-eight head of cattle, and seven thousand one hundred and fifty sheep passing Dayton, westward bound, in 1854 up to July first.

Johntown, A Rival of Dayton.

            These added little or nothing to the population of Dayton and the exhaustion of the placers at the lower end of the canyon caused the miners to work their way up the ravine until about three miles to the north the new town of Johntown for a time eclipsed the original settlement in both numbers and interest. Indeed we are told that from about 1856-1858 Johntown was the "big mining town" of

Historical Sketch of Dayton    21

Indian War Averted.

            One event in 1855 is worthy of mention. Numaga, a friendly Indian chief, was sent with three hundred warriors to carry a note to Mrs. Ellis from Asa Kenyon, at Rag-town, near the Carson Sink. The note asked for arms and ammunition with which to fight the Washoes. But the wise Mrs. Ellis gave the chief instead of firearms an order on William McMarlin for flour. The miners feasted the Indians, and intertribal war was thus averted for that time.

Why Dayton Was Called Chinatown.

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Loss of Mormon Population.

            The influx of Chinese in '56 and '57 was balanced by another event that threatened to depopulate the country of western Utah. For in 1856 Orson Hyde, the leader of the Mormon Church in this section, returned to Salt Lake. In 1857 all members of this church, who, by the way, constituted the greater part of the population of western Utah, were ordered by Brigham Young back to Salt Lake City to defend that place against a threatened invasion of United States troops. Thus was ended the aggressive early colonization of what is now Nevada by the Mormon Church. But until 1861 all this part of the country was claimed as a part of Utah.

CHAPTER 2.  PERMANENT FOUNDATIONS LAID, 1857-1862

Discovery of Comstock Lode.

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scatter out to prospect in other places. This led to the discovery of gold in Six-Mile Canyon in 1857, an event which paved the way for the discovery of the Comstock Lode two years later. It was in 1857, also, that the Grosch brothers, who had been prospecting here since '52, discovered silver in Gold Canyon, but neither of them lived to make known the location of the mine. Very early in 1859 the mound at the head of Gold Canyon was prospected, and gold was found. The place was named Gold Hill. A few months later miners working their way up to the head of Six-Mile Canyon discovered the great lode.

Population Drawn Away from Dayton.

            In August of 1858 the ditch from the Carson River to Gold Canyon was completed and the Chinese population of Dayton declined. The ditch, by the way, was found to be several feet higher at its mouth than at its source and, water refusing to run up hill, the ditch was later redug at a lower level, and is now known as Douglas Ditch. Up to 1859 neither Dayton nor Johntown had more than a dozen houses, and the discovery of the Comstock in 1859 tended to draw away population from Dayton. Even the houses were moved to the former place, until there were scarcely more than a half-dozen left.

Milling Operations Begun.

Historical Sketch of Dayton 25

Hardships of Winter, 1859-1860.

            The bright prospects for fortune-making on the Comstock rendered the hard winter of 1859-1860 endurable. It was one of the most severe seasons ever known in this region. Horses, cattle, and animals of all kinds, as well as Indians, died from the cold and starvation. Flour was seventy-five cents a pound, and other provisions were proportionately high. Many miners were without boots. No supplies were obtainable except those that were brought over the mountains by "Snowshoe" Thompson on his Norwegian snow-skates, his load often being one hundred pounds.

Dayton in 1859.

            A word picture of Dayton in July of 1859, written in 1862, reads as follows: "Its principal residents were

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Wages in 1860.

            Wages in 1860 were as follows: Women averaged forty dollars a month; for farm work men had three dollars and fifty cents a day without board, or three dollars in addition to board; carpenters and men of similar trades had seven dollars a day; miners received four dollars a day. The latter's wages have stood at that figure in this vicinity ever since, and there has never been a miners' strike on the Comstock.

1860 and "Mineral Rapids."

            In 1860 the place had two blacksmiths, one shoemaker, one store, one public-house, and one saloon. According to the census of 1860, there were sixty eight males, eight females, and twenty-eight dwellings (including the Chinese). This was the extent of the settlement when, in

Historical Sketch of Dayton    27

Dayton is Christened, 1861.

An Unpaid Board Bill.

