Show FIRST DISCOVERER fOLD GOLD IN r ri l' l i Ranchman for Years Made Money Working Placer Field t. t HAULED DIRT TO WATER Work ork LI m I led to Brief Freshet Season In Wont ont Wont Won't Gho I Up UI Ranch Thomas Thoms Yn Watkins discoverer of oC the tho n l k district Is In the tho city on rain min ore business If I flone anyone has a doubt in n I r regard ar to 10 that districts district's being the richest st in nil all al Nevada the tho doubt will wi be bo removed I I f by hy talking to Mr fr Watkins Ills His r relation rela rela- Ja- Ja k tion with Ith the district date late not only from Crom tho the time of oC tho the discovery there of or a n rich i gold bearing ledge ledge-it It has b been en his home for nearly 30 0 years He has chopped U wood h where N some soma some of at the richest finds have been beel mado and for the last Jast 15 years year Y has bas made good wages wage working the gold gold- gok- gok gokI I laden gravel that has been beel washer down dawn the hl hillside from th tha bl bi biff vein which traverses traverses tra tra- verses verses the country countr for lor miles mies y But lut with aith wih nil al the credit that is 1st his due for Cor having brou brought h so wondrous a district disc dis dis- dis c to public notice the joke Is Js on 01 Mr fr Watkins Walking IDS to some fome extent for having lived F so long long- longwith with wih unto untold wealth at nt his ver very toor door without knowing knowing- m of or It Its lB existence y in such fabulous quantities C And Arid he I H is u a pretty good pro prospector at that And no now that the tite mineral ral ledge has hns h be bein n found It i develops that there are ar out out In Innumerous Innumerous J numerous places which give values s. s It I Is simply one moro more illustration r. r of or the thA surprises And nl uncertainties which t th tl qu t for tor gout gold ur Ii c Had llad b become ic so accustomed to regarding the file ie Blackhorse hills as ns a part of the g general gen geli- nt n- n t I eral ral scheme of oC bleak and barren 11 rles fHt t from rota which h It ft was s so hard larn In the tho early 4 days dayI to wrest even cn c a living that hot he hall hail no thought of or their containing so r hidden Is nn an Time Old Rancher r. r s lh Mr Watkins located a ranch at nt Osceola Oscela about three miles mies from what Is Js now i known wn as Blackhorse in SS He lie has lived on that ranch ever since and will wi r r without doubt continue to live hive J e there to 1 the end of ot the chapter It 1 is home and to him Is tile the tie only place that has advantages to make living worth while He enjoys enJo's cultivating the few acres of ot Irrigated irrl- irrl gated sr nd ground which surround his iris mod mod- cst st ranch house i he takes tOkes pride In the cattle catte and horses horseS which range the hills he lie 1 likes 8 to fish for Ol the festive trout which disport In the mountain streams and best of or nil all ni perhaps he enjo enjoys s 's himself himself him him- self seU ranging the hills lillis In search of tho the color which ever brings JO Joy to the heart of or the pro prospector v It I was ws not until 1 18 2 that Mr Ir Watkins discovered overe the now famous placer place fields ld w- w In n th the vicinity iC oC of his home but since l that th Urn tm he has made 3 aa as good use of or them themas themas as ag as circumstances would permit Th great difficulty in JI working them was to get water r on the ground It I was only when the spring floods came that this could be bedone done at all and mil then it was necessary to topa pa pay the ditch dich company 2 a day for the use of or the the water However with wih the aid aidor of or two men Mr 11 Watkins has often oren been ablo abo to lo clean up as high as 10 a a day net profit during the brief season that the work could be carried on And It I wasi was i v not an unusual thing for him to haul a aL L wagon load of dirt tram from the placer field Cel t to his Iris ranch rah where from 15 15 to 20 20 O in ingold g. g gold would be washed from Crom it It On 01 Ledge c. c Until last spring spring- t t was wa supposed that p. p the gold o nuggets In this placer field eld were wece simply a a superficial delo deposit lt such as ns Is I often oCten found with wih Its presence never nevel b beIng being be be- In ing satisfactorily explained Then Mr Ir Watkins Humbled onto the ledge which has since Binco caused cusel so much excitement There Thero he made the first lodo locations iSn in the district and In tho the group Kroup of oC claims believes that thai ho has t tite e richest property properly In tho district Howver However How How- ver ever since that time tho the richest strike of all the alt the al-the the Buchanan strike strike has has been made mado Within a half hal ml mile mik of or Watkins Watkins' ranch house house This This- Is an Inch 18 vein eln of or ore averaging W I a ton In gold sold hut from which assays as high as a a 1 ton have b been en obtained Jilt tI Is now believed that the district Is a it n part of or a mineral belt beit olt which I has hns been traced at nt least 40 4 miles southward south south- ward and 15 l lor or 20 miles mies northward there h bring being ln silver lead siver and copper ledges ledes a aen as I well en a as the gold ledge edge Only a few Cew days I ago ngo Mr r. r Watkins made mado a new ne' discovery tays discover bf t hJ high h grade grace lead ead ore arc I 13 3 miles north of 01 r It I Is also known now that L tho placer er gold old Is II in m reality quartz gold soM nas inas Deen washed aown from irom l e gold c. c The placer field feld as well wel as M the lode discoveries of or the dl district ar are now to be he worked on an extensive scale by a large corporation tho tho tho Amalgamated Nevada I Ne da Mines and Power c company which has acquired nil all 01 of oC the water rights of or that section as wf li as most of or th promis In ing mining mining- mininG properties the holding of or Mr Ir Watkins being one of or the few exceptions The he corporation has thug nettled th the patr pa o. o tr problem which limited Mr Ir Watkins Watkins' atkins operations and It il will wi also be b ablo able to develop clop le power more mora than thOn sufficient to o operate rt ill all of ot the 1 mining machinery that will wm be brought Into use e. e I |