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© Donna Frederick, July 2003
Willow Creek furnished good grazing for oxen used in freighting between Toano and Pioche from 1870 to 1873. Freighters in those years made it a point to lay over for a day or two at Willow Creek. When oxen showed signs of being played out, they were left at the springs to rest and graze until the return trip. These oxen were called “sleepers.” The discovery of ore and development of the camp at Ward was related directly to the freighting business and these “sleepers.” William Ballinger and John Henry made the first ore discovery in what later became known as the Ward District while searching for the “sleepers.” Henry and Ballinger took samples from the likely looking outcrop they discovered into Cherry Creek. Assays brought them good returns and they took men, grub, tools, ammunition and camp outfit back to the scene of their discovery on their return trip from Toano to Pioche.
Ballinger and Henry proceeded to file several claims, among them the Paymaster. After sinking a shaft, with a great deal of promising ore in sight, they sold to Judge Frizell. Henry continued his freighting business until 1874, then settled in Ward. Ballinger settled on a ranch thirty miles north of Cherry Creek. Immediately after Judge Frizell purchased the claims, T. F. Ward, George Tyler and Ben Mitten, all from Mineral City, located the new townsite, which was named for Ward. Andrew Jackson Millick built the first house in Ward to board the small force of Frizell miners employed when the camp first opened. Teams brought freight from Eureka, 110 miles, and from Wells, 155 miles. Timber consisted mostly of pine and was procured at a distance of eight or ten miles. The water supply was obtained from Willow Creek, and was brought by a pipe three miles to the mill.
Only a small force of men was working the Paymaster in 1874. Early in 1875, a corps of experts examined the mines and in April, the Martin White Company purchased the property. With the purchase of the Paymaster by the Martin White Company, the real rush to Ward began. The rumored wealth of the Martin White and other mines attracted over 1,500 people to Ward. Mark W. Musgrove, who felt that the mining camp needed a newspaper, was among them. In mid-November 1876, Musgrove issued the first Ward Miner on a sheet of paper no larger than a letter. The paper, which started as a semiweekly, prospered and in January of 1877 was enlarged to a triweekly. The illusion of rich mines melted with the snow in the spring, and two-thirds of the population departed. Musgrove, feeling doom was near, suspended the Miner early in April. Robert W. Simpson, a seasoned journalist, was not so easily discouraged and he purchased the business. Simpson used the material to publish the Ward Reflex for nearly seven years. Simpson described the mines at Ward. He wrote, “The first Mine met as you penetrate the upper air from Ward is the Paymaster, the first mine discovered in the district. A short distance above the tunnel a small bunch of outcroppings still protrude, near which Tom Ward sunk a shaft to the depth of 38 feet in 1872, missing a body of rich ore by a few feet. These solitary croppings account for our presence here today, for in the event they had not existed all of us would have been elsewhere.” The Pleiades mine was located shortly after the discovery of the Paymaster. It gave promise of a great future and is thought to be second in output to the Paymaster. Principle mines of the district by 1881 were the Paymaster, Defiance, Shark, Pleiades I.X.L, Governor, Jupiter, Grampas, Juno, Mountain Pride, and Silver Cloud.
The Pleiades mine was discovered and located by “Matt” Gleeson of Mineral City. History has not recorded which of the two was familiar with mythology, but the Pleiades was certainly “placed by Zeus among the stars.”
The discoverers of the Pleiades were the essential players in an early tragedy at Ward that occurred April 28, 1877. In a dispute over the claims of the Lookout Mine, John Roche killed Matt Gleeson at Mineral City. Both of the men had relocated to Ward from Mineral City. Both men were residents of Ward and were together when the claim for the Lookout was staked. Gleeson owned a majority of the stock in the Ward Consolidated and was on his way to San Francisco to try and raise capitol for further development when Roche met him at Mineral City (generally known as Robison at that time). Roche had walked across the mountains to make the rendezvous and Gleeson was traveling by stage. Before Gleeson’s arrival, Roche had the Notary Public in Mineral City draw up a transfer of stock for Gleeson to sign. Gleeson explained to Roche that he could not make that transfer at that time. After arguing, in front of witnesses, about the stock Roche wanted transferred to him, Roche shot and killed the unarmed Gleeson.