            There came to the town in this year, Mrs. Mary M. McDowell, later Mrs. Stiles. She built the Union Hotel, the second hostelry in the town, the Adams House being the first. Her place stood where Cooper's blacksmith shop is now located. She ran the hotel until 1866. In 1862-1864 she boarded soldiers for the United States Government, this being a recruiting station. Her bill amounted to thirty-five hundred dollars and is still due. The vouch-

Historical Sketch of Dayton    29

ers were in the possession of Colonel McDermitt, and were lost when he was killed by the Indians in 1865. Mrs. Stiles died in 1891. By the way, Mr. Stiles was with Admiral Sloat, and took part in the raising of the flag at Monterey when California was taken over in the name of the United States.

Proposed Water Connection with Humboldt City.

            An ambitious project of 1861 was nothing less than an attempt to improve the Carson River and Sink, as also the Humboldt River and Sink. In high water these two rivers were joined by nature. To make this connection a permanent one was the purpose of the scheme. Thus a continuous line of navigation would be provided from Dayton to Humboldt City: The charter was granted to J. Jacobson and several associates. The plan was never executed. However, it was considered perfectly feasible, as water had not then been taken out of the river to any extent for the purpose of irrigation. Imagine, if you please, a steamer going down the Carson River, across the lakes, and up the Humboldt River. Nothing small about it, to be sure! But why anyone should want to go to Humboldt City—a little hamlet of no importance—is still a mystery. The charter was granted by the same Legislature that chartered so many toll-roads that, had they all been made, they would have extended over the borders in every direction like a huge fringe.

Dayton Reaches for the Capital.

            The eagerness of Dayton to build itself into a real city was shown again in 1861, when an effort was made to move the State Capital to that place. The alleged cause for the proposed removal was that Ormsby County had agreed to furnish rooms for the first Legislature free of cost, but had instead charged four thousand dollars rental.

Historical Sketch of Dayton    31

            As a result Storey County also offered a removal proposition for Virginia City. Again in 1864 the town of Gold Hill, in mistaken anticipation of being the lucky winner of  the capital, laid out a town at American Flat and called it American City. In Lyon County considerable money was also spent on the project for Dayton. However, Ormsby County bestirred itself and Carson City remained the Capital.

Dayton Cemetery; How Old Virginia was Buried.

            Another burial that took place before Dayton had a cemetery was that of a young man named Claggett, who

Historical Sketch of Dayton    33

was thrown from a horse and killed at about the same place as "Old Virginia." He also was buried at the foot of the hill, and rested there many years until finally his brother, a Congressman, I think, from Montana, had his remains removed to the cemetery, where a metal monument now marks his grave.

The Territory of Nevada, and Dayton a County-Seat.

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CHAPTER 3. THE DAYTON MILLS, 1861-1862

Dayton Shares Prosperity of the Comstock.

            But when all is told, the real prosperity of Dayton in those early days was due to its relation to the Comstock mines, both for the reduction of the rich ores and as a gateway to the outside world. All the mineral was forced to pay poll at this point in some form or other. From the time that milling began Dayton received a bounteous share of the profits from the mines, and developed into a town of considerable proportions with school, church, fraternal orders, material improvements and representative industries such as belong to communities that are founded upon more permanent considerations than those of the mining camp. In 1862 it was rated as the third town in size in Nevada Territory. Plans for a railroad to connect Dayton and Gold Hill directly gave promise of its achieving second or first place.

The Rock Point Mill.

            As early as 1861 the Rock Point Mill was built. It was owned by Hugh Logan, J. R. Logan, James P. Holmes and John Black. It was one of the largest mills in the country, the main building being ninety by one hundred feet, with waterwheel of one hundred horsepower, forty-two stamps, and reduced fifty tons of rock per day, working for both silver and gold. The water was brought a distance of two thousand feet, part of the way in a flume ten feet wide and three feet deep. The dam was built of stone and timber, and, with the race, cost over ten thousand dollars. The wheel was sixteen feet in diameter and had forty buckets holding, when full, six thousand pounds of water. The mill and all cost two hundred thousand dollars and, in 1868, was owned by the Imperial Silver Min-

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ing Company, who made improvements in the dam and flume costing ninety-three thousand dollars. This is the only mill site that has survived the wreck and decay of fifty years, and still remains "The Rock Point Mill."

The Chinatown Group of Mills.

            The Illinois, fifteen stamps, was above the Rock Point. East of the latter was Shaw's Mill, fifteen stamps, but never operated because the Rock Point claimed and held the water with which they had intended to run it. The Mineral Rapids Mill was near the present site of the Davis Cyanide Plant. It was run by steam, and had ten stamps and four twelve-foot arrastras, crushing twenty tons of rock a day. The Sutro Mill, ten stamps, reduced twelve tons of rock a day. The Solomon and Jacob's Mill was of small capacity, running ten arrastras by means of steam. Keller & Co. had a fifteen-stamp equipment of twenty tons daily capacity, saving both gold and silver. All of the above mentioned mills, as also Dayton No. 1 and No. 2, were in what is now Chinatown, the Dayton just above the depot.

