Finding aid of the Flood & O'Brien Letter C058850

Finding aid prepared by Michael Lange
Society of California Pioneers
300 Fourth Street
San Francisco, CA, 94107-1272
(415) 959-1849
pkeats@californiapioneers.org
1/29/2014


Title: Flood and O'Brien Letter
Identifier/Call Number: C058850
Contributing Institution: Society of California Pioneers
Language of Material: English
Container: B001392
Container: C058850
Physical Description: 1.0 folder (1 letter)
Date: December 23, 1870
Abstract: Letter from James Clair Flood and William Shoney O'Brien to James Graham Fair, dated 12/23/1870, regarding the deposit of five thousand dollars into the account of W.S. Hobart.
creator: Flood, James Clair, 1826-1888
creator: O’Brien, William Shoney, 1825 or 1826-1878

Conditions Governing Access note

Collection open for research.

Conditions Governing Use note

There are no restrictions on access.

Preferred Citation note

Flood & O'Brien Letter. The Society of California Pioneers.

Donor

Donor and date of acquisition unknown.

Biographical/Historical note

The Bonanza Kings, also called the Silver Kings, was a nickname given to the four men (James Clair Flood, William Shoney O'Brien, James Graham Fair and John William Mackay) who started a stock brokerage called "Flood & O'Brien", more commonly known as the Bonanza Firm. In 1873, after gaining control of the Consolidated Virginia Mining Company, they discovered a large vertical ore body more than 1,200 feet deep which became known as the "big bonanza", making the four owners into some of America's wealthiest men.

Scope and Contents note

Letter from James Clair Flood and William Shoney O'Brien to James Graham Fair, dated 12/23/1870, regarding the deposit of five thousand dollars into the account of W.S. Hobart. Letter mentions that the instructions to deposit the five thousand dollars came from either J.G. Fair or J.W. Mackay.

Existence and Location of Originals note

The Society of California Pioneers, 300 Fourth Street, San Francisco, CA, 94107.

Related Archival Materials note

C012138: Rent roll kept by Lewis Cameron Fraser, Sr., the senior accountant for Flood, Mackay, Fair & O'Brien. Dated ?-1885, donated by Ruth Fraser.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Fair, James Graham, 1831-1894
Hobart, Walter S., 1839-1892
Mackay, John William, 1831-1902
Banks and banking.
Mackay, Fair, Flood, and O’Brien