While Coppereid is situated in White Cloud Canyon, it and "White Cloud City" were two different camps, separated by about one and a half miles. Coppereid was situated up the canyon near the mine, while the camp known as White Cloud City was nearer the mouth of White Cloud Canyon. We have our doubts if there was ever an "Official" "White Cloud City." There was a post office application for "White Cloud City" but the name "White Cloud" was crossed off and "Clemens" [sometimes 'Clements"] was substituted. The location for that hamlet was about eight miles north. While we can find references to "White Cloud" as an area and mining district, no mention of any "White Cloud City" seems to exist. But, it's difficult to tell seeing as how the canyon and the district are both referred to as simply, "White Cloud."
Simply put:
COPPEREID
Location: 1.5 miles up White Cloud Canyon on the west side of the Stillwater Range. Copper was discovered here in 1869 and some ore was smelted in White Cloud City during the 1890' s. By 1907 significant mining began when John T. Reid opened the mines. The camp operated until 1912. Coppereid post office was established April 8, 1907 and discontinued June 15, 1914. The early picture (ca 1913) in Paher
shows seven structures in the canyon. Little remained when the site was visited in the early 1960's.
WHITE CLOUD CITY
Location: Below mouth of White Cloud Canyon on west side of Stillwater Range (NOTE: The topographic map shows this site as
Coppereid, but that camp was actually located 1-1/2 miles further up canyon.) Copper ore was discovered in White Cloud Canyon in 1868. The first development took place in the early 1870' s and a copper smelter was erected at White Cloud City which operated for a short time in the 1890* s. Rock ruins were observed here in the early 1960's and the topographic map shows three ruins at the site.
-Cultural Resource Overview, Carson City District, West Central Nevada, Pendleton, McLane, Thomas, 1982
Copper, iron, gold, silver mines. The Reese River Reveille noted that Major
B.B. Bee (he must have had a lot of fun with that name) and a Mr. Frederick
Smith "discovered" the district in the 1860's, but it wasn't organized as a
district until 1869. It seems they had also "discovered" some natives at the same time, which hampered their efforts.
The deposits contain copper, zinc, lead, silver, and iron. They were discovered at the site of the Coppereid Mine in 1865 and worked on a small scale in 1871-73, and again in 1889-96, especially 1893-1896, for copper ores, when a small smelter was in operation at the mouth of the canyon and a little copper ore was shipped by the Company. Also 50 tons of iron ore was shipped by the company. Also, 50 tons of iron ore was shipped from the red oxide "lode" for testing and 300 tons was used locally for flux in smelting copper ore. Then, following a decade of Quiescence the present company and owner, The Nevada United Mining Company, was organized in 1906. Since 1908 but little more than the required assessment work seems to have been done on the property.
-Unpublished report on the Carson Sink Area, by F.C. Schrader, USGS
The district was organized and the fun began.
MORE SILVER MINES.
A New aid Rich Mining Discovery by Citizens of San Jose
San Jose, April 6th, 1869.
Editors Alta: About a month ago a party of our citizens. consisting of Major B. B. Bee, Frederick Smith, with Capt. J. H. Adams, Sheriff of this county, and Charles Silent, started out to prospect the undeveloped mines of the White Cloud District, situated in the northeast corner of Churchill County, State of Nevada, about 35 miles southeast from Oreana, and 25 miles from the line of the Pacific Railroad. These mines, we learn, were discovered by Smith and Bee some three years ago, but owing to Indian difficulties and the general decline of the mining interest, they preferred to bide their time and wait for the railroad. They have now formed a Company, and taken in J. H. Adams, Frank Spencer, S. C. Haydon, T. J. McCoy, Judge Moore and Charles Silent. Bee, Smith. Adams and Silent were sent out to prospect and bring in samples of ore for assay. They have made two trips, with the most satisfactory results: found everything just as it had been left years ago. A sample of specimens brought over may be seen by those curious on the subject at the office of Mr. Silent, or at the grocery store of Mr. Smith, on the Alameda.
