Nevada Coal
I am a contract geographer/geologist for the US Dept of Energy and a geography grad student at University of Nevada-Reno. In the process of making some maps showing the distribution of coal occurrences in NV, I came across an undocumented report which stated, "Ever since the 1860's, the Central Pacific RR had a standing offer for anyone who discovered a commercial-grade deposit of coal in Nevada. The railroad had no coal for it's engines closer than Wyoming and badly needed a substitute for the high-priced eastern product." The implication was that this offered reward sparked an intense (but unsuccessful) search for coal in NV during the late 1800's.
Do you know of any supporting evidence for this claim? I am putting together a poster on NV coal, and I would love to include some historical aspects related to the railroad.
Thanks for any help you can lend,
—Sam Limerick, Reno, NV
shlimerick@charter.net
samuel.limerick@eia.doe.gov
posted from CPRR Discussion Group at 5:36 PM
3 Comments:
From: "Don Snoddy" DDsnoddy@cox.net
You need -
Pacific Railroad. Map of the routes of the Union Pacific Rail Roads with their eastern connections, compiled from authorized explorations, public surveys, and other reliable data from the departments of the government, by W.J. Keeler, Civil Engineer, November, 1867. Strip map of the western United States from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean showing relief by hachures, drainage, minerals, cities and towns, and forts. Includes completed and proposed railroads. Keeler, W. J. CREATED/PUBLISHED Washington, 1867. Scale ca. 1:3,250,000.
Great map and the section on Nevada would be a great background for the poster.
—Don
Keeler, W.J.:
NATIONAL MAP OF THE TERRITORY OF THE UNITED STATES FROM THE MISSISSIPPIRIVER TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN ... COMPILED FROM AUTHORIZED EXPLORATIONS OFPACIFIC RAILROAD ROUTES, PUBLIC SURVEYS, AND OTHER RELIABLE DATA. ...
Washington. 1867. Large folding map, 48 3/4 x 58 1/2 inches. Linen backed in quarto cloth binding. In a cloth clamshell box. A massive and important map, combining all of the geographical knowledge extant to that date. The map pays particular attention to the transcontinental railroad routes and shows the extent of their construction to early 1867. Indian reservations and other land divisions are also shown, as are the locations of forts, and land and surveying offices. The locations of mineral deposits, including gold, silver, copper, iron, and coal are also marked. Howes calls for a leaf of text, which is in fact a pastedown label which appears in some copies. A handsome and important western map. GRAFF 2281. HOWES K22, "aa." STREETER SALE 3077. WHEAT TRANSMISSISSIPPI 1170.
Courtesy ILAB-LILA – International League of Antiquarian Booksellers.
From: VANDTRR@cs.com
Do not believe that any coal deposits in northwestern Nevada were ever commercialized. There was an coal company incorporated near Carson City but I do not believe they were ever able to sell enough stock to develop the mine. There was a mine in eastern Nevada which had water problems which kept it from being ocmmercialized. The above was obtained by reading the Gold Hill Daily News circa 1872 - 1874.
Newspaper accounts in Eastern Nevada often do not differentiate between coal and charcoal as the larrer was used in the smelting process. Both were referred to as "coal."
—Charlie Siebenthal
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