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THE COMSTOCK: AN ECONOMIC HISTORY OF A MINING BONANZA, 1865-1885

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The discovery of gold and silver on the Comstock Lode in and around Virginia City and Gold Hill, Nevada, set off a rush that turned a remote mountainous valley into a thriving business and cultural center. Mining all but ceased more than a century ago but continues to define the life and character of contemporary Virginia City. Quite literally the foundation of the town rests atop the mines themselves. Much has been written about the history of the Comstock. This study is different in that it relies heavily on scores of boxes of mining company records, housed In the Special Collections Library at the University of Nevada, Reno, and other libraries and archives in Nevada and California. The full manuscript (pdf file, 400 pages, 10 megabytes) can be downloaded from here or from The Comstock History Page. Individual chapters can only be downloaded form here. The study is highly statistical and analytical but also contains descriptive material on the prominent personalities, working conditions and daily operations as well the impact of mining on the formation and development of local and state economies. All downloads are free.

EBook click here.

Vita, Preface, Acknowledgements. Click here.

The National Perspective in Post-Civil-War America

Chapter 1: Economic Growth, Coinage Questions, Monetary Policy. Click here.

The Nevada Perspective in Post-Civil-War America

Chapter 2: Overview of Nevada Mining, Geology of Comstock Lode. Click here.

Statistical Profile of Mining Industry

Chapter 3: From Prospectors to Investors, Profile Database, Costs versus Profits. Click here.

Chapter 4: First Stage 1860 to 1870. Click here.

Chapter 5: Second Stage 1870 to 1875. Click here.

Chapter 6: Third Stage 1875 to 1880 and Final Stage 1880 to 1885. Click here.

The Business Of Mining

Chapter 7: Claims & Counterclaims, Miners' Codes, Costly Litigation. Click here.

Chapter 8: Claims & Challenges of Deep-Lode Mining, Working Bonanzas at Belcher & Crown Point. Click here.

Chapter 9: Types of Mills, Economics of Milling, Mills Owners & Operations. Click here.

Chapter 10: Essential, Redoubtable Worker, Wages & Unions, Size of Labor Force, Tenure of Worker. Click here.

Chapter 11: The Sutro Tunnel, Ever-Expanding Technological Base. Click here.

The Biggest Bonanza

Chapter 12: Location & Size of Bonanza, The Founders. Click here.

Chapter 13: Consolidated Virginia Launched, Relaunched, Peaked & Diminished, California in Bonanza. Click here.

Chapter 14: Assays Unlimited, Digging & Hoisting the Underground. Click here.

Chapter 15: Labor Component, C&C Joint Shaft, Squire Dewey & Financial Chicanery. Click here.

Chapter 16: Refining as Financial Bonanza, Other Mineral Mercury, Founders' Cash Flow. Click here.

Mining Taxes And Public Revenues

Chapter 17: Vexing Question-Mining Taxes, 1871 Mining-Proceeds Tax Amendment, Measuring Tax Impact, Tax Rates, Adjustments & Revisions. Click here.

Chapter 18: Tax Revenues and Government Finances, Tax Showdown, County and Municipal Property Taxes. Click here.

An Assessment. Click here.

Bibliography. Click here.

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ON-LINE BIBLIOGRAPHY, ECONOMIC HISTORY, ca. 1500-1800, MAINLY ATLANTIC WORLD, SOME PACIFIC WORLD.
LISTED BY AUTHOR.
APPROXIMATELY 3,000 ITEMS.
DOWNLOADABLE AS PDF FILE.

The On-Line Bibliography was originally prepared for History Data Desk and will continue to appear there until the end of 2008. Revisions will only appear here on Inside My Desk, which has become its new home. It is only available on IMD in pdf format.
Click here.

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Comments or questions should be sent to Richard Garner at the email address below.