Here, in 1861, a mill was erected tor reduce the ore from the Ophir Mine at Virginia City. Quite the little town grew, but by 1866 the mill closed. Not to be confused with the other Ophir Mill located on the Carson River, or the Nye County mining camp of Ophir.
An overview from a contemporary article:
In 1860 the Ophir Silver Mining Co. decided Washoe Valley would be a good place for its mill. There was plenty of wood and water, and it was closer to the trans-Sierra stage and wagon roads than the mill district around Dayton and the banks of the Carson River. They built a by-pass to the Washoe Grade going directly from the toll-house to the Lake. They spent $75,000 on a causeway across the lake and slough, and painted it red. Their superintendent William A. Dall was paid $2,500 a year-- about $87,000 in 2024 dollars. Captain H.A. Cheever and C. S. Potter bought the townsite and Ophir City boomed. At its peak there were 1,200 residents, 165 of which were employed at the mill. An attempt was made to wrest the county seat away from nearby Washoe City, but it failed. Wagons were busy hauling ore down from the Comstock, and supplies back up. There was talk in 1863 of constructing a railroad, but it never got past the talking stage. The Ophir Mining Company's superintendent had a fine mansion built, and elaborate parties and gatherings were held there, being a tall, ten-foot fence, to keep out any Ophir residents who thought they might be invited. Ophir had its share of crime, including Swazey shooting the editor of the Washoe City Times in 1862, for which he spent four years in prison; and a youth who made off with 80 pounds of bullion, and was sentenced by vigilantes to prison, but came back to his job at the mill after three months. The mill, closed for the 1865 winter due to bad roads and lack of supplies, only reopened again in the summer with only some of its stamps working. But the Comstock was in a slump, and the Ophir Company was dealing with 37 separate lawsuits concerning water rights, which they never bothered to secure when the mill was built. When the mill failed to reopen, the town tried to survive by selling wood, but most of the nearby wood was gone, and it was cheaper to get from Empire City. By 1867 there was still a post office and a general store. By 1868 Ophir was dying, and only able to cast a handful of votes in the election that year.
-Nevada State Journal, October 22, 1961
The Ophir Silver Mining Company had a lot of cash, and they weren't afraid to spend it.
And more money probably was wasted on unwise and unsuitable mechanical devices to mill the ore that on the allopathic does to physic the silver and gold from the rock. Mills were built and furnished with expensive machinery which many times failed to perform the work for which they had been built. When it was found inadequate, the machinery was discarded, and more constructed-- just as though there was an inexhaustible treasury from which to draw. The Ophir Mill built in Washoe Valley in 1861 twelve miles from the mine, was one of the early examples of prodigal extravagance. Built on hacienda proportions, it looked like a miniature city with its large and costly structures, pasture fields, grain fields, and vegetable gardens. Two thousand acres of magnificent timber land to the west of the Ophir Mill belonged to this establishment.
-Mark Twain In Nevada, Effie Mona Mack, 1947
A description of the town.
A plat of the Ophir townsite showed the land was surveyed for seven lettered street running north and south and eight numbered streets intersecting them at right angles. Most of the businesses fronted B street which was the center of town, There were fifty-six full blocks and sixteen partial ones to provide for about five hundred houses and businesses, including areas for a public square, church, and school. Ophir grew rapidly to be the second largest settlement in the Valley, Washoe City, three miles to the north, being the largest. At its height, Ophir had a population of 300 and double that number if the workers in the mountains directly behind the town were counted. The quartz mill employed about 165 workers and there were teamsters, carpenters, mule "swampers," lumbermen and laborers of all kinds, many with families. There were two hotels in addition to Jefferson's, the Washoe House, owned by H. A. Kendall, and the Nevada House, run by John Lenz. There was a bowling alley, run by Joseph Ayers; the Collins and Jones butcher shop, the Layfayette restaurant, the Ophir Water Works, supervised by William M. Mears; Charles Riley's saloon, D. A. Miller's Ophir llivery and C. A. Potter and Company's grocery, dry goods, and clothing store, and a tailor, Isaac Berry, from Kentucky. Now and then a doctor or dentist would open an office, but before long move to Washoe City or to Carson City. Henry Hogan, a specialist in heart and lung diseases, lived in Ophir in 1865, then moved to Washoe City. Dr. A. W. Tjader of Pioneer fame in Carson City, spent sevral months in Ophir but moved to Washoe City in March, 1866. The same year Smart and Rogers conducted a freight business between ICsco, California and Ophir. Ophir maintained a post office from July 3, 1862, until June 19, 1871, the postmaster's job paying as much as $12 per year and often the mail arrived at midnight. THe people at Ophir did not know or care about the authentic names of their neighbors. Everyone, even the watresses at the Ophir House, was nicknamed in accordance with some personal peculiarity. Some of the most influential men in the county went by such names as "Brick Top," "Old Tennessee," "Big Nose," "Boston Charley," "Dublin Pete, and so on. "Farmer Jim" was the honorable James Sturevant, who owned a ranch to the south. "The Great Eastern" was a woman. True names came to light when someone joined a church or went to vote.
