Some of the leading mines of Virginia City & Gold Hill
The Ophir Mine	One of the oldest, if not the oldest discovery of the group.  In operation since 1859.  It yielded over $10,000,000 in bullion, and declared dividends to the amount of $1,504,400.
Best & Belcher	Another of the more promising mines, with assessments reaching $500,000.   The mine consists of 540 feet of the Comstock and is one of the oldest locations.   Even though ore bodies had been reported as existing, no product of bullion had proven their value.
Gould & Curry Silver Mining Company	Incorporated June 27, 1860.  The claim is centrally located on the Comstock Lode and has yielded $15,644,220 in bullion, most of which was found horizontally to the mine entrance.
The Confidence	This mine had a body of paying ore which paid $78,000 in dividends, and also expended something over $25,000,000 in assessments.  It was worked through the Yellow Jacket shaft as the ore body was part of the Yellow Jacket bonanza.
Yellow Jacket Silver Mine	Located in the spring of 1859, it consists of 957 feet of the Comstock Lode.  It has produced $14,372,172.  The company was incorporated in 1863, under the then existing laws of the Territory of Nevada, and has continued a Nevada incorporation, being the only mine on the Comstock Lode that has its home office at the mine or in the state of Nevada.
The Kentuck Mine	Comprised of 94 feet of the Comstock Lode, next south of the Yellow Jacket.  It is one of the 1859 locations.  The Kentuck was a long time in bonanza, and up until 1870 had paid $1,252,000 in dividends.
The Mexican Mine	A non-paying mine, valuable for its possibilities.  The present company was incorporated in 1874.  Total assessments levied $1,436,000.  Its prospective value is based on its vacinity to the Ophir, through the shafts of which it has been explored to a depth of 2000 feet or more.
The Overman	One of the most noted and important mines in many respects on the Comstock.  It is a point of departure for the systems of mines which terminate in American Flat and Dayton.  The assessments have been in the vacinity of $3,000,000, and the amount of bullion is estimated at $3,239,400.

Read the Comstock story here.

Miner working inside the Comstock Mine
Virginia City, Nev.
Taken by O'Sullivan using the glare of burning magnesium
for a flash of light, 1867--68.
The working space was often claustrophobic.

Cars coming out of shaft, Comstock Mine
Virginia City, Nev.
By O'Sullivan, 1867-68.

Three Irish miners prepare to descend into a Comstock mine.

Prospectors look over the possibilities of a lease at a mine in Fairview.

In the underground photo above visitors are inspecting a stope underground.
The man in the stripped shirt is leaning against the vein.

Items used by minersover 100 years ago

Lighting the way: The Miner’s Candlestick—
or the “Sticking Tommy”
Prior to the mid-1800s, miners secured candles to their caps or the rocky walls of the mine using a clump of clay. Sometime in the 1860’s, however, Comstock area miners invented the miner’s candlestick by bending the end of a spike to hold the candle. The spike then could be jabbed into wooden support beams or crevices in the stone walls to light the way. The first candlestick was patented in 1872 and sometime soon after a hook was added to the many emerging designs. Like the lump of clay, the hook on the candlestick enabled the miner to attach a candle to his cap, creating a 19th century version of a headlamp.

Miner’s Hat

In the 1800’s, miners did not have hard hats to protect their heads. Instead they wore cloth miner’s caps like this one or simply used their everyday felt hats. Note the metal plate on this hat with a small hole at the top. The hook of a candlestick or an oil wick lamp would fit into the hole, allowing the miner to light his way while keeping his hands free for other tasks.

Miner’s Lunch Bucket

Like many elements of hard-rock mining, the miner’s lunch bucket came to America with the Cornish miners who left the failing tin and copper mines of Cornwall to seek new opportunities abroad. Containing two, and sometimes three, compartments, the lunch pail readily met the miner’s needs. The lower compartment contained tea that could be heated by the flame of a candle beneath it. The second compartment, created by a drop-in tray, held the traditional Cornish pasty, a mixture of meat, potatoes, and vegetables tucked inside a folded pasty shell. If a third compartment existed, created by a second tray, it typically held a dessert. Finally, in order to drink the tea, the miner attached a tea cup to the lunch bucket’s lid.

 

Large mines were owned by shareholders. 
Shares were documents that were as valuable as the money paid for them.
Here are some examples of mine shares.  Click on a thumb for a larger view.

List of Mines by County
Numbers below each name indicate number of mines

Carson City 28	Churchill 82	Clark 238	Douglas 48	Elko 298	Esmeralda 265	Eureka 171	Humboldt 163
Lander 723	Lincoln 253	Mineral 256	Nye 413	Pershing 304	Storey 110	Washoe 85	White Pine 264

Mayday Mine -Awakening Peak
(Thanks to Dale Hartley for these Mayday Mine photos)

 

The Jumbo Mine - Awakening Peak
(Thanks to Dale Hartley for these Jumbo Mine photos)

Ore sample room		Ore sample bag

 

The Famous Sutro Tunnel
 

For more information on MINING HISTORY AND EQUIPMENT
 

     WARNING!  
Abandoned Mines are no playground.

The sign says "DANGER - UNSAFE MINE"
Then it's probably a very good idea to keep out.
Even in the days when these mines were in operation, they were very
dangerous.  Over the years these dangers have increased, making the mines
far more unstable than they were originally.

 

Imagine what this mine was like when there weren't any electric lights.
Look at the ceiling in this very typical mine.  Doesn't look very safe, does it?
Mines attract the great explorer in us, but before anyone goes poking around
in one, there are a few facts that should be known:

Number one -	The strong timbers that once held up the earth ceiling are now rotted support structures.
Number two -	Open shafts are everywhere.  Some are clearly visible.  Others are not.
Number three -	Deadly odorless gases & lack of oxygen. Doesn't need explaining.
Number four -	Becoming lost & disoriented.  There are many twists and turns, and they all look alike.
Number five -	Explosives & toxic chemicals have been left behind, and they don't mellow with age.

There are over 50,000 individual mine openings in Nevada.
As of March, only 8,118 of these have been individually investigated.
Of these, only 5,879 have been secured in one way or another.

The following are true reports about mine explorers:

"TEEN SPELUNKER FALLS INTO OLD SHAFT" (Salt Lake Tribune)
     The teen was 18 years old and fell into a shaft 600 - 1000 feet deep.  His body was never recovered.

"HIKER KILLED BY TOXIC GAS IN MINE" (Denver Post)
     Three youths were hiking when they found the entrance to an abandoned coal mine.  Two of them went in for a short distance.  Only one made it out alive.  The other youth wasn't able to help his friend as he was dizzy as he staggered out of the cave moments from death his self.

"TWO MEN FOUND DEAD IN MINE" (BLM Internal Advisory Board)
    Two men, 35, decided to visit a mine near Virginia City.   They were found within 75 feet of the entrance, asphyxiated.  They died of carbon dioxide poisoning.  They climbed a fence which posted signs warning of "bad air".

"MINER, TEEN HELPER KILLED IN COLLAPSE IN SIERRA COUNTY" (Sacramento Bee)
    A Jr. High student, 16, and his friend, 67, were both killed when the mine portal collapsed burying them under 10 feet of rubble.

For more information  visit the BLM's website:
Nevada's BLM