Manuscripts and Notes Chiefly Concerning the Comstock Lode, 1859-1936
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The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
© 1997
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Manuscripts and Notes Chiefly Concerning the Comstock Lode, 1859-1936
Collection number: BANC MSS P-G 244
The Bancroft Library
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
- Finding Aid Author(s):
- Processed by The Bancroft Library staff
- Finding Aid Encoded By:
- GenX
© 2013 The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.
Collection Summary
Collection Title: Manuscripts and Notes Chiefly Concerning the Comstock Lode
Date (inclusive): 1859-1936
Collection Number: BANC MSS P-G 244
Creator:
Smith, Grant H. (Grant Horace)
Extent:
4 cartons, 1 box
5.4 linear feet
Repository: The Bancroft Library.
University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000
Phone: (510) 642-6481
Fax: (510) 642-7589
Email: bancref@library.berkeley.edu
URL: http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/
Abstract: Material gathered in preparation for books on Mark Twain, John W. Mackay and the Comstock Lode. A collection of Shakespeareana
and a few miscellaneous essays are also included.
Languages Represented: Collection materials are in English
Physical Location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult the Library's online catalog.
Information for Researchers
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to The Bancroft Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts
must be submitted in writing to the Head of Public Services. Permission for publication is given on behalf of The Bancroft
Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which
must also be obtained by the reader.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], Manuscripts and Notes Chiefly Concerning the Comstock Lode, BANC MSS P-G 244, The Bancroft Library,
University of California, Berkeley
Alternative Form of Materials Available
There are no alternate forms of this collection.
Material Cataloged Separately
- Miscellaneous Comstock photographs and maps, etc., have been removed and cataloged as:
Pictures 6246-6347, and
Portraits 1236-1278.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog
Mackay, John William, 1831-1902.
Comstock Lode (Nev.)
Administrative Information
The Manuscripts and notes chiefly concerning the Comstock Lode were given to The Bancroft Library by Mrs. G.H. Smith in Oct.
1945.
No additions are expected.
Processing Information
Processed at the container level in 2013.
Scope and Content Note
The following data is given on this collection by the son of the donor, Grant H. Smith Jr., after he had spent some days in
trying to establish some semblance of order among these valuable and interesting papers:
The material on the Comstock Lode and vicinity represents many hours of research and study on a subject which was dear to
the heart of my father, Grant H. Smith. Much of it is written with a love and passion characteristic of a nearly gone but
not forgotten breed of men known as "Mining Camp Men." They were refined and tempered in the mining camps of the West -Virginia
City, Butte, Downieville, Jackson, Sutter Creek, Chinese Camp, Dawson, The Klondike, Tonapah, Goldfield and many other roaring
booming mining camps.
Many of these men, though they often spoke their minds on various subjects, never put their thoughts on paper for posterity
to enjoy. Many of the younger generation have tried with questionable success to capture the flavor and spirit of these adventurous
days. While my Dad did not possess a glamourous style, his inquiring and thorough mind compiled a world of important information
on the Comstock Lode and other related subjects.
The original manuscripts have been torn apart and reshuffled as his ambitious program: a story of John W. Mackay, a history
of the Comstock, and the real story about Mark Twain in Nevada, was never realized. It had to be condensed and shortened into
a bulletin issued by the Mackay School of Mines, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, 1943, under the title of A History of
the Comstock Lode. Therefore there is little or no continuity in the large Mackay-Comstock manuscripts and much of the material
is out of place. The real value will appear in the notes, clippings and letters included in the separate binders and in the
short, complete articles, short manuscripts, and data on production and methods of the mines.
The Shakespearean collection speaks for itself.
Scope and Content
The following data is given on this collection by the son of the donor, Grant H. Smith Jr., after he had spent some days in
trying to establish some semblance of order among these valuable and interesting papers. It is hoped that it will make future
study and research easier. Material included:
- Carton 1.
- Basic data on the Comstock, 1859-1936. Miscellaneous Comstock articles. Part of the original manuscript on the Comstock.
- Carton 2.
- Material on John W. Mackay and the Comstock Story. Includes data on the discovery, development and production of the various
mines and ore bodies.
- Carton 2A.
- MS of "John W. Mackay, Bonanza King"
- Carton 3.
- Mark Twain material -final manuscripts together with original notes, and drafts.
- Carton 4.
- Miscellaneous Comstock notes (three letter files)
- Carton 5.
- Miscellaneous notebook, original drafts, typewritten sheets, including duplicates, rewritten chapters and rejects. (Of little
value.)
- Carton 6.
- Shakespearean collection.
The material on the Comstock Lode and vicinity represents many hours of research and study on a subject which was dear to
the heart of my father, Grant H. Smith. Much of it is written with a love and passion characteristic of a nearly gone but
not forgotten breed of men known as "Mining Camp Men." They were refined and tempered in the mining camps of the West -Virginia
City, Butte, Downieville, Jackson, Sutter Creek, Chinese Camp, Dawson, The Klondike, Tonapah, Goldfield and many other roaring
booming mining camps.