-Pioneers of the Ponderosa- How Washoe Valley Rescued the Comstock, Myra Sauer Ratay
In case you're confused, a mule swamper was a crucial member of a team that transported goods using mule-drawn wagons, particularly in the harsh environment of the American West during the 19th century. Their responsibilites included Braking on descents-- The swamper typically rode on the rear wagon, responsible for operating the brake system on steep downhill sections. This ensured safe descent and prevented the heavy wagons from becoming uncontrollable; Camp duties-- Beyond driving, the swamper also handled various tasks at camp, including:unhitching the mules, gathering firewood, and preparing meals for the team, acting as cook and dishwasher. The term "mule swamper" is most commonly associated with the Twenty Mule Teams that hauled borax out of Death Valley between 1883 and 1889. These teams faced extreme conditions, making the swamper's role in maintaining the team's well-being and ensuring safe travel critical. While the use of mule teams for transportation has largely faded into history, the term "mule swamper" serves as a reminder of the essential support roles that contributed to the success of these endeavors.
They built the road, but the railroad never materialized.
The Ophir Works and Railroad
The Silver Age (Carson City) says of the works of the Ophir Mining Company at Washoe Lake:
This mill employs 75 hands, and pays out about $4,000 monthly to them; 1,000 pounds of gold and silver in bricks is shipped from these mills per week, which is worth $32 per pound if refined by the Smith process; with other processes it is not worth quite so much. When the new addition is fairly in running order, it is evident that this mill will wonderfully increase the weekly shipments of bullion. Capt. Cheever, of Ophir town, is now at San Francisco, making arrangements to push his railroad forwards to completion at an early day. It will strike out east from the town and cross the north end of Washoe Lake on piles, from whence it will run up Spring Canon to the summit overlooking Gold Hill; from this point it will circle around the hill to the Ophir Company's mines in Virginia City. This road is mainly designed to deliver silver ore at the mills, but will also accommodate way freight, lumber, and passengers.
-The Daily California Express, January 16, 1862
THey were going full blast in the early 1860's.
MOUNTAINS OF SILVER
The Silver Age says: From a pretty reliable source in Washoe County we learn that the Ophir Company is shipping weekly, from their works in Washoe County, the sum of not less than $60,000 and some weeks it amounts to nearly $100,000 in value. This we call pretty good.
-Sonoma County Journal, August 8, 1862
Ophir never had a newspaper, but there was one close by in Washoe City.
NEW PAPER IN WASHOE
The Marysville Appeal says that George W. Derrickson, a good printer, and an energetic, upright man, has shipped the material for a new weekly paper to be published by him at Washoe City, Nevada Territory, to be called the Washoe City Times.
-Weekly Trinity Journal, October 4, 1862
Back then, being an newspaper man could prove to be a dangerous profession. Supposed Ophir resident Horace Swayze was not amused with an article mentioning him.
