The Gold Rush Letters Of E Allen Grosh And Hosea B Grosh

Author : Ronald M. James,Robert E. Stewart
Publisher : University of Nevada Press
Page : 454 pages
File Size : 51,5 Mb
Release : 2012-09-04
Category : History
ISBN : 9780874178920

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The Gold Rush Letters of E. Allen Grosh and Hosea B. Grosh by Ronald M. James,Robert E. Stewart Pdf

When brothers Ethan and Hosea Grosh left Pennsylvania in 1849, they joined throngs of men from all over the world intent on finding a fortune in the California Gold Rush. Their search for wealth took them from San Francisco into the gold country and then over the Sierra into Nevada’s Gold Canyon, where they placer-mined for gold and discovered a deposit of silver. The letters they sent back to their family offer vivid commentaries on the turbulent western frontier, the diverse society of the Gold Rush camps, and the heartbreaking labor and frustration of mining. Their lively descriptions of Gold Canyon provide one of the earliest accounts of life in what would soon become the fabulously wealthy Comstock Mining District. The Groshes’ letters are rich in color and important historical details. Generously annotated and with an introduction that provides a context for the brothers’ career and the setting in which they tried to make their fortune, these documents powerfully depict the often harsh realities of Gold Rush life and society.

Author : Peter B. Mires
Publisher : Arcadia Publishing
Page : 145 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2020-10-05
Category : History
ISBN : 9781439671443

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Wicked Virginia City by Peter B. Mires Pdf

Perched on the side of a mountain in the Nevada desert, Virginia City existed for one reason only: to make money. The mining frenzy of the mid-nineteenth century uncovered veins of precious metals that would be expressed in billions today, attracting the enterprising madam Cad Thompson, the charismatic highwayman Nickanora and a plethora of swindlers. Miners, flush with their wages, supported a healthy economy of gambling, drinking and prostitution and even launched a few political careers. Sam Clemens, who became Mark Twain while reporting for the Virginia City Territorial Enterprise, called it "the livest town that America had ever produced." Join author Peter B. Mires as he explores the seamy side of this quintessential mining boomtown.

Author : Ronald M. James
Publisher : University of Nevada Press
Page : 311 pages
File Size : 43,8 Mb
Release : 2023-09-19
Category : Fiction
ISBN : 9781647791179

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Monumental Lies by Ronald M. James Pdf

A playful embrace of tall tales and exaggeration, Monumental Lies explores the evolution of folklore in the Wild West. Monumental Lies: Early Nevada Folklore of the Wild West invites readers to explore how legends and traditions emerged during the first decades following the “Rush to Washoe,” which transformed the Nevada Territory after in 1859. During this Wild West period, there was widespread celebration of deceit, manifesting in tall tales, burlesque lies, practical jokes, and journalistic hoaxes. Humor was central, and practitioners easily found themselves scorned if they failed to be adequately funny. The tens of thousands of people who came to the West, attracted by gold and silver mining, brought distinct cultural legacies. The interaction of diverse perspectives, even while new stories and traditions coalesced, was a complex process. Author Ronald M. James addresses how the fluidity of the region affected new expressions of folklore as they took root. The wildly popular Mark Twain is often a go-to source for collections of early tall tales of this region, but his interaction with local traditions was specific and narrow. More importantly, William Wright—publishing as Dan De Quille—arose as a key collector of legends, a counterpart of early European folklorists. With a bedrock understanding of what unfolded in the nineteenth century, James considers how these early stories helped shaped the culture of the Wild West.

Author : Michael S. Green
Publisher : University of Nevada Press
Page : 619 pages
File Size : 51,8 Mb
Release : 2015-03-23
Category : History
ISBN : 9780874179743

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Nevada by Michael S. Green Pdf

Nevada: A History of the Silver State has been named a CHOICE Outstanding Title. Michael S. Green, a leading Nevada historian, provides a detailed survey of the Silver State’s past, from the arrival of the early European explorers, to the predominance of mining in the 1800s, to the rise of world-class tourism in the twentieth century, and to more recent attempts to diversify the economy. Of the numerous themes central to Green’s analysis of Nevada’s history, luck plays a significant role in the state’s growth. The miners and gamblers who first visited the state all bet on luck. Today, the biggest contributor to Nevada’s tourist economy, gaming, still relies on that same belief in luck. Nevada’s financial system has generally been based on a “one industry” economy, first mining and, more recently, gaming. Green delves deeply into the limitations of this structure, while also exploring the theme of exploitation of the land and the overuse of the state’s natural resources. Green covers many more aspects of the Silver State’s narrative, including the dominance of one region of the state over another, political forces and corruption, and the citizens’ often tumultuous relationship with the federal government. The book will appeal to scholars, students, and other readers interested in Nevada history.