There was no minister at Ward at the time to provide services for Gleeson. Judge G. L. Waters spoke and told how Matt Gleeson had entered an “undeveloped and barren waste” and had struggled to overcome the hardships as he lay the foundation of untold wealth and future happiness. He was called a “brave pioneer” who had lived long enough to see a city grow up with pleasant homes but was unable to enjoy the fruits of his labor.
There is no happy conclusion to this tragic story. Neither Roche nor Mrs. Gleeson was able to enjoy the fruits of their labor. Roche was tried for murder, convicted and given a life sentence. April 18, 1884 edition of the Ward Reflex (just 10 days short of seven years from the day of that ill-fated shooting) reported that Roche was declared insane and sent to the Asylum at Reno. He died in the Asylum shortly thereafter.
The Ward Reflex July 14, 1883 stated that Mrs. Matt Gleeson was ill and had left for Salt Lake City for medical attention. The paper stated that she had dropsy and expressed the opinion that she could not possibly live beyond a few months. Mrs. Gleeson died in Salt Lake City April 28, 1884 – seven years from the date of her husband’s death. Martin Gleeson’s grave, located in the Ward cemetery and surrounded by a wrought iron fence with a large marble monument, is the sole reminder of this tragic event.
In 1876, two smelting furnaces were erected. Charcoal was needed to burn in the smelters and beehive shaped ovens was built to produce charcoal. This was an efficient way to reduce Pinoń Pine and Juniper into charcoal. Wood was cut into approximately 6-foot lengths and stacked inside the ovens vertically using the lower door. The first floor of the oven was filled leaving about a four-foot open space in the center. This served as a chimney. Wood was then loaded up a ramp and through the upper door (shaped like a window). Each oven held about 35 cords of wood and produced approximately 1,750 bushels of charcoal.
The loaded oven was ignited and a metal door was cemented shut. Three rows of vents were used to adjust air drafts to suffocate the fire just enough to produce charcoal. Burners gauged the charcoaling process by the color of the smoke. After nine to eleven days, the charcoaling was complete and all air vents were closed causing the fire to die out. Charcoal was then cooled using water through the chimney. The charcoal was loaded into bushel size burlap sacks. It took 13 days to fill, burn and empty an oven when water was used and over 15 days when no water was used. The Ward Charcoal Ovens were operational from 1876 through 1879.
The surface minerals of the mines in Ward carried a great deal of lead. As depth was reached, the lead and basic minerals disappeared to a large degree. This, plus the scarcity of fluxing ore, together with the scarcity of wood for charcoal, necessitated a change in the reduction works, and the furnaces were changed into a 20-stamp mill. After their original purpose of producing charcoal ended, the Ovens continued to serve as shelter for stockmen and prospectors during foul weather.
The first school in Ward was organized in the fall of 1876 with 50 students in attendance. A post office was established January 2, 1877 and the town of Ward grew to a population of 1,500 that year. Ward also had its share of politicians. By 1878, Ward had grown to such proportions that it had a strong influence on county elections.
As with any mining camp, Ward had its fair share of both the good and the bad. One tragedy that divided the town for a long time was the killing of Nelson Heuston, town officer, by Tim Finnigan in a dance hall. Finnigan’s gun had fallen from his pocket and discharged, causing persons referred to as "Shoofly", "Minnie Gilmore", "Big Mouth Anna" and others to run into the street calling for Heuston. Responding promptly, with his club in his hand, Heuston ordered the Irishman to surrender his gun and get out of the place. Finnigan refused to surrender the gun and was afraid to turn his back on the officer. He was slowly backing toward the door when Heuston attempted to hurry him by raising his club in a threatening manner. Finnigan fired, and killed Heuston almost instantly.
Finnigan was taken to Hamilton for a trial that lasted several days and attracted many of the disreputable citizens of Ward as well as many respectable citizens. Testimony of the "better class of citizens" soon showed that there had been bad blood between Heuston and Finnigan for some time. Heuston had made threats against Finnigan’s life if he did not quit drinking or leave town. He had told William Bassett just a few days prior that if he were called on to arrest Finnigan he would either take him into custody or kill him. Bassett’s testimony saved Finnigan’s neck from the rope and he was given a life sentence.
