Before we get going, an explanation of the name "Gold Mountain." So here are the facts.
- There is a mountain called "Gold Mountain."
- Oriental was named Gold Mountain at first, because it's right next to Gold Mountain, the mountain.
- The emergence of the Oriental Mine and the naming of Oriental Wash influenced the change of name to Oriental.
- Around 1881, as the nearby Stateline mine attracted investment, a new townsite developed on Slate Ridge to the east. Its residents named it Gold Mountain, so Oriental was referred to as "old Camp" to distinguish it.
A general description from back in the day.
The almost deserted village of Old Camp, near Gold Mountain, is situated 30 miles west of south of Goldfield and 20 miles 'southeast of Lida. Abandoned mines and prospects are numerous in the vicinity and a number of prospects are being developed 2 or 3 miles south of the village. The Central mine, which supplied the ore used in the mill at Old Camp, may be taken as a type of ore deposits in the granite of this region. This mine is situated on the side of a deep gulch 1^ miles north of east of the mill. Five tunnels, with an average length of 300 feet, pierce the granite and all are situated on a single vein or system of connecting veins. The mines in the vicinity of Old Camp are situated near water sufficient for mining and milling purposes. Timber for fuel and mining use is standing within 2 or 3 miles. The railroad terminus at Goldfield is 35 miles distant.
-GEOLOGIC RECONNAISSANCE SOUTHWESTERN NEVADA AND EASTERN CALIFORNIA, USGS, 1907
A more contemporary description.
Gold Mountain is a massive mountain. Its lower flanks are covered with a dense growth of brush, gradually giving way to stands of pinyon pine. A steep trail winds to the top of the 8,150-foot peak, where amid bold granitic outcroppings, bonzai-like pinyons anc alpine wildflowers tenaciously struggle for survival. It was to this mountain that a group of lone, Nevada prospectors made their way in the fall of 1865. However, they had barely set up camp when they were attacked by Indians. During the ensuing nighttime affray two of the men were killed, another wounded. The survivors hastily broke camp and retreated to Silver Peak. The following year, one of the men, Thomas Shaw, returned to the mountain. This time, undisturbed, he found what he was looking for, an outcropping of gold ore. Elated with his success, he named the peak Cold Mountain. But initially neither Shaw's discovery nor the rich sounding name generated much excitement. Little work was done until 1871 when Shaw made some additional discoveries. One location yielded some particularly rich samples. Dubbed the Oriental, the new mine was developed by sinking a 150-foot shaft into the mountain. This time it looked like Cold Mountain might live up to its name. A single cylinder portable steam engine was hauled to the remote location, its power replacing the traditional mule in working a six-foot arrastra. The crushed ore and concentrates were then transported to Belmont or Austin for further reduction, a distance of more than 100 and 185 miles, respectively. Using the most abundant building material in sight, the miners erected a dozen or so stone cabins and buildings on a north-facing slope. At first the camp was called Gold Mountain, but within the decade the name was changed to Oriental.
-Desert Magazine, September 1977
Old Gold Mountain.—We are glad to see that investors are beginning to realize the unprecedented opportunity afforded in this stock. The property is located in the Oriental district, or what is commonly known among old prospectors as Old Camp. It is one of the oldest and first discovered districts in Nevada, having been exploited by Lieut. George M. Wheeler, of the United States corps of engineers, in the year 1871. A full report on this district will be found on page 47 of “Explorations in Nevada and Arizona,” issued in the above mentioned year by the War department. The district is a proven one, and the Old Gold Mountain Mining Co.’s property is undoubtedly the cream of the district. Recent rich strikes in the Tokop district have caused a stampede to this section. There is no doubt that the Oriental district contains values equal to those of the now proven and thoroughly exploited sections of Goldfield, Bullfrog, Kawich, etc. W. J. Douglass, president of the company, and a mining engineer of wide fame and repute, who is a recognized authority in mining matters in Nevada, states that this property should prove to be one of the big producers as soon as development work has progressed sufficiently. The company owns six claims, which were worked in the early seventies by a primitive process, there being at the present time about 800 tons of tailings on the property, worth in the neighborhood of $20,000, which were left there from the old arrastras, by which method the properties were worked in the early days. We consider this a splendid proposition. The only reason that the stock in this company was not all subscribed within twenty-four hours is the fact that it is located in a district that has not been given the same attention and publicity as has Goldfield and the better known sections. At the present figures this is a remarkable buy, and time will show that our predictions with regard to this property are correct, as they have been in almost every other instance.
-The Goldfield News and Weekly Tribune,
Fri, Mar 24, 1905