Most Nevadans know where the principal towns and cities of the Comstock are located. We locals and most tourists know about Virginia City, Gold Hill and Silver City.
What many people do not know is that the Comstock mining district included many other nearby towns that contributed greatly to the history of the fabulous Comstock Lode. These include Dayton, which was the “Gateway to the Comstock.” Sutro was the entrance to the Sutro Tunnel. Mound House was a station on the Virginia and Truckee Railroad and the terminus point for the Carson and Colorado Railroad. Como was a rival mining district in the mountains to the south.
Johntown was the rough-and-tumble wannabe town that grew up along Gold Canyon during the 10-year period when miners and prospectors made their way up the canyon on their way to the Big Bonanza.
Between the first discovery of gold nuggets near Dayton in 1849 and the discovery of the fabulous Comstock Lode in 1859, most of the major players made their homes in ramshackle miners’ cabins, tents and rooming houses in the mining camp of Johntown along Gold Canyon about halfway between what later became Dayton and Silver City.
The settlement was founded in 1853 by Walter Cosser. Of all the early towns of the Comstock era, none was more important or less talked about today than Johntown. The name Johntown came from the fact that Chinese placer miners were sometimes called “John Chinaman."
The little hamlet consisting of no more than a dozen houses of all kinds was home to Henry Comstock, who later gave his name to the great silver lode; the Grosh Brothers, who discovered silver before many of the other prospectors; Peter O’Riley and Patrick McLaughlin, the discoverers of the Comstock vein; and James Fennimore, or “Old Virginia,” who was honored by naming Virginia City after him. A handsome Scotch teamster named Sandy Bowers came to town, where he met and married an ambitious Scotch divorcee who ran the local boarding house. Her name was Eilley Orrum. She had seen in her crystal ball that she and Sandy were destined for fame and fortune. Together, they purchased property in Washoe Valley that later became Bowers Mansion after Sandy made his fortune following the silver discovery.
Just up the canyon from Johntown was a rollicking saloon known as “Dutch Nick’s.” Every Saturday night there was a “grand ball” held at Dutch Nick’s place where there was music, dancing, drinking, faro and blackjack. Because there were but three women in town, Indian princess Sarah Winnemucca was often invited to the dances to help even up the odds for the prospectors and miners.
The first newspaper in the territory was published at Johntown. It was called The Gold Canyon Switch. This handwritten weekly was printed on several sheets of foolscap, a common writing paper of the time. The single copy was passed from person to person until most everyone in the tiny town had caught up with what was news. It was edited by Joe Webb between 1854 and 1858. Unfortunately, not a single copy exists today.
Unlike many of our old ghost towns, Johntown has completely disappeared. Not only is there practically nothing left to mark the site, but there is no one alive today who can remember when it even existed. After the discovery of silver at the head of Gold Canyon, there was no longer a need for the tiny mining camp along the slimy creek that ran through Gold Canyon. It was not long after the discovery of silver that the miners and prospectors abandoned Johntown and made their homes in Virginia City and other places closer to the action. Dutch Nick moved his saloon to Gold Hill, which was followed by Eilley Orrum’s boarding house. These became the first two businesses in Gold Hill. By the 1860s, there was no longer a need for a mining camp at the lower end of Gold Canyon, and Johntown slipped away into oblivion to become Nevada’s first ghost town.
Near the junction where the truck route and the main highway from Silver City come together, there is a small historical marker that mentions Johntown. The actual site about one mile east of the junction is now private property with no existing original buildings. My purpose in writing this article has been to remind everyone how humble the first 10 years were for the prospectors and placer miners who hung in there to eventually discover the fabulous Comstock Lode. This tough little town, which was home to all the early participants in the discovery of Nevada silver, truly was the birthplace of the Comstock.
Dennis Cassinelli is a Dayton author and historian. You can order his books at a discount on his blog at denniscassinelli.com.
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