THE KILLING OF DERRICKSON
The telegraph announced that George W. Derrickson, publisher of the Washoe Times, was killed on Friday last by one H.T. Swayze. The Virginia City Union in stating the particulars says, some days since Swayze left some manuscript at the Times office, which he called a story of his own, and wished it published, but upon examination it proved to be a tale which a former number of the Times contained. This the Times stated in no complimentary manner. On Friday morning, Derrickson was in a Washoe saloon, when Swazey came in, and accosted him concerning the paragraph. Warm words ensued. At the suggestion of Swazey they went to the Times office, where Swazey demanded a flat contradiction of the paragraph in which he was compromised. This, however, Derrickson refused, saying it was all true. Derrickson then ordered him out of the house. He started backward towards the door, reaching behind as if to draw a pistol, whereupon Derrickons drew his derringer and fired, the ball striking Swayze's chin, breaking his jaw and carrying away two of his teeth, which, with the ball he afterwards spat out. He then turned and ran out, pursued by Derrickson, who drew a five shooter and fired an ineffectual shot. Upon this Swayse turned and fired; the first ball struck a bystander in the leg; the second went through the heart of Derrickson, killing him instantly. Swayze is in custody.
-Petaluma Argus, February 4, 1863
He escaped, but was recaptured, and spent 4 years in the hoosegow.
SWAZEY-H. F. Swazey, who at Washoe City lately killed Derrickson, of the Washoe Times, and who escaped from jail and has again been arrested, is thus mentioned in the Territorial Enterprise: "Mr. Wolf informs us that be has known Horace F. Swazey for the last six years—he does not, however, pride himself on the acquaintance. Swazey formerly lived at Kirksville, Adair county, Missouri, whence he and a brother removed several years ago to Lee county, Iowa. In Iowa the Swazeys bore a very bad reputation, and Horace F. Swazey was once under arrest for counterfeiting, but through some technicality he escaped through the meshes of the law. Swazey was looked upon in Lee county as a low scoundrel, and no one who knew him would take his word for anything. He came to this Territory across the plains in 1862, with a partner and a pair of women of easy virtue. The women left them on the road, and started to Salt Lake alone, preferring the dangers of such a trip to the companionship of such men as Swazey and his chum. Afterwards the two men sought admittance to the company with which Mr. Wolf was traveling, but were rejected on account of their character. Swazey's conduct and character since his arrival in this Territory have been in keeping with his Iowa reputation. Mr. Wolf, our informant, is a young gentleman of undoubted reputation for veracity, and the statement we make upon his authority may be implicitly relied upon."
-Sacramento Bee, March 7, 1863
Ophir was very impressive.
Mike Bob Bronagh and my self went up to Ophir four miles above Washoe City. Ophir is not as large as Washoe containing a variety of hotels, stores, hay yards, gambling saloons, drinking hoses etc. A very long bridge extends from Ophir a mile or more easterly, across a swamp and part of Washoe Lake. The greatest curiosity is the Ophir Mills. It runs seventy two stamps or eighteen batteries. The Ophir Mills including all the works around the mill cost about a million and a half dollars. It takes a great many hands to run it. It runs night and day, Sunday as well as any other day.
-Diary of a Journey Across The Plains, James Pressley Yager, 1863
Some people have a very short fuse. Charles Plum, a 23-year old New York native, was stabbed to death by a man for kissing his sister at a dance.
TRAGEDY AT OPHIR.—In our remarks yesterday concerning the celebration of the Fourth, we were congratulating the community upon the supposed fact that the day had passed off without accident or crime. So far as this immediate vicinity was concerned, such was the fact, but we learn from the Virginia papers that an an awful tragedy occurred in a ballroom at Ophir, in Washoe county. The Piute learns that Mr. Charles H. Plum, who is a printer, and used to work in the Piute office in Washoe, was dancing with a young lady, when, in a sportive manner, he kissed her. Her brother, who was close by, immediately drew a clasp-knife and stabbed Plum to the heart, who instantly fell dead. The occurrence of course changed the scene of festivity into one of mourning and gloom. The action of the deceased, although not in the best taste, was no provocation for such a terrible act of vengeance. The rash and impetuous murderer will find but little sympathy in the hearts of a jury.
