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QUICKSILVER MINING COMPANY, NEW ALMADEN
CALIFORNIA. 1882 Letterhead of The Quicksilver Mining Company, Mine and
Works, New Almaden, California. 8 1/4" x 11", along with a 8 ˝“ x 5
˝“ advertising broadside for Quicksilver. Written by James B. Randol to D. H.
Jackson, At Sierra City, regarding shipment of Quicksilver. Exhibits small
amount of discoloration along bottom, damage to b/r corner with accompanying
small loss of paper. Broadside, which also acted as a dated quote, has a very
small amount of discoloration to bottom not affecting overall appearance. VG
cond. (W.527); $800.
New Almaden was the most prominent quicksilver mine under the operation of
Quicksilver Mining Company in the Western Hemisphere.The mine and its villages
flourished under the 20-year directorship of James Randol, who took over as
general manager in 1870 when S. F. Butterworth retired. Under Randol's orderly
discipline the community became a mining town unlike any other in the state,
somewhat resembling a beneficent feudal society. The residents' health, wealth,
cultural and social lives were taken care of by company-sponsored organizations
that the progressive but authoritarian Randol set up. D.H. Jackson was the
general manager of the Sierra Grande Mining Company. Though the town was
originally called Daly, and changed to Lake Valley, there must have been a short
period of time in the interim it was called Sierra City.
In August, 1878, George W. Lufkin and Chris Watson discovered silver ore
around the area of Lake Valley. Their discovery started a silver mining rush as
prospectors settled in the area to continue the mining. Lufkin sold his claim to
George Daly, and with Whitaker Wright (who came to Lake Valley in April 1881)
bought or made 8 more claims away from the outcrop. They then went to New York
and with George D. Roberts formed four mining companies each with four claims.
The Sierra Grande Silver Mining Company of Lake Valley ran the mines for all
four companies. In 1882, John Leavitt, a blacksmith, leased a claim that George
Lufkin had been working. Just 40 feet away from the surface, Leavitt discovered
a huge cavern lined with solid silver. This incredibly rich cavern was later
named "The Bridal Chamber" because of the sparkle from its crystal
encrusted walls. A settlement, first called Daly but later renamed Lake Valley,
moved to its present location after this discovery. Two and a half million
ounces of silver were eventually removed from the Bridal Chamber, some of it so
pure it required no smelting. In fact, the silver was so easy to remove that a
railroad spur was built into the chamber and silver was loaded directly onto the
cars. In 1893, silver was devalued, and the prosperity Lake Valley had known
took a down turn. In 1895, most of Main Street burned to the ground.
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