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A BRIEF HISTORYOF

PANACA .• NEVADA

THE HISTORIC MONUMENT PLACED BY THE STATE OF NEVADA NEAR THE TOWNHALL IN PANACA (LINCOLN COUNTY) PROBABLY TELLS THE STORY IN ITS BRIEF­EST FORM:

IN ~ANUARY OF 1870 TWO VERY IMPORTANT EVENTS TRANSPIRED: (1) ANEW PROCESS FOR FREEING SILVER FROM ROCK AND (2) LINCOLN COUNTY FILINGSUIT IN ~TICE COURT AGAINST FIFTY NINE FAMILIES FOR NON-PAYMENT OF·NEVADA TAXES. THE NEW MINING PROCESS PROMISED TO CREATE A MINING BOOMAND THAT, IN TURN, WOULD PUSH LAND PRICES HIGHER. AND IF THE MORMONSREFUSED TO PAY THE NEVADA TAXES, THE LINCOLN COUNTY OFFICIALS WOULDTAKE THEIR LAND AWAY FROM THEM!

THE POST OFFICE WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1867, MOVED TO BULLIONVILLE IN :'iJ';>']1874, AND RETURNED TO "PANAKER" IN 1879. DURING THE 1870'5 COKE OVENS ..PRODUCED CHARCOAL HERE FOR THE SMELTERS AT BULLIONV ILLE. ",'.',:"1

ORIGINALLY LOCATED IN WASHINGTON COUNTY, UTAH, PANACA BECAME APORTION OF NEVADA BY AN ACT OF CONGRESS, DATED MAY 5, 1866. AS THE a'j .' i~ilH~

'BOUNDARY WAS NOT THEN SURVEYED, A DISPUTE AROUSE OVER TAXES LEVIED BY" ,,1'£)'";

LINCOLN COUNTY, NEVADA. ONLY AFTER A LONG PERIOD OF BITTER LITIGATIO~ '--I(n~')WAS THE MATTER SETTLED IN FAVOR OF THE PANACA CITIZENRY ON DECEMBER "~

"j, 4, 1871.r:11

i~ IN OTHER HISTORY BOOKS IT IS RECORDED. THAT IN 1868 THE PANACA AREA" HAD MORE THAN 500 INHABITANTS, MAKING IT THE LARGEST SINGLE COMMUNITY

I.! IN LINCOLN COUNTY. IN THOSE DAYS UTAH COLLECTED ITS TAXES "IN KIND", ;;,.. ,.j. t' WHILE NEVADA LOOKED FOR "SPECIE". BECAUSE OF THE CONFUSION AS TO EXACTLY [;,;;,;;

WHERE PANACA WAS, AND BECAUSE THE FARMERS WERE SPECIE-POOR, BUT DIDHAVE PRODUCE WITH WHICH TO PAY THEIR TAXES, THE MORMON FARMERS IGNORED

'; tHE LINCOLN COUNTY TAX ASSESSOR WHEN HE APPEARED IN TOWN IN 1867. OTHER~t LINCOLN COUNTY OFFICIALS ARE RECORDED AS HAVING COME TO PANACA, BUT THEf .

~: FARMERS IGNORED THEM BY STAYING OUT IN THEIR FIELDS WORKING THE LAND,. RATHER THAN ATTENDING MEETINGS THE TAX OFFICIALS WERE TRYING TO ORGANIZE.

DICK TAYLOR429

ON DECEMBER 19, 1870. ST. GEORGE CHURCH AUTHORITIES OFFICIALLYINFORMED THE PANACA RESIDENTS BY LETTER THAT THEIR HOMES WERE, INDEED,IN NEVADA. THEY SHOULD PAY THEIR NEVADA TAXES AND SAVE THEIR HOMES!AFTER FIVE YEARS OF DISPUTE. THE THREAT OF LEGAL COLLECTION OF B~CKTAXES AND WHO WAS TO COLLECT TAXES WAS RESOLVED. THE ROUGH AND TUMBLEPIOCHE MJNERS WERE MAINLY ANTI-MORMON, AS WERE SOME OF THE OFFICIALS IN·THECOUNTY GOVERNMENT. IT IS INTERESTING TO SPECULATE AS TO THEMOTIVES OF THE COMMISSION IN ABSOLVING THE PANACA RESIDENTS OF THEIRPAST DUE TAXES. BUT THEY DID.

SOUTHERN NEVADA'S FIRST PERMANENT SETTLEMENT, AND PERHAPS ONE OFITS MOST UNIQUE, WAS SETTLED AS A MORMON COLONY BY FRANCIS C. LEE ANDOTHERS IN 1864. POOR IN RESOURCES, BUT RICH IN PEOPLE, PANACA HASCHANGED BUT SLOWLY DOWN THROUGH THE YEARS. ALTHOUGH MINING AT NEARBYBULLIONVILLE AND PIOCHE HAS HAD ITS EFFECT, PANACA REMAINS ANAGRICULTURAL COMMUNITY.

