The Canyon at Big Creek was one of those very early Nevada mining centers. Prospectors from Austin seven miles to the north staked several claims early in 1863. Slowly as prospectors moved in the area, small mining camps began to form. They went by the names of Big Creek, Lander City, Watertown, Mineral City, Montrose and Middletown. However the population eventually consolidated into the town of Canon City.
A telegraph was completed early in the year to the mouth of Big Creek Canyon. The post office opened on August 19, 1863. By the end of the year, Canon City boasted a hotel, two restaurants, three saloons, a butcher shop, a notary public, and an assay office. Scientific Press reported that the Canon City would soon become the most prominent mining settlement in Central Nevada. That was a hefty boast with Austin only seven miles away.
By 1864 the population was nearing 1,600. The famed humorist, Artemus Ward, would give a lecture here late in 1864. Miners paid $2.00 to listen to him. He spoke in the Young American Saloon; complete with dirt floors and a sagebrush roof. Still it was a hit.
Outside of town two mills were in constant use: the Eureka (10 stamps) and the Parrott (20 stamps). By the end of the year four more smaller mills were built. The only problem was the amount of copper in the ore. This made processing very difficult. Two furnaces were built, but met with little success.
By 1865 stone cabins crowded the canyon. The population was large enough to support twenty stores, a school, a justice court, an express office and a telegraph office. There was not stopping this area!
That is until 1866. The ore started playing out already. The canyon began a quick slide.
By the beginning of 1867 every mine had closed. Only the Parrott Mill was still working - processing ore from Austin. By the time the post office closed in October of 1867, the town of Canon City was virtually abandoned.
1. “Romancing Nevada’s past” by Hall
A telegraph was completed early in the year to the mouth of Big Creek Canyon. The post office opened on August 19, 1863. By the end of the year, Canon City boasted a hotel, two restaurants, three saloons, a butcher shop, a notary public, and an assay office. Scientific Press reported that the Canon City would soon become the most prominent mining settlement in Central Nevada. That was a hefty boast with Austin only seven miles away.
By 1864 the population was nearing 1,600. The famed humorist, Artemus Ward, would give a lecture here late in 1864. Miners paid $2.00 to listen to him. He spoke in the Young American Saloon; complete with dirt floors and a sagebrush roof. Still it was a hit.
Outside of town two mills were in constant use: the Eureka (10 stamps) and the Parrott (20 stamps). By the end of the year four more smaller mills were built. The only problem was the amount of copper in the ore. This made processing very difficult. Two furnaces were built, but met with little success.
By 1865 stone cabins crowded the canyon. The population was large enough to support twenty stores, a school, a justice court, an express office and a telegraph office. There was not stopping this area!
That is until 1866. The ore started playing out already. The canyon began a quick slide.
By the beginning of 1867 every mine had closed. Only the Parrott Mill was still working - processing ore from Austin. By the time the post office closed in October of 1867, the town of Canon City was virtually abandoned.
1. “Romancing Nevada’s past” by Hall
I know the tile of this article is Millville. We have finished it and never was Millville mentioned one time! That is because there were no references to Millville in my library, online, or the State Historical Society.
I bought this unused check (above) on the assumption I could find out where this location was. It was new to me and I wanted to learn about it. But I was stuck. It had to be near Austin and a place where milling was happening. But where was that. Could it be Pony Canyon between Austin and Clifton? Then I started researching William and John Duncan in the Reese River Reveille. Why not try typing in ‘Millville’ and see if anything pops up. It did! Most of the information revolved around the Union Party (the Republican Party used this term in the 1860’s during and just after the Civil War). In 1866 Millville will get one delegate! (Photos: top left & top right) OK, that confirmed my suspicion that Millville had to be near Austin. After all it is on a Paxton & Thornburgh receipt. Paxton & Thornburgh was one of the largest businesses and banking houses in Austin at this time. But it didn’t tell me where it was. But an 1868 article brought a new revelation. The one delegate from this area (I guess it wasn’t as abandoned as the first article hinted at) would come from Millville with ‘Big Creek’ in parenthesis. Now, Big Creek I could find! (Photo: bottom left) That lead me right to Canon City. So, the Hall book that mentions 7 names for Canon City. But he did not even mention this name! Even though it was so important in the 1860’s it was the one being used by the local newspaper. But there was one more article in the Reese River Reveille that tied everything together. “Logs bought and Lumber sold on reasonable and advantageous terms for Cash at Parrott & Co. Saw Mill on Big Creek. For particulars apply to Messrs Eder & Schuber, Austin or the undersigned at Millville, Big Creek, R. C. Mathewson, agent.! The unused receipt that started all of this says “charge account of John Parrott.” I have a check from Parrott & Company bankers. (I wonder if it was to buy lumber?) The Parrott mill was the largest and longest lasting. (Photo: bottom right) I just love it when an adventure in research turns out such a nice story all tied up with a ribbon and bow! |