-Gold Hill Daily News, July 6, 1864
Oddly, a few months later, this story made it across the Atlantic and even appeared in English newspapers.
DEATH FOR A KISS
A sad tragedy has been enacted at a ball at Ophir City. Charles H. Plum, who is a printer, and used to work in the Piute office in Washoe, was dancing with a young lady, when, in a sportive manner, he kissed her. Her brother, who was close by, immediately drew a clasp-knife and stabbed Plum to the heart, who instantly fell dead.
Coventry Standard, (Coventry, West Midlands, England) September 30, 1864
No word on anyone being punished for this foul deed. As late as 1867, Ophir was still milling ore.
GOOD NEWS FOR WASHOE
Yesterday there was a long line of men engaged in clearing the snow from the Ophir Grade, so that teamsters can go to work hauling ore to the mills at Ophir and Washoe. Times have been very dull and business at a stand-still with our Washoe neighbors for a month past, owing to the roads being blocked up, so they have been unable to get any ore from the Comstock. A great many outside places look to the Comstock and say, "give us this day our daily bread." In fact the mines of the Comstock really support the people of this State and the State government. And it is necessary to have the miles all going, for they are the machinery that runs our State, or nearly so.
-Gold Hill Daily News, March 18, 1867
FROM BLACK ROCK
Judge Goodwin has arrived in Virginia City from the Black Rock mining District, up near Honey Lake. He has eleven tons of ore from half a dozen different ledges, which is to be reduced at the Ophir mill. It cost $110 per ton freight to bring the ore in to Ophir.
-Gold Hill Daily News, August 5, 1867
In the later 1860's, milling operations quieted down, and much of the town's business was made up of gathering wood-- so much to that it earned the nickname "Wood City."
Writing to the Eastern Slope a short time later, another correspondent was even more pessimistic than the first. "Ophir, alias Wood City, has been quite lively the last few days," he remarked. "Yesterday we had a dog fight, and the day before two strangers passed on through here on their way to Excelsior, but as they did not stop overnight, they were not rolled." In 1867, Ophir still boasted a postoffice (whose postmaster got $22 a year for his labors), a general store on Main St. run by S. I Schwartz, and enough people to ' give a "Grand Ball and supper" at S6 a plate on Christmas Eve. Perhaps the town lasted on into 1868, but it was truly finished by that time. The rest of Ophir's late history is the same as that of Washoe and Galena. The people went away, one by one and family by family. The V&T's connection of Empire City with the Comstock in 1869 Idestroyed any remnant of hope, and the Ophir mill was dismantled. In 1879 a tourist guide for western railroads noted without much interest that between Washoe City and Franktovvn a V&T passenger could look to the left of the track and see "the ruins of the old Ophir mill." In 1881, Ophir City consisted of one house and the mill ruins.
-Nevada State Journal, October 1, 1950
This is why you can't drive across Washoe Lake today.
BRIDGE BURNING
The Ophir bridge which spans Washoe Lake at the town of Ophir was burned day before yesterday. The fire took place on the west side of the bridge. After some efforts the flames were subdued. The Ophir bridge was a magnificent structure, something less than 1 1/2 miles long. Piles were driven in the lake and the bridge double floored with three inch plank, except at the east end where the flooring was 8x8 timbers. The structure was built in the balmy days of the Ophir Silver Mining Company, and cost some sixty or seventy thousand dollars. It was designed for a railroad bridge and built under the supervision of the late Captain W. L. Dall, Superintendent of the Ophir Mine. Within a few years it was purchased from the Ophir Co. by John H. Dall, Esq., of Dall's ill, for less than one tenth of its original cost. It is a monument of the former prosperity and greatness of Ophir and is to that now deserted town what the Pyramids are to Egypt. We were unable to learn the cause of the fire.
-The Daily Appeal, May 25, 1871
How many times have we passed by these ruins off 395 as we rushed through Washoe Valley? Who knows. One of these days we'll stop, before the rumbling of trucks and the Washoe Zephyr destroys what remains completely.