In 1876, a citizen named Leighton refused to loan money to a ruffian named Donohue. Leighton was shot down while walking along the sidewalk. Donohue hid behind a wagon bed in order to shoot him as he passed. The next morning Donohue was discovered hanging from a tree just below the town. This lynching had good results with the lawless element in the town; thereafter their murders were confined to their own kind. Respectable citizens paid little attention to these.
There were often stage holdups. A man named Clifford held up the Hamilton-Pioche stage in the cedars just below Ward. Clifford got a bar of gold in the holdup but was later captured. He was tried, convicted and sent to the penitentiary for a long term. In 1877, J. Crawford and John Carlo attempted to rob the stage as it was coming in about one and a half miles out of town. They stepped out of the brush where they were hid and fired at the driver and the messenger, missing both of them. The messenger, Eugene Blair, shot both the robbers, killing Carlo. Crawford escaped but was later captured, tried and sent to State Prison where he died of consumption January 1881.
Justice was sometimes meted out swiftly during the early days of the camp. Late in June 1877 an Indian attempted an outrage on a little girl. When her father was told, he and a number of friends immediately went to the Indian camp and informed them they would have to look for the man. About 11 o’clock on the night of July 3 a number of Indians captured the offender, took him about a mile below town and strung him up. The Indians admitted that the man was demented and had made many such attempts before. It was supposed that threats had been made by the girl’s father and friends in order for the Indians to string the guilty man up, but according to the Reflex, “it was right and proper. All such, no matter what color, should be disposed of as summarily as mad dogs usually are.”
There were also many honorable citizens. W. N. McGill was consulting engineer and surveyor during the construction and operation of the Ward plants. He was also involved with A. D. Campton in the teaming business, hauling wood and coal to the mills and ore from the mines. There were numerous merchants operating dry goods and notion shops, stables, butcher shops, rooming houses and saloons.
Mark W. Musgrove, who moved to Battle Mountain and started the Battle Mountain Messenger, published the Ward Miner from October 1876 until April 1877. The first issue of the Ward Semi-Weekly Reflex went to press in April 1877. Robert Simpson, who would be later associated with the White Pine New, was the editor.
WARD REFLEX (TIONS)
READER:
This, The “WARD REFLEX,
We send for your inspection,
And hope that it will please you all
And meet with no rejection.
Our objects are: to give the news
Of country and of city -
Beside the things we come across,
That we may think quite witty.
For foreign news and politics
We’ll do the best we can,
And satisfaction give you all,
“Or any other man.”
Of course, we look to you for help -
For times were bad this Winter -
So bring your “ads,” without delay,
To pay for ink and printer.
R.G. Schofield
Credit for the above poem was given to a lady from Ward. The paper did not make any pretensions as a literary critic, but felt the poem was of “real merit.” It was also acknowledged that the receipt of numerous packages of “lubricating oil” was received during the process of putting up the type for the first issue and numerous friends called during this process.
There were many businesses in Ward, and several advertisers answered the plea for ads “to pay for ink and printer.” There were many purveyors of liquid refreshment that could have provided the “lubricating oil” to welcome the paper. A. Cohn & Brother was located one door from Hilp Brothers on Main street. Henry and Fred Hilp, who were later joined by their brother Sol, opened their place in 1875 and were the first merchants to open up a place in Ward. There was the Philadelphia Brewery owned by Smith and Mezger, situated about three hundred yards below the Martin White Company’s Mill in the ravine south of Ward. Stieber and Bell’s Concert Hall had fine wines, liquors, and cigars plus dancing every night. McCormick and Bounds had the El Dorado Saloon on the North side of Main Street. There was the Capitol Saloon owned by L. W. Crane and C. C. Cowl at the corner of Spring and Main streets. J. M. Bozarth and Co, on the south side of Main Street in Ward next door to Robertson’s Drug store were dealers in Wines, Liquors and Cigars. W. B. Morses’s Saloon boasted the best quality of Cigars, Wines, & Liquors. William Bassett also ran a saloon in Ward with gamblers from Cherry Creek, Hamilton and Eureka all coming to Ward for a game of poker.
