Doheny Memorial Library, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189 Public Domain. Release under the CC BY Attribution license--http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/--Credit both “University of Southern California. Libraries” and “California Historical Society” as the source. Digitally reproduced by the USC Digital Library; From the California Historical Society Collection at the University of Southern California Send requests to address or e-mail given USC Libraries Special Collections specol@usc.edu
Description
Photograph of the interior view of mine, miners and $80,000 to the ton in gold sitting on the ledge in the Mohawk Mine, Goldfield, Nevada, ca.1900-1905. 13 men stand, sit or kneel while posing inside the mine. Many of them are holding lit candles. Several are holding their tools either in front of them or over their shoulders. Their clothes are stained with dust and dirt. "In 1902 gold was discovered in the hills near Tonopah, Nevada. Soon a few tents dotted the barren hills among the Joshua trees, and the boomtown of Goldfield was born. In 1903 only 36 people lived in the new town. By 1908 Goldfield was Nevada's largest city, with over 25,000 inhabitants. Along with the influx of miners and businessmen, came the labor unions. The Western Federation of Miners, the Industrial Workers of the World and the American Federation of Labor all vied for power in the region. During the early years, the unions were able to control wages and working hours. But in November, 1906, the Goldfield Consolidated Mines Company was incorporated by owners George Wingfield and United States Senator George Nixon, signaling the beginning of monopoly control in Goldfield, and the start of an adversarial relationship between mine owners and the unions." -- unknown author. ☙ Additional information: "This image is of the employees working on the Mohawk Mine under the Hayes-Monnette lease. Mr. Hayes is standing in the back with what looks like a knit cap on and a big bushy mustache. Mervin J. Monnette is standing to the left rear wearing a brimmed hat. [Thus, this venue was not under the Consolidated Mines authority] ... The lease was successful in finding the single largest vein of gold in 1906" -- Mr. Stuart Haley 2019-06-14.
Type
image
Format
2 photographs : glass photonegative, photoprint, b&w 21 x 26 cm. glass plate negatives photographic prints photographs
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