On their first trip out they found too much snow to prospect to advantage. On the second, two weeks later, they found the snow all gone, made all locations they desired of mines, town sites, water and timber privileges, etc., and came back perfectly wild on the subject, believing they have indeed found a mineral Paradise. They left laborers at work on the principal ledges. Messrs Smith and Bee, especially the Major, are well known silver miners, while Capt. Adams, every one knows as a thoroughly honorable, reliable gentleman, whose good judgment entitles his opinion to the highest consideration. Mr. Silent is also a well known gentleman whose word will have its weight with those who know him. These gentlemen pronounce these mines ahead of anything they bave ever known in the annals of silver mining, and predict for them an interest not second to White Pine. They are easy of access, a good natural road leading to within a mile of the principal ledges, and it is passing strange they remained undiscovered so long.
They describe the ledges as running almost parallel with the railroad, as unparalleled in extent and richness; well defined ledges, which are solid masses of ore, immensely rich in gold, oopper and silver, the latter predominating; enough of the richest of ore being in sight to keep a half dozen mills running for years. And last, but not least, from an adjacent mountain, they estimate that a million tons of ore could be obtained just by the trouble of breaking- up and hauling off. In some of this ore gold is visible to the naked eye; but whether the gold would pay or could be worked in this combination is unknown. A specimen, in the possession of Mr. Smith, has the appearance of being almost pure. These are undoubtedly among the most wonderful discoveries of the age. The silver ores are pronounced by the Fathers at tbe Santa Clara College, who did the assaying, to be of a character most easily reduced.
There is every facility for working any amount of those kinds of timber best suited for smelting charcoal and other mining- purposes, consisting in part of pitch and nut pine, and plenty of good water, leaving nothing to be desired. As this is an entirely new field, there is every opportunity for acquiring the most valuable interests with a perfect title. We understand that a number of persons propose going out immediately, and arrangements are being made to put things in working order as noon as possible, when further developments may be looked for.
-Daily Alta California, 1869 April 10
Gee, they don't sound excited about it at all.
Unionville's John Fall did the first work in the 1870's and activity increased.
1872 September 1
Copper Discoveries in Nevada.
Large deposits of rich copper ore has been opened in the White Cloud District, twenty-four miles south of Oreana, in the State of Nevada. Some of tbe ore from the White Cloud mine sent to this city is a sulphuret, containing twenty-nine per cent of copper and $11 per ton of silver, and it is worth $200 net per ton at the mine. The cost of sending to this city is $24 per ton, but a road now being built to the district will save $9 per ton on transportation. The lode is three feet wide, and 100 tons of the richer class of mineral are now in the dump ready for shlpment to Swansea. The poorer ores will be used for factories in Reno and this city for the manufacture ot bluestone, for which purpose they are worth about $60 per ton. Tbe value of the ore has increased considerably in consequence of the late rise in copper. Tbe district has a large number of lodes, and miners are tt work there now on ninety-one different claims, so that the camp has become very lively.
Daily Alta California
A smelter was built in the mouth of the canyon in the 1890's; and the Nevada United Mining Company's John Reid did extensive prospecting in the early part of the twentieth century. A lot of people think White Cloud City was also called Coppereid, but they were seperate.
1886, July 15
Mr. Lovelock has found a big copper mine in White Cloud District 30 miles from Lovelock. There is an English company after it and they will make a big thing of it if they take it. There is an immense amount of ore in differenet ledges; it runs with iron.
-Reno Evening Gazette
Apparently it was busy enough at the turn of the century to warrant discussion of building a railroad.
WHITE CLOUD RAILROAD
Churchill County Pledged to Furnis $100,000 for the Project
Senator Kaiser and Assemblyman Allen have been delegated with power to act to represent the people of Churchill county and made several propositions to the White Cloud Company to inducing the company to build a railroad from White Cloud to Wadsworth via St. Clair and Stillwater, and in that event to bond Churchill county to an amount not less than $100,000. Whiel we hope the bonus of $100,000 will induce the White Cloud Company to select the latter route, we are not sanguine that the inducement is large enough.