Mills on Higher Ground.

            Higher up was another group of mills. The Aurora, thirty-eight stamps and two arrastras, crushing forty tons a day, run by two turbine wheels, was owned by John D. and Joseph D. Winters, J. Mosheimer, and G. Kustel.

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same group was Sproul's Mill, ten stamps and twenty Hungarian pans, employing fifteen hands. Island Mill was on the east side of the river below the Franklin, and used arrastras and the patio process. The Franklin Mill, about two miles above Dayton, was a large substantial structure of thirty by sixty feet, and had ten stamps and two arrastras, with shaking tables and riffles. The dam was of stone, and was twenty feet wide at the bottom and ten feet at the top. The cost was sixty thousand dollars. It was built to work the Daney ores, the mine being about one and a half miles distant.

Mills Below Dayton.

            Below Dayton was still another group of mills. The Frieborn and Sheldon was on the east side of the river. It was seventy-five feet square. The turbine wheel weighed five thousand pounds, being the heaviest in the country, and was capable of running forty-eight stamps. Gautier's Mill was also on the east side of the river, and had ten stamps crushing fifteen tons a day. The process of amalgamation was Gautier's own invention. The Succor was a mile and a half below Dayton, had fifteen stamps and crushed twenty tons a day. The building was sixty feet square, the ditch thirty feet wide. Frothingham and Co.'s Mill was four miles below Dayton, ran three stamps and four arrastras, and reduced eight tons a day. Besides these Dayton mills, all built before the close of 1862, others were erected at a later date.

Gold Canyon Mills.

            Up Gold Canyon were still others that might be considered as belonging to Dayton. Van Horn and Co.'s Mill was about a mile and a half above Dayton. It was driven by water and had an overshot wheel forty feet in diameter, running six stamps, with reserved power for six

Historical Sketch of Dayton    39

more. The Swansea was also in Gold Canyon, about a mile below Silver City.

Reduction Difficulties—A New Use for Sagebrush.

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Flood of '61-'62 and the "Tailings" Industry.

            In the big flood of '61 and '62 several mills were washed away. One man and two women were drowned while trying to escape from the Island Mill, which floated away. For other reasons the flood was long remembered. The water came well up into the town. On the lower floor of Mrs. McDowell's hotel, located where Cooper's house now is, the water reached to the windows, and three feet of sand was shoveled out after the flood subsided. All teaming over the mountains was brought to a standstill in these parts. The price of flour went up to seventy-five dollars a hundred, other provisions accordingly. The flood carried away the bridge over the river. In 1862, after the water subsided, Bolivar Roberts built and maintained a toll-bridge where the county crossing now is. The merchant, Mr. F. Birdsall, who had a large stock on hand in his store building opposite the present Odd Fellows Hall, made a fortune. Soon afterwards he and Mr. Carpenter built what was known as Birdsall & Carpenter's Mill. This structure preceded the Douglas, and was one of the first to run on tailings.

Tailings Mills.

            Millions of dollars worth of the rich tailings had been impounded as the pulverized ore ran away from the mills, and was swept down through the canyon. A Mr. Andrews had stored a large quantity at the foot of the bluff back of

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town. The Dayton Reservoir Mill was erected back of the present residence of Mr. William Harris. It was superintended by Louis Janin, who found a process of extracting the values profitably to the owners. The Birdsall Mill was built to work quartz rock, but some difficulty arising, it was changed to a tailings mill. A track was laid to the reservoir back of town, and the tailings were hauled by horse-cars to the mill. Later on an engine, called the Fred Birdsall, was used for that purpose. Five miles below town a large reservoir of tailings from the Six-Mile Canyon had been caught and held. The little railroad was extended to that point in order to bring these tailings also to the Birdsall Mill. Several years later Mr. Joe Douglas bought out Mr. Birdsall's interests and made many changes. He spent a great deal of money, and finally sold out to Capt. Herman Davis, who in turn sold to the Hotaling Company. Today there is little left of the old mill to indicate its past importance.

Dayton in 1862.

            In 1862 the population of Dayton numbered sixteen hundred. The place had all the elements of a howling mining camp, although there were never any mines found except the small area of placers where the town now stands and extending up into Gold Canyon. Dayton was par excellence a milling and wood supply center.

