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By the time Silver Reef came into play the California Gold Rush country was panning out. Silver and gold discoveries in Nevada and Arizona were soon established as wild west towns. Virginia City and Eureka in Nevada and Tumbostone in Arizona soon took on a rough ruptation in history. The high concentration of silver deposits in the sandstone cliffs attracted individuals of different nationalities, religions, and customs. Also populating the town was miners from nearby Pioche, Nevada. This was due to the closing of the last silver mine in that town. Chinese workers arrived following the completion of the transcontinental railroad. Cornish, Irish, and many Europeans also added to the growing number of inhabitants. |
Silver Reef came into fame when John Kemple was delivering a herd of horses from Montana. He spent the Winter of 1866 with a family in Harrisburg. While sitting around the fireplace on a cold Winter night John noticed a streak shinning in the back of the fireplace. Upon inspection he discovered it was silver and he asked where the stone had come from. He was told that it came from an outcrop about 300 yards off the back of the house. John did not return to this area until 1871 and when he did he immediatelly filed for six claims on that silver ridge. The secret of this discovery did not fully circulate until late 1875 and that's when the boom began. By 1877 there was a furry of prospecting in the area. News of silver ore in the local sandstone rock drew the attention of the Walker brothers, Salt Lake City bankers. They grubstaked a noted prospector, William T. Barbee. By late 1875, twenty-one potentially rich claims were already staked, and Barbee set up a town called Bonanza City. Although there was a small cluster of business operations in Bonanza City, property values were high. Miners, finding land cheaper to the north, set up a tent city on a rocky section of land known as the "Rockpile" which became the heart of Silver Reef. |