-Territorial Enterprise, April 20, 1894
They certainly wanted to get the mail, at least. Coppereid had already secured a post office by this time.
MAIL DELIVERY ROUTE
Coppereid and Shadyrun Petitioning for a Tri-Weekly Delivery
At least 100 persons would be served with mail by such an innovation, at the present time, and the population of the camps is increasing all the time. Following table gives the number of miles from Stillwater to the various camps along the proposed mail route and the number at work at the present time at each point:
Miles Men
Desert Wells 16 4
Cox's Canyon 18 10
IXL 18 10
Mill Canyon 25 5
Shanghai Canyon 28 2
Shady Run 28 25
Fondaway 29 10
Coppereid 33 30
-Churchll County Standard, June 11, 1908
Later, there was talk of a railroad spur from Parran:
A Wall Street Corporation has a franchise for a line from Parran to White Cloud. Shadyrun alone has not warranted the projection of a railroad into the district but industrious development done there makes far more certain of the contemplated line being put through. Churchill County Eagle - July 9, 1908
Big strike at the Coppereid mine-- but not what they were hoping for.
Big Water Flow Struck in Mines at Coppereid
LOVELOCK, August 15.—A sltuation unparalleled in the history of mining in the state of Nevada, and one which is of sufficient importance to command attention of all mining men, is that which faces the Nevada United Mining company, in the driving of their long crosscut tunnel, at Coppereid. The tunnel, now in over 2800 feet, hits tapped an artesian water flow of enormous extent, and this time the flow has increased so that there is now flowing out of the mouth of the tunnel over 3,000,000 gallons a day. As the work progresses in the driving of the tunnel the water increases, and with every shot the miners put in added volume is given to the flow bursting from the faoe of the tunnel. So strong has the force of the water become that when a blast hole has been drilled it is necessary to drive an iron pipe into the hole, and then insert the powder in the pipe. It is an impossibility to put the powder in the bare hole, for the force of the water would tear and scatter the powder. In one place where a large blast was put in the water rushes out In a stream as large as a mans body and is thrown a distance of 15 feet. In spite of the very great hindrance caused by the water, the rubber clothed miners are pushing the tunnel ahead at the rate of about two feet a day. The source of the water supply is a puzzling question and one that is worthy the attention of geologists. It Is believed by the mine management that be tunnel has tapped an underground watershed held intact by the ledge formations.
-Reno Evening Gazette, August 16, 1909
It became a tourist attraction
MANY GO TO SEE THE WATER
Lovelockers View Water Flow At Coppereid
Several Lovelockers here have made the trip to Coppereid and have witnesse the heavy flow of water coming from the 2000 foot tunnel of the Nevada United Mining Company. "Out attention was first drawn when we reached the Coppereid Canyon. THe water rushes down this canyon in a stream four feet wide, and a mile from the mine where we descended from the auto. It is a mountain torrent, rushing over rocks and bulders.
-Lovelock Tribune, August 20, 1909
There are actually two separate sites here, one at the mouth of the canyon, and one up the canyon. Remains of wooden buildings, stove, and mines in upper canyon- lower canyon has remains of three rock buildings, most likely copper smelter and supporting structures. Canyon has signs of recent and repeated washouts. One stone building is on the verge of being undermined. The road from lower to upper portion of town is gone now and replaced by a waterfall and pond. It is a victim of a water from the main mine in the early 1900's, along with whatever else comes down the canyon naturally. Possible to hike from end of road past water to upper portion. There is also a road that goes from Grimes Canyon to the north to Coppereid which begins about two miles past the White Cloud Canyon turnoff and goes up Grimes Canyon. Wood buildings now resting on ground are odd in that there doesn't seem to be any floors, and walls are not very high, suggesting partial dugouts. Water which still dribbles from the largest mine has created a tiny ecosystem of trees, grasses, and swamp.