PART II. REMINISCENCES

CHAPTER 1. FIRST EXPERIENCES IN NEVADA, 1862

            Thus far this paper has been written from information gathered from various written sources. What follows are reminiscences, partly my own and partly of those other few remaining who lived through the early days.

My Arrival in Nevada.

            In August of 1862, after a journey of four months across the plains in a mule-team, averaging about fifteen miles a day, my two brothers and I arrived at Buckland's Station on the twenty-fourth of the month. This station was located in 1859 by Mr. Samuel S. Buckland, near the site of Fort Churchill. He opened a tent hotel. It is recorded of Mr. Buckland that he did not charge for lodging, although he himself acted as chambermaid and cook. In the winter of 1859-1860 he built a toll-bridge over the river, the first bridge constructed below Carson Valley.

            In the summer of 1860 he built a log cabin. When we arrived at the station it was a bright sunny morning following a shower in the night. We passed Fort Churchill early in the day. A company of soldiers was quartered there. We thought that we had never seen anything so clean and white, especially as the contrast to the dirt and grime of our long journey was so great. We came on up the river, passing several fine ranches owned by people who were making big money by the sale of hay and grain to the emigrants, to Fort Churchill, and to the towns about Virginia City.

New Occupations for My Brother.

            That night we camped in front of where the depot in Dayton now stands. This was the place where immi-

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grants usually stopped. We felt very dirty and very happy. We had arrived and the long hazardous trip was behind us. The next day we went over the hill by the cemetery to Carson City, and left there the six passengers we had brought from Iowa. From there we went to Silver City, and camped near where the Union Hall now stands.

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            While at Silver, my brother traded his team for an interest in a wood ranch ten miles up Eldorado Canyon. This range was heavily covered with nut pine. Choppers and teamsters with ox, mule and horse teams traveled from the range to Dayton through dense clouds of dust daily. It was a busy thoroughfare. Also from Como came a steady stream. In all, one hundred and twenty-five teams daily entered Dayton loaded with wood. The best quality of nut pine was then bringing only twelve dollars a cord. The next year my brother, C. W. Gore, obtained a charter and made Eldorado Canyon trail a toll-road, the tollhouse being located at the old Quille place.

My Life in a Wood-Camp.

            Knowing of nothing better to do, I went with my brothers to their camp and lived very close to nature for about three months, or until the storms came. My house was a cloth-covered frame about ten by fourteen feet in size. Half of the front side was open. A big fireplace made of sticks and mud was at one end of the room. My table was a dry-goods box. Under it I kept my beans, dried apples, lard and molasses. The chairs were boxes and molasses kegs. The dishes, of tin, were kept in a cupboard brought across the plains in the back end of our wagon. My cook-stove was under a pine tree in front of the house. Here I cooked for eight men and was visited daily by Indians who were camped across Eldorado Creek to the number of two hundred or more. There were about thirty men in the camp, and I was treated with the proverbial respect shown to women in early mining days. There were no other women nearer than Dayton, ten miles one way, and Betsy Baker, who lived eight miles in the other direction. This Betsy Baker was afterwards, by her own consent, and I suspect through her own connivance, traded by her

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husband for eighteen hundred dollars and a yoke of oxen to a rancher over toward Mason Valley.

Illness Brings Me to Dayton.

            During a heavy rain one night I stood under the tent pole and gathered up my bedding to keep it out of the stream of water which ran through the tent for several hours. As a consequence I had an attack of mountain fever, and went to Silver City to stay at the house of an Iowa friend until I had recovered. When I returned to the canyon I found that my brother had built a commodious log cabin. But the night of my arrival one of the men employed by my brother died. The next day I came to Dayton and stayed with Mother Holmes, a kindly old soul who kept-the Nevada Restaurant. This restaurant adjoined the Markwell House, where Bill Annis lived. It was then known as the Magnolia Hotel.

A Legal Execution at Dayton.

            While staying at the Nevada restaurant a hanging took place. Allen Millstead had murdered a man by the name of T. Varney, at Ragtown, on the Carson Sink, on the twenty-ninth of October. He was hanged by the sheriff at Dayton on January 9, 1863, the only man ever executed by law in Lyon County. The hanging took place up the canyon, just around the first bend. Two thousand people came to the hanging. Many of them were women from as far away as Genoa.

Indians Paid for Pine Trees.

            Along in '62 and '63 the Indians saw with alarm their pine trees disappearing. Numaga came into the wood camps with a large number of Indians. He eloquently set forth the condition of his people. As a matter of justice to

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the natives, and in order to avoid trouble, the woodmen agreed to pay four hundred dollars and possibly more. They raised half the amount then. The balance was to be paid three months later. At the appointed time they came and received the balance, and no further trouble arose.

