The Story of Weepah
Weepah
c1936
These small panoramas can all be found in the "story of Weepah" by Shamberger. In his book on Weepah, Shamberger adds the names of the buildings. So these are in pairs: the first is the original panorama and the second is the same panorama with Shambergers notes on the buildings.
The first pair is from August of 1935 when the mill was being built.
The first pair is from August of 1935 when the mill was being built.
Weepah was on of the last great mining boom towns in Nevada. The boom started in 1927. Our photographs from Hugh Shamberger’s collection tell us the story of its later years.
First Week; March 2,1927:
On this day two nineteen year olds entered the Tonopah Club. They opened their sacks and disposed of $4,000 in gold ore! Frank Horton Jr. and Leonard Traynor were instant celebrities and all of Tonopah began to watch their every move.
The next day the rumors quickly spread around the city. It was said that automobiles and their owners, trucks and limousines lined the principal streets read to follow the teenagers to their secret stash. For two days they had a regular paparazzi of gold seekers following them. Then one night they attempted to sneak out with a handful of location claims. It was to little avail, still they were the first there and new where the rich ore deposit was and were able to get some good claims including the Electric Gold Mine.
The strike was a the old Weepah site. In one day it was estimated that 200 cars carrying 4500 people had arrived.
First Week; March 2,1927:
On this day two nineteen year olds entered the Tonopah Club. They opened their sacks and disposed of $4,000 in gold ore! Frank Horton Jr. and Leonard Traynor were instant celebrities and all of Tonopah began to watch their every move.
The next day the rumors quickly spread around the city. It was said that automobiles and their owners, trucks and limousines lined the principal streets read to follow the teenagers to their secret stash. For two days they had a regular paparazzi of gold seekers following them. Then one night they attempted to sneak out with a handful of location claims. It was to little avail, still they were the first there and new where the rich ore deposit was and were able to get some good claims including the Electric Gold Mine.
The strike was a the old Weepah site. In one day it was estimated that 200 cars carrying 4500 people had arrived.
This second panorama is from c1936. The mill is complete.
Second Week:
The second week was much like the first only more so. The Esmeralda County Recorder state that he had approved 185 claims.
Speculators arrived quickly form Goldfield to Elko. Even George Graham Rice (notorious swindler and recently freed from his jail sentence) declared Weepah the real deal.
Fifth Week:
The Reno Evening Gazette reported that Weepah had a floating population of 1,500 with 50 to 60 frame houses [so quickly?] and hundreds of tents.
Reality Sets In:
Like so many Nevada mining booms, this one was very short lived. The ore started strong, but quickly played out. All the good claims were quickly taken and sold to larger companies. On July 2, 1929, two years after it opened, the post office was closed.
Still the major mine remained open. The Electric Gold Mines Company (the Horton Traynor original claim) leased the property and mining continued with small profits being made. It started with the Weepah Nevada Gold Mining Company obtaining a 10 year lease in 1934. Things progressed slowly. But things changed in 1936.
The second week was much like the first only more so. The Esmeralda County Recorder state that he had approved 185 claims.
Speculators arrived quickly form Goldfield to Elko. Even George Graham Rice (notorious swindler and recently freed from his jail sentence) declared Weepah the real deal.
Fifth Week:
The Reno Evening Gazette reported that Weepah had a floating population of 1,500 with 50 to 60 frame houses [so quickly?] and hundreds of tents.
Reality Sets In:
Like so many Nevada mining booms, this one was very short lived. The ore started strong, but quickly played out. All the good claims were quickly taken and sold to larger companies. On July 2, 1929, two years after it opened, the post office was closed.
Still the major mine remained open. The Electric Gold Mines Company (the Horton Traynor original claim) leased the property and mining continued with small profits being made. It started with the Weepah Nevada Gold Mining Company obtaining a 10 year lease in 1934. Things progressed slowly. But things changed in 1936.
This third panorama is from 1937 after the mill was expanded to include the cyanide unit.
Weepah Nevada Mining Company Mill:
The photographs that came from the Shamberger collection center around this mill. The price of gold was down, but new milling techniques were in play. The Southwestern Engineering Company of Los Angeles won the bid to determine the best method to mill the lower grade ore. They suggested two ways. 1) The flotation method would be the most economical. 2) The cyanide process would provide the best results.
The Weepah Nevada Mining Company decided to go with the most economical method of milling and the Southwest Engineering Company began building on August 1, 1935 (see the first photo). They felt that if the results were not acceptable, they could always add a cyanide unit.
On October 8, 1935 the new mill began operations (see second photo). But a problem was immediately noticed. The company was making $7.35 per ton of ore. But tests showed that $1.05 was being sent to the tailings. With a estimated operating cost of $3.14, they were losing 20% of their potential profit.
So, on in October of 1937 a 300 ton all-slime, modified counter-current cyanide mill was added (see the third photo).
Production, estimated by Couch and Carpenter, showed that despite working the lower grade ore, most of the production was done during the ten year lease after the new mill began operation.
1. “The Story of Weepah” by Shamberger
The photographs that came from the Shamberger collection center around this mill. The price of gold was down, but new milling techniques were in play. The Southwestern Engineering Company of Los Angeles won the bid to determine the best method to mill the lower grade ore. They suggested two ways. 1) The flotation method would be the most economical. 2) The cyanide process would provide the best results.
The Weepah Nevada Mining Company decided to go with the most economical method of milling and the Southwest Engineering Company began building on August 1, 1935 (see the first photo). They felt that if the results were not acceptable, they could always add a cyanide unit.
On October 8, 1935 the new mill began operations (see second photo). But a problem was immediately noticed. The company was making $7.35 per ton of ore. But tests showed that $1.05 was being sent to the tailings. With a estimated operating cost of $3.14, they were losing 20% of their potential profit.
So, on in October of 1937 a 300 ton all-slime, modified counter-current cyanide mill was added (see the third photo).
Production, estimated by Couch and Carpenter, showed that despite working the lower grade ore, most of the production was done during the ten year lease after the new mill began operation.
1. “The Story of Weepah” by Shamberger