Nelson Wescoatt: Map of Gold Hill Front Lodes on the Comstock Range
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Cartographer:
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Nelson Wescoatt
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Title:
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Map of Gold Hill Front Lodes on the Comstock Range
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Date:
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1864
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Published:
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Boston
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Width:
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22 inches / 56 cm
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Height:
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13 inches / 34 cm
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Map ref:
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USA9235
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Description:
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This map of Gold Hill, Nevada was published during the town's short-lived gold rush after the discovery of the Comstock Lode in 1859. Incorportated in 1862, Gold Hill exploded from a few mining shacks to a population of over 8,000 almost overnight. The locations of several mines and diggings are marked on this map, including three which brought in over $10 million in dividends each: Belcher, Crown Point, and Yellow Jacket.
The map is angled with north to the right and generally follows the course of the road from Virginia City to Silver City. The location of the modern-day Gold Hill is at the far right of the map. The town is now a tourist attraction having preserved many of the mining buildings and reconstructed the original steam railway. It has a population of around 200 permanent residents.
The surveyor of this map, Nelson Wescoatt, was an extremely successful surveyor who traveled around the western United States, particularly in California, Nevada, and Oregon, producing surveys of rapidly-expanding settlements. He apparently made and lost several fortunes from his surveying career and from investments in mining ventures, but ultimately died a wealthy man. Wescoatt was elected to the Nevada state legislature shortly after Nevada achieved statehood in 1864, the year this map was surveyed.
[USA9235] |