Austin & Reese River Trans. Co.
|
Below is a hand drawn map of the route of the Austin and Reese River Transportation Company. It began at Austin & ended at Argenta (top right). Later it would end at Battle Mountain (top left).
|
None other than Charles Crocker [Crocker Bank and one of the most important figures in building the transcontinental railroad] promised to build a town and station wherever the toll road landed. Sure enough the town of Argenta was platted. It was reported that on October 26, 1868 a store, hotel, and train station were under construction.
Also in October the Wells Fargo Company was selecting station sites along the road: Italian Canyon, Silver Springs, Wallace’s, Vic’s, Hot Springs, Boston, Trout Creek and Rock Creek.
The first wagon train arrived in Argenta on November 5th and two stage companies were in the books as operating from Austin To Argenta on November 10th: Wells Fargo and Miller & Wadleigh. The one-way trip took 16 hours.
This was a toll road and hence our artifact at the top of the page. Investors received dividend checks on their shares of the toll road. Many mining companies never paid their investors anything! While Argenta never amounted to anything, a town just down the road was exploding. The owners of the toll road changed their destination from Argenta to Battle Mountain.
If the Austin & Reese River Toll Road was born of the Central Pacific Railroad, it died of the Nevada Central Railroad. Wagons were better than foot traffic, but a railroad was far better than wagons. Construction began on a railroad from Austin to Battle Mountain in 1879 and was completed on February 9, 1880. On May 8, 1880 the stockholders of the Austin & Reese River Transportation Company met and dissolved the corporation.
1. “Retracing the Past: The Austin and Reese River Transportation Company Toll Road” by William T. Hartwell, Chuck Barrett, and Susan Edwards
Also in October the Wells Fargo Company was selecting station sites along the road: Italian Canyon, Silver Springs, Wallace’s, Vic’s, Hot Springs, Boston, Trout Creek and Rock Creek.
The first wagon train arrived in Argenta on November 5th and two stage companies were in the books as operating from Austin To Argenta on November 10th: Wells Fargo and Miller & Wadleigh. The one-way trip took 16 hours.
This was a toll road and hence our artifact at the top of the page. Investors received dividend checks on their shares of the toll road. Many mining companies never paid their investors anything! While Argenta never amounted to anything, a town just down the road was exploding. The owners of the toll road changed their destination from Argenta to Battle Mountain.
If the Austin & Reese River Toll Road was born of the Central Pacific Railroad, it died of the Nevada Central Railroad. Wagons were better than foot traffic, but a railroad was far better than wagons. Construction began on a railroad from Austin to Battle Mountain in 1879 and was completed on February 9, 1880. On May 8, 1880 the stockholders of the Austin & Reese River Transportation Company met and dissolved the corporation.
1. “Retracing the Past: The Austin and Reese River Transportation Company Toll Road” by William T. Hartwell, Chuck Barrett, and Susan Edwards
Reese River Navigation Company
The Austin and Reese River Transportation Company is not to be confused with the dubious Reese River Navigation Company.
Have you ever seen the Reese River? Have you ever seen in in a hot August summer day? The only thing you could transport down the creek, that was given the name river, is a stick!
With all of the wealth that flowed through Nevada, one would think there was enough for everyone. But only a few got wealthy. Many lived hard lives. But some tried to find their wealth in other ways. The easy way. Without working. Scandal!!!
Perhaps one of the biggest swindles of all didn’t happen in Virginia City’s silver bonanza. Goldfield could claim some to the best swindlers in the country including George Graham Rice. Treasure Hill’s riches, copper in Ely, Eureka’s bonanza, Aurora’s fabulous ore isn’t my favorite suspect company!
And this rather interesting proposition wasn’t even over a mine! Not even a mill! But Transportation! Transportation out of the remote, desolate Nevada wilderness was always a problem. Austin was no exception. There was no railroad. There was no well travelled and graded road. Wagon prices ate away profits. So one enterprising group of men sold the idea of moving the ore and lumber out of and into Austin by the famed Reese River.
They began the Reese River Navigation Company. Future investors received a glowing prospectus which foretold of the huge profits from the transportation of ore to Battle Mountain and the railroad. Investors, most of whom lived back east, could clearly see the Reese River marked on the map of the newly formed state of Nevada.
They must have been stunned to learn the river was a mere creek, better suited to toy sailboats than lumber barges.
Have you ever seen the Reese River? Have you ever seen in in a hot August summer day? The only thing you could transport down the creek, that was given the name river, is a stick!
With all of the wealth that flowed through Nevada, one would think there was enough for everyone. But only a few got wealthy. Many lived hard lives. But some tried to find their wealth in other ways. The easy way. Without working. Scandal!!!
Perhaps one of the biggest swindles of all didn’t happen in Virginia City’s silver bonanza. Goldfield could claim some to the best swindlers in the country including George Graham Rice. Treasure Hill’s riches, copper in Ely, Eureka’s bonanza, Aurora’s fabulous ore isn’t my favorite suspect company!
And this rather interesting proposition wasn’t even over a mine! Not even a mill! But Transportation! Transportation out of the remote, desolate Nevada wilderness was always a problem. Austin was no exception. There was no railroad. There was no well travelled and graded road. Wagon prices ate away profits. So one enterprising group of men sold the idea of moving the ore and lumber out of and into Austin by the famed Reese River.
They began the Reese River Navigation Company. Future investors received a glowing prospectus which foretold of the huge profits from the transportation of ore to Battle Mountain and the railroad. Investors, most of whom lived back east, could clearly see the Reese River marked on the map of the newly formed state of Nevada.
They must have been stunned to learn the river was a mere creek, better suited to toy sailboats than lumber barges.