Inklin Rulon

'02 - May 26, 1984ana Music )

Woods. Caroline RichAug. 2. 1880 - Dec. 29, 1956Panaca

Ichel Talmage~O - March 21, 1951

Whitlock. Charles A.

Jan. 14, 1867 - Aug.Panac a ).

18,192~

,.i

el'Eugene906 - June 7. 1978

1'1ey Janet936 - Dec. 25, 1936

Baby

Chal'rlotte'18 -

Harris Willard88 - Jan. 29, 1959

457

Worth, Joseph Wad1868 - 1891Panaca

Yoacham. Archibald O.Aug. 13. 1830 - May 24, 1900U. S. American LegionPanaca

Zabriskie, Electa Armila

Sept. 1, 1891 - Aug. 6, 1969MotherPanaca

Zabriskie, Howard D.

Sept. 13. 1916 - Sept. 8, 1983Panaca

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459

A BRIEF HISTORV

DURING ITS HEYDAY IN THE 1870'S, THE EAST-CENTRAL NEVADA MININGTOWN OF PIOCHE HAD A DESERVED REPUTATION AS ONE OF THE WEST'S WILDESTLIVING AND MOST DANGEROUS PLACES.

NEVADA

OFpo IDCHE .•

MARK TWAIN'S NEWSPAPER. THE VIRGINIA CITY. NEVADA. TERRITORIALENTERPRIZE. DESCRIBED ROUGH AND TUMBLE PIOCHE IN A SCATHING EDITORIALIN 1972: ·PIOCtE IS OVERRUN WITH AS DESPERATE A CLASS OF SCOUNDRELSAS PROBABLY EVER AFFLICTED ANY MINING TOWN AND THE LAW IS VIRTUALLY ADEAD ~rtER. IT IS HIGH TIME THAT SOMETHING SHOULD BE DONE. FOR ASMTTERS NOW STAND THE NAME OF PIOCHE HAS BECOME A BY WORD FOR REPROACHAND A SYNONYI1 FOR LAWLESSNESS THROUGHOUT THE STATE. II

RESIDENTS OF PIOCHE WORKED HARD. AND MANY OF THEM PLAYED HARD ASWELL. MOREOVER. EVERY KILLER RUNNING FROM THE LAW ANYWHERE IN THEWEST CQNVERQED ON PIOCHE WHEN WORD REACHED HIM OF THE SILVER STRIKES,THE NEW TOWN AND ITS LIBERAL ATMOSPHERE.

FIST FIGHTS IN THE STREETS AND SALOONS WERE COMMONPLACE AND OFTENENDED IN SHOOTINGS. MINE OWNERS HIRED DESPERADOS AS SECURITY GUARDSWHO CLASHED WITH OTHER GANGS··OF GUARDS HIRED BY CLAIM ~MPERSOR MINERSWITH COMPETING CLAIMS.

ROBBERIES WERE ALSO COMMON. STAGECOACHES CARRYING MINE PAYROLLS.INTO PIDCI£. AND CARRYING REFINED SILVER BULLION OUT. WERE TARGETEDFOR HOLDUPS. MANY RESULTED IN GUNFIGHTS WITH FQUR OR MORE PARTICIPANTS.

THEY BUILT A WOOD-FRAME AND STONE TOWN THAT GREW BY SEVERALBUILDINGS A DAY WHILE THE ONE LARGE INDUSTRY, SILVER MINING, GREW JUSTAS FAST. HALF THE RETAIL OPERATIONS WERE SALOONS, WHISKEY SHOPS ANDWIDE-OPEN BROTHELS.

t"'r ..Ji: .r.

-40lL" .SOI'IEOF THE NEW ARRIVALS BROUGHT WIVES AND CHILDREN, SOME WERE.IMMIGRANT LABORERS FROM EUROPE AND MEXICO AND ALL WERE SEEKING. IN ONEWAY DR ANOTHER. THE RICHES OF THE LARGE SILVER STRIKES.

IT WAS NORMAL FOR PEOPLE TO SETTLE DISPUTES ABOUT ANYTHING,ESPECIALLY MINING CLAIMS, WITH GUNS, AND SOMETIMES WITH POISON. MORETHAN 75 MURDER VICTIMS WERE BURIED IN THE PIOCHE CEMETERY BEFORE THEFIRST PERSON WHO DIED A NATURAL DEATH WAS LAID TO REST.