CHAPTER 2. THE DAYTON THAT I FIRST KNEW

Dayton Stores in 1862.

The Hay-Yards of 1862.

            In 1862 there were six hay-yards. John Black's was opposite Mr. John Lothrop's present residence; one was where Mr. E. S. Howard's house now stands; Hinds and Horton's is now Schooley's; Hymers' is now Davis', opposite Mrs. Cooney's; Leslie's is now Davis and Sayers;

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Chubbuck was near Mr. Elbert Perkins' present place; one yard was located across the river and was patronized chiefly by Eldorado woodmen. All the yards were filled nightly to overflowing, and teams were scattered along the roadside together with the immense freight wagons drawn by from twelve to twenty-two mules and horses. Most of them were bell teams, and there certainly was music in the air, both vocal and instrumental, when they arrived. Austin had been discovered in 1862, and an immense amount of freight went through Dayton for that camp and intermediate points. The overland stage also passed through Dayton for a time.

Lumber-Yards.

            I remember three lumber yards: Crockett's, near where Mrs. Carrie Rising now lives; Powers', in front of Manly Johnson's present house; Leslie's, also a hay and grain establishment, in the stone building now used by Davis & Sayers. As high as one hundred dollars per thousand was paid for lumber.

Meat-Markets.

            There were two meat-markets: The Union, kept by Mr. J. L. Campbell from 1862 till about 1888; another one kept by E. Alexander in the brick assay building adjoining Mrs. Ash's present place. The latter left in the 60's and hence Mr. Campbell was the only butcher who remained continuously in the town.

Gas Company, But No Gas.

            One of the ambitious projects of '62 was the formation of a gas company, organized under the management of J. H. Jaqua, Judge Haydon, and M. W. Starling. The gas never materialized. Kerosene and candles continued to illuminate the burg.

CHAPTER 3. HOW DAYTON DEVELOPED

Dayton in 1863.

            In 1863 Main Street in Dayton was solidly built up from above John Lothrop's corner down to the bridge. Across the river was a hotel, a corral, and several houses. Pike Street was well built up nearly to the Rock Point. The Roberts House, located where Quilici's now stands, was a two-story hotel and the largest in the town. It burned in the first fire. Mr. Cross built the next hotel on that corner. It was called the United States, and had three stories. The upper floor was a hall for dancing.

Dayton Hotels in 1863.

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Tyler House, near the present Eugene Howard home; above the present Odd Fellows Hall, the Adams House, and above that, near the present Howard Swarts house, Dallam's Bakery; Van Orman's Restaurant, near the present assay office of Davis & Co.; Travelers' Home, in what is now G. P. Randall's hay-yard; Whitman's, near by; Union Hotel, where Cooper's shop is now. A little later there was one over the river, the Davis House. Still later there were many changes in the above mentioned hostelries.

The Toll-Road of 1863.

            In 1862, owing to the flood and to the fact that milling facilities were in excess of the demand, there were only eleven mills actually operating in and around Dayton. The ore for these was hauled by teams from Gold Hill and Virginia City. The teams carried wood back to the mines. But besides these there were truly wood teams, and the trip was a dusty, tedious one in summer, in spite of the fact that there were two wagon tracks most of the way. Every one rejoiced therefore when, in 1863, F. Birdsall and B. F. Leete surveyed and built the "Gold Canyon Toll-Road," and established a toll-house near the mouth of the canyon. Previous to this time the road had followed the old emigrant trail up the hill by the cemetery and around the brow of the bluff to Silver City. But now the grade was changed to the present one by way of the canyon.

Some High Prices.

            In 1863 hay was eighty dollars a ton and barley was ten dollars a hundred. A four-mule team with driver was worth from twenty to thirty dollars a day. My brother received the latter price for special work.

Reminiscences of Dayton        55

Lost Turkeys and Pigs.

A Unique Wedding.

