Tales of the Lode Trivia Quiz

Answer: Virginia Range

Located in western present-day Nevada, the Virginia Range is said to be named after James Finney, who was born in Virginia sometime around 1817. Nicknamed "Old Virginny", he was one of the first people to find gold at the Comstock Lode, in an area named Gold Hill.

It is said that he ultimately gave away some of his claims or sold them for very little money. The highest peak of the Virginia Range, Mount Davidson at 7864 ft, was the location of the vein of silver ore that was found during the "Lode Rush".

Answer: Utah Territory

Utah Territory, which existed from September 9, 1850-January 4, 1896, was established by an act of Congress at about the same time that California gained statehood and the New Mexico Territory was formed. Although Utah Territory was largely settled by Mormons, the discovery at the Comstock Lode attracted many other types of settlers and led to the creation of the Nevada Territory out of the western part of the Utah Territory.

The eastern part was reorganized as the Colorado Territory after gold was discovered at Pikes Peak.

Answer: False

Remember the famous 49ers of the California Gold Rush? Actually beginning when gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill in 1848, it was 1849 before large numbers of treasure seekers began flooding into California. It is believed that gold was discovered at Gold Canyon near Dayton, Nevada, in 1850 by Mormons who were on their way to California.

There were some people who panned for gold in the area afterwards or used rockers, but they did not discover enough gold to create the frenzy of a gold rush.

The date of the discovery of silver ore is somewhat disputed; it is commonly believed that the silver of the Comstock Lode was discovered in 1857, however, it was 1859 before large numbers of miners began migrating to the area.

Answer: It was the first significant discovery of silver ore in the United States.

Although Nevada became known as the "Silver State" after the discovery at Comstock Lode, the truth of the matter is that since 1878, sites in Nevada have really produced more gold than silver, and the amount of silver discovered has been relatively insignificant. Silver was found at Tonopah, Nevada, in 1900, however, by then the "Lode Rush" was over. Nevada had achieved statehood in 1864, however, by the turn of the century there was serious debate over whether Nevada should remain a state and much resentment over the fact that a state with a third fewer people than Wyoming should have two senators.

As of 2017, Alaska is the largest producer of silver in the U.S. at the Greens Creek Mine, with Nevada ranking second with the current output from the Rochester Mine.

Answer: Virginia City

Virginia City was a boom town created by the discovery at the Comstock Lode. The peak of its settlement was reached during the mid-1870s, with an estimated population of 25,000 people. According to the legend, the town was named for James ""Old Virginny" Finney, who apparently liked his booze; he tripped and broke a bottle of whiskey at the entrance to a saloon, and from that time on it was known as Virginia City.

There is, however, another story that says the town was named for Finney because he was one of the most successful prospectors of the area, and one of the first discoverers of the wealth.

After a big discovery of ore in 1873, Virginia City was said to be the wealthiest city in the United States, and the most important city west of Chicago. By 1880, however, the boom was over.

The population began to decline and by 1930 only 500 people still lived in the town. A 2010 census revealed that the town's population was 855.

Answer: Bonanza

Originating from a Spanish word that means "fair weather", the word "bonanza" was used to wish a person success or Godspeed. The Spanish used the term as early as 1554, when a silver mine was discovered in Mexico near Saltillo. Although it had been used before at other sites, the word became more widely used after the discovery of the Comstock Lode. During the first five years after the discovery of the Lode, there were six major bonanzas, however, they all were quickly mined out.

It is estimated that in the peak years of 1876-78, silver ore worth about $36,000,000 was taken from the Lode annually.

Answer: Square-set timbering

The ore at Comstock Lode was very deep underground - deeper than in any previous mines. As miners would dig, the Nevada soil would collapse around them and cave-ins became a very real threat to their safety. In order to cope with this dilemma, Philip Deidesheimer, a German mining engineer invented the square-set timbering method.

As the ore was extracted the spaces left behind were filled with heavy wooden cubes. Although the wood had to be brought in from the Lake Tahoe area, the cubes could be filled with waste from other diggings, creating a floor to ceiling pillar which greatly increased the stability of the mine.

Answer: It was named after a lucky interloper.

While the credit for the discovery of the Comstock Lode is still subject to debate, most believe the rich vein was discovered by the Grosh brothers, Ethan and Hosea, in 1857. Hosea died shortly after the discovery, and Ethan left his cabin and most of his belongings in the care of Henry Comstock while he moved on to try and raise money for the development of his claim in California. Ethan died in the same year, suffering from frostbite and a subsequent amputation while trying to cross the Sierra Nevadas.

When Comstock heard that Ethan had died, he took possession of the cabin, claims, and all of the brothers' belongings as his own. Called a "sanctimonious gaffer" and a "quick-thinking loudmouth", Comstock sold out of his claim in the Lode early, and did not profit from it.

Answer: It drained water that was under the Comstock Lode.

While there was a shortage of water above ground at the Comstock Lode, the same was not true underneath. Flooding in the mines was a real danger when miners tapped into underground wells. In addition, some of the water was scalding hot. The removal of water from beneath the Lode was a big expense and major problem. Adolph Sutro, a German-American engineer, began construction of the tunnel in 1865, hoping that solving the water drainage problems would allow for deeper explorations for mineral ore.

The main tunnel was completed in 1878. Not only did it allow for water drainage, but it also provided ventilation and gravity-assisted ore removal. Although by that time the "Lode Rush" was essentially over, Adolph Sutro's ideas could be applied to the construction of other drainage and access tunnels in the United States.

Answer: Samuel Clemens

Samuel Clemens went to the Nevada Territory with his brother, Orion Clemens, in 1861. Orion had been appointed by President Lincoln as the Secretary of the Nevada Territory; the brothers had an agreement that if Samuel paid for their transportation to the Nevada Territory, he could serve as Orion's personal secretary.

In fact, some sources name Samuel as the Assistant Secretary! Apparently, however, neither the title nor the position was satisfactory to Samuel. He traveled around the mining towns and eventually made his way to Virginia City, where he worked for the "Territorial Enterprise" newspaper from 1862-1864.

It was while working at the newspaper he began to use the name "Mark Twain". His book, "Roughing It" (1872) includes some stories about his mining camp adventures.