Author : John W. Smith
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 320 pages
File Size : 52,8 Mb
Release : 1876
Category : Macon County (Ill.)
ISBN : NYPL:33433081824397

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History of Macon County, Illinois, from Its Organization to 1876 by John W. Smith Pdf

Author : Samuel T. Wiley
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 950 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 1893
Category : Schuylkill County (Pa.)
ISBN : CORNELL:31924072719663

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Biographical and Portrait Cyclopedia of Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania by Samuel T. Wiley Pdf

Author : William B. Lardner,Michael John Brock
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 628 pages
File Size : 41,9 Mb
Release : 1924
Category : Nevada County (Calif.)
ISBN : WISC:89072938087

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History of Placer and Nevada Counties California by William B. Lardner,Michael John Brock Pdf

Author : William Henry Egle
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 408 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 1895
Category : Electronic
ISBN : HARVARD:32044098881428

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Notes and Queries by William Henry Egle Pdf

Author : Ronald M. James
Publisher : University of Nevada Press
Page : 602 pages
File Size : 45,9 Mb
Release : 2012-05-30
Category : History
ISBN : 9780874174175

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The Roar and the Silence by Ronald M. James Pdf

Nevada’s Comstock Mining District has been the focus of legend since it first burst into international prominence in the late 1850s, and its principal settlement, Virginia City, endures in the popular mind as the West’s quintessential mining camp. But the authentic history of the Comstock is far more complex and interesting than its colorful image. Contrary to legend, Virginia City spent only its first few years as a ramshackle mining camp. The mining boom quickly turned it into a thriving urban center, at its peak one of the largest cities west of the Mississippi, replete with most of the amenities of any large city of its time. The lure of the area’s fabulous wealth attracted a remarkably heterogenous population from around the world and offered employment to dozens of trades and thousands of people, both men and women, representing every one of the region’s diverse ethnic groups. Ronald James’s brilliant account of the Comstock’s long and eventful history—the first comprehensive study of the subject in over a century—examines every aspect of the region and employs information gleaned from hundreds of written sources, interviews, archeological research, computer analysis, folklore, gender studies, physical geography, and architectural and art history, as well as over fifty rare photographs, many of them previously unpublished.

Author : Rodolphus Waite Joslyn,Frank Wilber Joslyn
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 884 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 1908
Category : Kane County (Ill.)
ISBN : NYPL:33433081823464

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History of Kane County, Ill by Rodolphus Waite Joslyn,Frank Wilber Joslyn Pdf

The first volume highlights communities and history of numerous villages, cities and townships of Kane County. The second volume contains biographies of many Kane County residents.

Author : Alicia Barber
Publisher : University Press of Kansas
Page : 332 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2023-05-19
Category : History
ISBN : 9780700636044

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Reno's Big Gamble by Alicia Barber Pdf

When Pittsburgh socialite Laura Corey rolled into Reno, Nevada, in 1905 for a six-month stay, her goal was a divorce from the president of U.S. Steel. Her visit also provided a provocative glimpse into the city's future. With its rugged landscape and rough-edged culture, Reno had little to offer early twentieth-century visitors besides the gambling and prostitution that had remained unregulated since Nevada's silver-mining heyday. But the possibility of easy divorce attracted national media attention, East Coast notables, and Hollywood stars, and soon the "Reno Cure" was all the rage. Almost overnight, Reno was on the map. Alicia Barber traces the transformation of Reno's reputation from backward railroad town to the nationally known "Sin Central"—as Garrison Keillor observed, a place where you could see things that you wouldn't want to see in your own hometown. Chronicling the city's changing fortunes from the days of the Comstock Lode, she describes how city leaders came to embrace an identity as "The Biggest Little City in the World" and transform their town into a lively tourist mecca. Focusing on the evolution of urban reputation, Barber carefully distinguishes between the image that a city's promoters hope to manufacture and the impression that outsiders actually have. Interweaving aspects of urban identity, she shows how sense of place, promoted image, and civic reputation intermingled and influenced each other—and how they in turn shaped the urban environment. Quickie divorces notwithstanding, Reno's primary growth engine was gambling; modern casinos came to dominate the downtown landscape. When mainstream America balked, Reno countered by advertising "tax freedom" and natural splendor to attract new residents. But by the mid-seventies, unchecked growth and competition from Las Vegas had initiated a downslide that persisted until a carefully crafted series of special events and the rise of recreational tourism began to attract new breeds of tourists. Barber's engaging story portrays Reno as more than a second-string Las Vegas, having pioneered most of the attractions-gaming and prizefighting, divorces and weddings-that made the larger city famous. As Reno continues to remold itself to weather the shifting winds of tourism and growth, Barber's book provides a cautionary tale for other cities hoping to ride the latest consumer trends.

Author : John F. Haines
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 1050 pages
File Size : 50,5 Mb
Release : 1915
Category : Hamilton County (Ind.)
ISBN : IND:30000047734847

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History of Hamilton County, Indiana by John F. Haines Pdf

Author : Michigan. Department of State
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 280 pages
File Size : 49,7 Mb
Release : 1896
Category : Michigan
ISBN : UIUC:30112040245836

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Census of the State of Michigan by Michigan. Department of State Pdf

Author : Pennsylvania Reprint Society,Southwest Pennsylvania Genealogical Services
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 448 pages
File Size : 44,8 Mb
Release : 1985
Category : Lancaster County (Pa.)
ISBN : NYPL:33433079990812

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Biographical Annals of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania by Pennsylvania Reprint Society,Southwest Pennsylvania Genealogical Services Pdf

Author : Ronald M. James,C. Elizabeth Raymond
Publisher : University of Nevada Press
Page : 408 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 1997-12-01
Category : History
ISBN : 9780874174489

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Comstock Women by Ronald M. James,C. Elizabeth Raymond Pdf

When it comes to Nevada history, men get most of the ink. Comstock Women is a collection of 14 historical studies that helps to rectify that reality. The authors of these essays, who include some of Nevada’s most prominent historians, demographers, and archaeologists, explore such topics as women and politics, jobs, and ethnic groups. Their work goes far in refuting the exaggerated popular images of women in early mining towns as dance hall girls or prostitutes. Relying primarily on newspapers, court decisions, census records, as well as sparse personal diaries and records left by the woman, the essayists have resurrected the lives of the women who lived on the Comstock during the boom years.