            In 1863 I attended the wedding of Roach, the man who sold Betsy Baker. After the sale was consummated, and presumably on the proceeds, he came to Dayton, where he met a woman from the East. They decided to marry. Roach wanted the thing done in style. He rented Doyle's Hall and hired musicians to play. For refreshments he bought a basket of champagne, and ordered quantities of fruit-cake from the baker. In the matter of attire he provided himself with a linen duster, a pair of carpet slippers, and a red necktie for the occasion. A

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large number of people were invited to the festivities. The happy couple were duly concealed behind a curtain on one corner of the stage. Judge Haydon, with many flourishes, brought them to the front of the stage and performed the ceremony. I think that every man in the hall kissed the bride. I am sure that there were many audible smacks. Then the dancing began after the most approved style, pigeon wing, a forerunner of the two-step predominating. After a while the cake was brought in, the champagne following. No provision had been made for the reception of the cake. Hence the baker placed the large tins, in which it had been baked, on the floor of the stage. He also provided a huge knife with which to cut it. Likewise no thought had been taken for the serving of champagne. Some glasses were procured, and everyone proceeded to help themselves to a hunk of cake and a glass of champagne. Some weeks later the bride was called East on business, and forgot to come back.

A Ball in Como.

            I have an announcement of a ball given in Como, December 24, 1863. A long list of the names of thirty-two people from Carson City, Virginia City, Gold Hill, Dayton, and Como appears as a committee of arrangements. Adolph Sutro was one of them. Tickets, including supper, cost six dollars. The party was given at the Cross Hotel, which was a large three-story building.

The Buckland Ball.

            Another announcement tells of a ball given at S. S. Buckland's, now Towles', at the time when the Fort was still occupied. The managers of the dance were the officers at the Fort, citizens of Dayton, Walker River, Big Bend of the Carson, Silver City, and Virginia City, to the num-

Reminiscences of Dayton        57

ber of twenty. The date is September 20, 1864. Assurance was given that supper would be provided for all.

Stage Connections with Dayton.

            There were two stages running to Virginia City daily, and both were well filled. So far as can be learned at

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CHAPTER 4. SOCIAL CONDITIONS IN DAYTON

How About Schools?

            The first school in Dayton was kept in a building opposite the present residence of Herman Davis. Mr. Wm. Rager was the first teacher. He was followed by the late George Ernst of Fallon, Messrs. Wiester, Butler, and Atchinson, Miss Sarah Morgan, Miss Maggie Lord, Mrs. Swift, Mr. Casebeer, J. E. Bray, A. C. Webb, Robert Lewers, A. E. Harris, H. F. Baker, F. D. Macbeth, Crebo Hancock, Otto Williams, T. R. Hofer, Fred Waltz, Guy Guinan, J. E. Monroe, Mr. Gregory, Miss Margaret Mack, Mr. Dunn, Mr. Bartlett, and Mrs. Adelaide Brower. The primary was built about 1873. Up to this time one room had sufficed. The primary teachers in their chronological order to 1910 were the Misses Julia Corkery, Lillie Leslie, Adelaide Harris, Emma Midgeley, Minnie Leslie, Rosa Harris, Mary Lothrop, Annie Berry, Margaret Mack, Lillie Lothrop, Lizzie Cook, Mrs. Dunn, Miss White, and Astrid C. Erixon. In 1880 there were eighty pupils in the public school.

A Noted Physician.

            In 1862 the physicians practicing in Dayton were J. C. Hazlett, Dr. Harrison, and W. Steele. Still others came and went. Dr. Hazlett was the only resident physician who remained continuously up to the time of his death. He passed away in 1895. There was also, in '62, a German woman, called Doctress Jones, who had quite a practice. She had a broken nose, and once seen could never be forgotten. As an old woman patient of hers lay dying, Mrs. Jones leaned over her and shouted, "Mother B !

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Mother B! do you know me?" The old lady opened one eye, and replied, "Who the devil wouldn't that had ever seen you once?" and breathed her last. The retort is perhaps worthy of going down into history along with the dying words of famous and infamous people. Following Dr. Hazlett in the medical profession in Dayton were: Dr. J. F. Gardner, 1896; Dr. Dempsey, 1902; Dr. Robbins, 1904; Dr. Masterson, 1906; and Dr. Brown, 1908. The latter is still practicing in 1910.

Lawyers A Plenty.

Gamblers Not Lacking.

            It goes without saying that gamblers were here in full force. Saloons were too numerous to mention or to remember the half of them. One, the Overland, was in a building opposite Mrs. Cooney's and close to the Nevada Restaurant. One night a man went to the Overland to look for a barber to go to his home and dress his daughter's hair for a ball. A chance shot fired by someone in the saloon hit him and then glanced through the window into the Nevada Restaurant. The man was killed, and, as frequently happened, the murderer escaped the penalty. It

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was only "one more man for breakfast," as the phrase was jocularly put, when "Texas Pete" or "One-Eyed Jim" had permanently settled some difficulty. Self-defense or some other satisfactory reason was given why the case was not taken up.