Many of these men, though they often spoke their minds on various subjects, never put their thoughts on paper for posterity
to enjoy. Many of the younger generation have tried with questionable success to capture the flavor and spirit of these adventurous
days. While my Dad did not possess a glamourous style, his inquiring and thorough mind compiled a world of important information
on the Comstock Lode and other related subjects.
The original manuscripts have been torn apart and reshuffled as his ambitious program: a story of John W. Mackay, a history
of the Comstock, and the real story about Mark Twain in Nevada, was never realized. It had to be condensed and shortened into
a bulletin issued by the Mackay School of Mines, University of Nevada, Reno, Nevada, 1943, under the title of
A History of the Comstock Lode. Therefore there is little or no continuity in the large Mackay-Comstock manuscripts and much of the material is out of place.
The real value will appear in the notes, clippings and letters included in the separate binders and in the short, complete
articles, short manuscripts, and data on production and methods of the mines.
The Shakespearean collection speaks for itself.
Comstock Notes
Physical Description:
carton 1, folders 1-9
Arrangement
Formerly housed in Carton 1.
Scope and Content Note
Includes materials concerning the Comstock, including photostats of contemporary newspaper items, chronologically arranged,
1853-circa 1893; other notes on census, directories, society, roads, stocks, milling, theaters, Adolph Sutro, etc.; historical
sketches; accounts of individual mines; five miscellaneous articles; part of the original draft of Smith's manuscript on Comstock
history; maps and pictures.
carton 1, folder 5
Census, Directories, Social Notes, Roads, etc.
carton 1, folder 6
Stocks, Milling, Theatre, Sutro, Historical sketches, etc.
carton 1, folder 7
Individual Mines - Ophir to Utah
carton 1, folder 8
Miscellaneous Comstock Articles
Did Grosh Brothers Discover the Comstock?
The Original Gold Hill Bonanza.
Why the Comstock Lode Remained So Long Undiscovered.
The Production from the big pit.
Comstock Balance Sheet, 1881-1935.
Milling Low Grade Ores from 1901 to 1936.
carton 1, folder 9
Part of the Original Draft on the Comstock History.
John W. Mackay and The Comstock Story
Physical Description:
carton 1, folders 10-21; carton 2, folders 1-5
Arrangement
Formerly housed in Carton 2.
Scope and Content Note
Material on John W. Mackay and the Comstock story, as well as a scrapbook, and an envelope of loose clippings (used in part
in Smith's
History of the Comstock Lode [Reno, 1943]). Includes notes on Mackay's interests in the Nevada Bank, Water Company, Pacific Cable Company, and Postal
Telegraph.
carton 1, folders 10-12
John W. Mackay, Bonanza King and the Comstock Story.
Scope and Content Note
The manuscript is badly mixed as the material was used in publishing the
History of the Comstock Lode, University of Nevada, Bulletin No. 3, July 1943, Mackay School of Mines (Grant H. Smith) and was never rearranged prior
to the author's death in 1944. It was also rewritten and rearranged so many times that the sequence is broken, though the
table of contents gives the original outline.
Additional Note
(The manuscript is badly mixed as the material was used in publishing the
History of the Comstock Lode, University of Nevada, Bulletin No. 3, July, 1943, Mackay School of Mines, (Grant H. Smith), and was never rearranged prior
to the author's death in 1944. It was also rewritten and rearranged so many times that the sequence is broken though the table
of contents gives the original outline.)
carton 1, folder 13
John W. Mackay, Bonanza King and the Comstock Story (with Appendix)
carton 1, folder 14
John W. Mackay and The Comstock Mines (Part of original manuscript.)
carton 1, folder 15
John W. Mackay - Comstock Period, pages 1 to 92.
carton 1, folder 16
Early Draft of Comstock Mackay Story.
carton 1, folder 17
Comstock Notes - Mackay. Miscellaneous, Virginia City.
carton 1, folder 18
Comstock Notes - Mackay. Nevada Bank, Water Company, Cable Company, Postal Telegraph.
carton 1, folder 19
Comstock Notes - Mackay. Pacific Cable Obituary Notices.
carton 1, folder 20
Mackay Duplicates and Rejects.
carton 1, folder 21
Clippings on Clarence Mackay's death.
carton 2, folder 1
Miscellaneous Articles and Reports on the Comstock and Mining in General
carton 2, folder 2
Interesting Articles, Letters and Mine Reports
carton 2, folder 3
Miscellaneous unrelated articles on the West and other subjects
carton 2, folder 4
Comstock Manuscript- partial
John W. Mackay, Bonanza King and the Comstock Story
Physical Description:
carton 2, folders 6-9
Arrangement
Formerly housed in Carton 2A.
Scope and Content Note
Includes complete manuscript (including photographs) of
John W. Mackay, Bonanza King and the Comstock Story.
Mark Twain in the West.
Physical Description:
carton 2, folders 10-22; carton 3, folder 1
Arrangement
Formerly housed in Carton 3.