:~U. LURED BY BIG STRIKES OF UNUSUALLY RICH SILVER ORE VEINS IN THENEARBY HILLS. SOME 6,000 MINERS, GUNFIGHTERS, LAWYERS. BUSINESSENTREPRENEURS AND SERVICE FOLKS OF ALL TYPES MOVED INTO THE AREA BE­TWEEN 1867. THREE YEARS AFTER NEVADA ACHIEVED STATEHOOD, AND 1874 WHEN

.~.MINING·OPERATIONS WERE AT THEIR ZENITH.

PIOCHE WAS FOUNDED IN 1869. IT IS NAMED FOR F.L.A. PIOCHE.A SAN FRANCISCO BANKER AND STOCK BROKER ORIGINALLY FROM FRANCE.

IN SAN FRANCISCO. PIOCHE REACTED TO NEWS OF THE BIG EASTERNNEVADA SILVER STRIKE BY SENDING HIS OWN EMPLOYEES THERE TO SET UP ANDOPERATE THE AREA'S FIRST ORE SMELTER. FIRE BRICKS AND CASTINGS WEREHAULED BY MULE PACKTRAINS 200 MILES SOUTH FROM THE RAILHEAD AT PALISM

THE SMELTER LATER PROVED DEFECTIVE AND SMELTING GENERALLY WAS ~SUCCESSFUL. BUT FOR A YEAR DURING ITS STARTUP OPERATION. THE LARQESMELTER AND ADJACENT LIVING AREA OF ITS WORKERS WAS KNOWN AS PIOCHE'SA U.S. POST OFFICE WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1871 AND CALLED THE TOWN PIOCHE

IN 1871 PIOCHE ALSO BECAME THE COUNTY SEAT OF LINCOLN COUNTY.! I"RANKED WITH VIRGINIA 'CITY. AUSTIN. EURKEA AND BELMONT AS THE FIVEKAJCITIES OF IlEVADA AT TiHE TIME.

BY 1890. HOWEVER. SILVER PRICES BEGAN TO SLIDE. MINING FALTERED

AND SO DID PIOCHE .. '-r

A RESURGENCE OF iMINING. THIS TIME FOR INDUSTRIAL METALS. INCLUDJCOPPER. LEAD. ZINC AND TUNGSTEN, GAVE THE TOWN A TEMPORARY BOOST IN,'1914 TO INDUSTRIALIZE FOR WORLD ,WAR I. 'T~L.i

MININO HAS SINCE BEEN ALL BUT SHUT DOWN BECAUSE OF ROCK BOTTOH~PRICES FOR MINERAL ORIE AND PRECIOUS METAL ORE. PIOCHE REMAINS THECOUNTY SEAT OF LINCLON COUNTY BUT IT'S POPULATION HAD SLIPPED TO ADm650 IN 1986. U'f:H

'.; YA.~'HAROLD HYMAN'

460

Williams, Kermit F.March 30, 1907 - June 22, 1978Married June 5, 1933. Children ChudPatricia, Larry & Mick. Peculiar, Me

Pioche

"-,

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1984Char 1es K.1934 - March 4,

Wi 11 iams,Marc h 14,"Chuck"Pi.oche

Wil kin, Rob ert Davi dFeb. 21, 1900 - May 25, 1980Pioche, Boot Hill

Wiederhold, Charles A.1840 - 1877Pioche, Masonic Cemetery

Warnock, Ur

May 3, 1871Killed. Many Arrests. NoPioche, Boot Hill

WeIland, MaryBorn And Died Sept. 23. 1894Daughter Of H. & M. WeIlandPioche, Catholic Cemetery

Ward, Henry1840 - 1902Pioche, Masonic Cemetery

Walker, RandallMarch 20, 1950 - Dec. 22, 1981Our BelovedPioche

Walburn, Edd1886 - 1949In Memory OfPioche

Verunda, BattishaRest In PeacePioche, Catholic Cemetery

486

Wilkin, Della Fay.WhiteAug. 24, 1910 - April 10, 1983P ioch e, Boot Hi 11

Wi 11 iams, Al fredJune 7, 1881 - May 13, 1958Native Of Brookland, N. Y.Pioche, Masonic Cemetery

Williams, John Albert1886 - 1965Pioche, Boot Hill

Whitlock, AndrewSept. 4, 1870.lKilled By James Maxwell. He Made SureWhitlock Would Not Testify In Court.Pioche, Boot Hill

WeIland, HenryDied March 7, 1912. Age 63Pioche, Catholic Cemetery

Walker, Sarah AdleenFeb. 19, 1897 - Sept. 6, 1980Wife And MotherPioche, Masonic Cemetery

Ward, InfantPioche, Masonic Cemetery

Walker, Owen F.March 8, 1896 - March 16, 1962Husband And FatherPioche, Masonic Cemetery

Vandiver, Mary G.1856 - 1936Pioche, Masonic Cemetery

Wadkins, John Sport1895 - 1934Pioche