Fortunes and Misfortunes.

            Was it any wonder that men living in shacks and dug-outs or sleeping in beds, twenty or thirty to the room, over some saloon or restaurant, should congregate in public houses made bright and attractive! Those were stirring times. Few very old people were found among the lot. Nearly all were men in the prime of life, full of hope and ambition. The "stupids" and "slowpokes" did not come. It required life and vim to cross the plains, and money was needed if one came by water. Hence, until the railroad was laid this western country was not overdone. A brighter class of men, as a whole, would be hard to find. Many with college degrees were cutting wood, driving teams, mining, milling, or gambling. Anything that afforded a living must be accepted pending the time when the fortune, sure to come, would finally arrive. While some were fortunate beyond all expectations, more, in after years, were broken down, disappointed men, their former ambitions shipwrecked in the rush and scramble of early days. Fortunes were made and lost in a day. For example, a teamster by the name of Stewart had some Gould and Curry stock. One morning he found that it had risen to six thousand dollars a share. He married a Dayton girl, bedecked her with diamonds, took a trip East, and on his  return built the brick house now belonging to Mrs. William Harris. When the first child came, enough Gould and Curry stock was laid by to give him seventy-five thousand dollars when he should come of age, presupposing, of

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course, that mining conditions would remain the same indefinitely. When the second child came both mother and child died. The first child lived only a few months longer. While away attending the funeral of wife and child, an attachment was levied on the man's house. On his return he found himself destitute and homeless, and he soon disappeared from the community.

The Lodges of Dayton.

            The fraternal history of Dayton begins in 1863, when Dayton Lodge No. 5, I. O. O. F., was organized on the 2d of June. Garden Valley Encampment No. 6 was instituted December 13, 1873. The first Masonic order chartered under the Grand Lodge of Nevada was Valley Lodge No. 9. It received its charter October 15, 1865, having nineteen charter members. In 1879 it had thirty-nine members. Lyon Lodge No. 12, K. of P., of Dayton, was instituted October 15, 1880, with nineteen charter members. The A. O. U. W. organized a lodge in 1881, which lasted until 1903. Harmony Rebekah No. 5 was established April 14, 1883. Also, in 1865, a lodge of Good Templars was started which did good work for several years, was revived again later, and then died a natural death.

An Interrupted Dance.

            In the summer of '63 I attended my first dance. It was held in a building located where the Sazarac saloon now stands. The weather was warm and the back door stood open. A commotion in the set next to me attracted my attention. A Bowie knife gleamed and two men grappled. I did not wait to see more, but in company with several others, fled out the back door and sped over boxes and trash, nor stopped till my own door was reached, and I was safely inside.

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Pioneer Compassion.

            Yet in no other place were people more ready to respond to any call of distress than in these same rough camps. One of the many instances that came under my observation illustrates this most forcibly. A young man died of smallpox. Three weeks later a young woman arrived from the East on the Overland stage. She had come to marry him. On her way West she had been detained in Denver for several weeks by illness. When she got to Dayton she had no money left. But her expenses were paid while she remained in Dayton, and after a few weeks she was sent East to friends. All this was done for a perfect stranger who had not even the claim of acquaintanceship with any of us. Many many people had reason to thank this roistering, rough, big-hearted folk for help in their hour of bitter extremity when immediate assistance was imperative.

The Episcopal Church and Pioneer Labors.

            Moreover, Dayton was not without religious influences. In 1862 the pioneer rector, Rev. F. S. Rising, a brother, by the way, of Judge Rising, held Episcopal services in Dayton. A year later the Rev. O. W. Whitaker organized the first parish under the name of "The Church of the Ascension." Mr. Rising held services for this church till 1865, when Rev. W. H. Dyer took over the work for one year. Meanwhile, Rev. Whitaker held Wednesday evening services and continued them until 1867, and occasionally thereafter till 1874. Rev. W. P. Jenvey officiated on Sundays from 1865 to 1878, and after that until into the '80's bimonthly meetings were held by Rev. G. N. Eastman. Still later occasional services were maintained by, Rev. Laurence B. Ridgeley, Rev. Geo. Hunting, Rev. Jukes, and others till 1903. At this latter date the church

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The Fortunes of Methodism.