Scope and Content Note
Material on Mark Twain in Nevada. Includes Smith's completed manuscript, with pictures; miscellaneous Twain articles; and
notes, clippings, and photostats.
carton 2, folder 10
Mark Twain in Nevada.
Scope and Content Note
Final manuscript complete with pictures.
carton 2, folder 11
Mark Twain in Nevada- Appendix
carton 2, folder 12
Miscellaneous Mark Twain Articles
Mark Twain in Nevada. (Original draft).
Did Mark Twain visit Mono Lake?
carton 2, folder 13
Mark Twain Notes- Number 1
Scope and Content Note
Original Notes Clippings and Photostats
carton 2, folder 14
Mark Twain Notes- Number 2
Scope and Content Note
Original Notes Clippings and Photostats
carton 2, folder 15
Mark Twain, 1864-1868.
Scope and Content Note
Original Notes Clippings and Photostats
carton 2, folders 16-18
Rejects, Duplicates, Discards, and miscellaneous notes
carton 2, folder 20
Memories of Mark Twain and Steve Gillis.
Scope and Content Note
See note on fly leaf.
carton 2, folder 21
Mark Twain- miscellaneous
carton 3, folder 1
Harpers Weekly - Mark Twain's Birthday edition.
Miscellaneous Comstock, Mackay & Mark Twain Notes
Physical Description:
carton 3, folders 2-30
Arrangement
Formerly housed in Carton 4.
Scope and Content Note
Miscellaneous notes on early Nevada and California, relating to the Comstock, Twain, and Mackay.
carton 3, folders 2-17
File Number 1: Miscellaneous notes on early Nevada and California. Mainly The Comstock and Mark Twain.
Arrangement
Originally housed in file boxes. Folder 2 contains a "table of contents" noting the contents of the corresponding letter (A-Z)
under which documents were filed. These letters have been transcribed onto the folders which now hold said documents.
carton 3, folders 18-25
File Number 2: Miscellaneous notes on early Nevada and California. Mainly The Comstock and J. W. Mackay.
Arrangement
Originally housed in file boxes. Folder 18 contains a "table of contents" noting the contents of the corresponding letter
(A-Z) under which documents were filed. These letters have been transcribed onto the folders which now hold said documents.
carton 3, folders 26-29
File Number 3: Miscellaneous Information.
Arrangement
Originally housed in file boxes. Folder 26 contains a "table of contents" noting the contents of the corresponding letter
(A-Z) under which documents were filed. These letters have been transcribed onto the folders which now hold said documents.
Scope and Content Note
Includes: Articles and reports on The Comstock and Western mining in general; Interesting Articles, Letters, Mine reports,
etc.; and Miscellaneous and unrelated articles and pamphlets.
carton 3, folder 30
Grant Smith on John Mackay
Miscellaneous Notebooks, Original Drafts and Typewritten sheets
Physical Description:
carton 3, folders 31-34; carton 4, folders 1-13
Arrangement
Formerly housed in Carton 5.
Scope and Content Note
Includes duplicates, rewritten chapters and rejects
Additional Note
No listing of contents. Of little value without a tremendous amount of sorting and arranging.
carton 3, folders 32-34
Miscellaneous Material on the Comstock and Mackay
carton 4, folders 1-2
Miscellaneous Material on the Comstock and Mackay
carton 4, folders 3-4
Miscellaneous Typewritten sheets on the Comstock and Mackay Story
Shakespeare Notes and Books
Physical Description:
carton 4, folders 14-20; box 1, folders 1-7
Arrangement
Formerly housed in Carton 6.
carton 4, folder 14
Shakespeare Dictionary - 6 Parts. By: Arthur E. Baker, England.
carton 4, folder 15
Phillip Stubbes's Anatomy of the Abuses in England in Shakspere's Youth, Part 1. The New Shakspere Society, London: 1877-9.
carton 4, folder 16
Phillip Stubbes's Anatomy of the Abuses in England in Shakspere's Youth, Part 2. The New Shakspere Society, London: 1882.
carton 4, folder 17
The Three Stages of Shakespeare. By: A. C. Swinburne. Fortnightly Review. London: Chapman & Hall. January 1, 1876.
carton 4, folder 18
The Authorship of the Second and Third Parts of "Henry VI," by C. F. Tuckerbrooke. Translations of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences. New Haven, Conn.: Yale Press. July, 1912.
carton 4, folder 19
Desiderius Erasmus. By: Warren Olney - 1920.
carton 4, folder 20
Glossary of Words and Quotations - Shakespeare's Plays.
box 1, folder 1
Marlowe and Shakespeare - 4 Copies.
box 1, folder 2
Quotations from Shakespeare.
box 1, folder 3
Miscellaneous Essays.
Scope and Content Note
By: Grant H. Smith. (Not concerning Shakespeare)
box 1, folder 4-7
Miscellaneous Notes, Clippings, Articles and Speeches on Shakespeare.
