Tuesday, May 27, 2014

In Search Of The Bismarck Mine..

A man by the name of John Daggett owned the Bismarck Mine.  During the Calico area's silver boom, Daggett had built one of the first silver ore mills in the vicinity. 

Silver was discovered here in 1882, with the Bismarck Mine operating until around 1892.  The processed ore was shipped out via the ubiquitous mule teams, but the mail was brought into the camp on the back of a German Shepherd dog (for a time, anyway).

The silver ore was generally close to the surface, the veins followed no particular pattern.  The miners simply dug holes-the site is full of them- and followed the ore wherever it led them.

After only ten years, the Bismarck Mine was played out. 

Today, only the pockmarked hills remain.

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