66        Nevada Historical Society Papers Sunday-School Always.

            A Sunday-school has been maintained in Dayton since the early days. In 1862 and 1863 Mesdames Roberti and Sweetapple were conducting one in the first court-house. Rev. O. W. Whitaker, later Bishop Whitaker, organized a school in the same place in 1864. One stormy Sunday he came from Virginia City to hold services and Sunday-school. Only one pupil, my younger brother, John Gore, was there. Rev. Whitaker conducted the Sunday school as though the room were filled. This made a deep impression upon Johnny, who knew that most men would have considered one pupil, and that one a little boy, not worth the bother. Miss Sarah Morgan, a teacher in the

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public schools for four years, and who left a marked impress for good upon the community, was superintendent of the Sunday-school in 1869. There had been still others before this time, but their names I cannot recall. One of these, when asked to preside, begged the loan of a Bible, as he had been "plumb out of Bible" since he crossed the mountains several years before. The successors to Miss Morgan were Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Campbell. They could always be relied upon for singing in church, for Sunday-school, for help at funerals, or in any other capacity where they could be of service. Mr. Campbell came to Dayton in 1862, and has been a prominent citizen. He removed to San Francisco in 1899, and died there in 1910. For a year or two after the Campbell's left, Miss Margaret Mack took charge; then for a year there was no school till I took the superintendency for a year, and was followed by Mrs. Edith Bailey, Miss Freda Davis, and then by Mr. Bartlett, who is now in charge, 1910.

A Dayton Vigilance Committee.

            When the milder influences of church and Sunday-school were not sufficient to maintain morale in the community there was no hesitation in resorting to severe methods. The only vigilance committee ever formed in Lyon County was the result of the killing of John Doyle on August 5, 1864. Mr. Doyle had added hurdies as an additional attraction to his saloon, which was opposite the present Odd Fellows Hall. The girls lived in the hall over the saloon, and there gamblers spent much of their time. Some difficulty having arisen upstairs, James Linn, a gambler, got into an altercation with Mr. Doyle. Linn started for Doyle, who ran into the street. Linn followed him and stabbed him through the heart, killing him instantly. The leading citizens of Dayton met that night.

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Everything was done in the most orderly fashion. A gallows was built and hidden under the church. The next night the streets were patrolled by masked men. Anyone passing them was advised to go home, which he was quick to do without further questioning. The next morning the Sheriff reported that Linn had been found dead in his cell. Yelling and screaming he had been taken out of the jail about three o'clock a. m. His mouth was filled with dirt, and the execution proceeded with. Then he was laid back in his cell and the crowd went home in most orderly manner. By this hanging the town was cleared of many disreputable characters, and the social atmosphere was greatly purified. The next day a squad of soldiers came clattering up from Fort Churchill. Governor Nye and his staff rushed over from Carson. The Governor mounted the balcony of Odeon Hall and read the riot act to an empty street. It had been reported to the Governor that Dayton was filled with a disorderly riotous mob. Yet there were no signs of excitement until the soldiers arrived.

The Dayton Press.     

            It was not until 1864 that Dayton had a newspaper. Report has it that the first newspaper published in Lyon County was issued by the Grosch brothers, a paper handwritten by themselves. If so, it disappeared with the rest of their effects after the disastrous journey to California. On the 16th of April, 1864, the Como Sentinel was published at the mining town southeast of Dayton. The paper was removed to the latter place on the 9th of July, 1864, and its name was changed to "Lyon County Sentinel." The office was on upper Main Street. It was burned in the first fire. The Lyon County Times, subscription ten dollars yearly, was first published in Silver City, July 4, 1874. It was removed to Dayton December 13, 1880, and was later taken to Yerington.

CHAPTER 5. SOME EVENTFUL HAPPENINGS

A Costly Courthouse.

            In 1864 Lyon County was plunged deep in debt by the building of the courthouse and jail. The original bond issue was for thirty thousand dollars at ten per cent interest. Difficulties were encountered in floating the bonds, and they were finally sold for some five thousand five hundred dollars below par. There was also a considerable bill presented from B. C. Howard, one of the commissioners, for the work of supervision. The original contractor for the courthouse, Wm. M. Hussey, later abandoned it. The buildings cost twice as much as they would have done had they been paid for in cash.

A Water System.

The Gridley Sack of Flour in Dayton.

            The year 1864 was eventful for another reason, for during this period the Gridley sack of flour arrived in Dayton—the sack that netted two hundred and seventy-three thousand dollars for the Sanitary Fund of the Civil War. A bet on a local election in Austin was to the point that if the Republican candidate were elected R. C. Gridley was to carry a fifty-pound sack of flour to Dr. H. S. Her-

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rick's place. If the Democrats won Dr. Herrick was to carry a similar sack to Mr.