There was no shortage of places to buy groceries or to get a meal. John T. Scott advertised his New Meat Market, flat meat only to be furnished. Nevada Market, owned by Woodberry and Bourgoise, had beef, veal, mutton, pork, vegetables, etc., plus tallow for milling and mining purposes. J. Liddle and Company House bragged about the freshest vegetables and the best quality of beef, veal, mutton and pork, plus the best quality of corned beef. They also carried tallow for milling and mining purpose. When times began to grow slack in 1878, Woodberry and Liddle both ran for County Assessor with Woodberry the successor with 504 votes to Liddles 453.
Poujade and Garaghan were dealers in groceries, plus choice wines, liquors, and tobaccos. They also carried dry goods, clothing, shoes, powder, fuse, paints, glassware, drugs, medicines and notions. Poujade and Garaghan advertised they would pay the highest market price for country produce and guaranteed honest weight and correct measure. Goods would be delivered free of charge to all parts of the Ward district. W. B. Poujade and W. B. Garaghan amassed a considerable fortune in Ward, but, like many others, put it back again into Mother Earth.
Mr. Garaghan also served in the state legislature. A humorous story is told on Mr. Garaghan. A minister was called from the western part of the state to officiate at the funeral of a little boy at Taylor. Mr. Garaghan was introduced to the minister after the services. During the conversation, the minister noted that Nevada had more saloons and fewer churches than necessary. Mr. Garaghan was always ready for an argument. He noted that there was not one crime committed in Nevada for every two in New York where ministers and churches were more plentiful. He asked the minister how he accounted for that fact. The laugh was on Garaghan when the minister replied that “when a man commits a crime in the East they send him to prison, whereas in Nevada they usually send him to the legislature, I have heard.”
Mr. Garaghan’s ready wit failed him again when he was running for county treasurer against John Williamson on the Democratic ticket. As was the usual custom in those days, Mr. Garaghan was in a bar in Hamilton campaigning and buying drinks. A man named Clements was at the bar, never missing a round of drinks. Garaghan placed his hands on Clements shoulder and addressed him as “my good democratic friend here.” “No, you’re mistaken Mr. Garaghan,” Clements replied. “I’m a republican, though I suppose your mistake is quite natural. I know that I am unwashed and dirty and ragged and a bum and I look like a democrat, but I’m not. I’ll admit that I have fallen pretty low, but not that low yet.” This instance was one time that Garaghan’s ready wit and free liquor did not win him a post. Williamson beat him in the election 339 votes to 264.
Charles Sommerlott, at his bakery and restaurant on the north side of Main Street, stated that bread, pies, cakes, etc. were always on hand. Taylor & Co. advertised that their business, called simply “The Restaurant”, was open all hours of the day and night.
Mrs. Yates Lodging House was the leading hotel in Ward. Mrs. Yates had operated a hotel and restaurant in Robison and was one of the earliest settlers in the Robinson district. She was among the first to build in Ward in 1875. Another place for lodging was Tuckers Boarding House. Medical care was provided by M. Rockman, M.D. and Dr. H. Hagar both physicians and surgeons. Dr. F. Kanenbley was the dentist. Drug stores were available for prescriptions. There was Robertson’s Drug store on the South side of Main Street, John L. Robertson, druggist and apothecary including drugs, medicines, chemicals, soaps, sponges, brushes, fancy and toilet articles, perfumery and patent medicine. Robertson announced that prescriptions would be carefully prepared day or night. F. W. Clute was the dealer in iron, steel, stoves, doors and windows. He also had a full assortment of drugs and would put up prescriptions at all hours.
F. W. Jackson and Company dealt in all types of stationery products plus Yankee Notions, Cutlery, Checker-boards, Chess boards, Blank Books, Diaries and Albums plus much more. Louis A. Hauck, Notary Public, had his office with the Hilp Brothers on Main Street. He was commissioner of deeds and powers of attorney in the German language could be executed. Wm. McGill, U. S. Deputy Surveyor advertised that he paid particular attention to U. S. Patents. R. G. Schofield, watchmaker, jeweler, and assayer was located in Robertson’s Drug Store.
Sam Roach and Dick Fossett built the first livery stable in Ward. Later Thomas O’Neill and Dan Morris engaged in the same business. Wisel & Gilbert advertised their free corral and free water for customers. They were located on lower Main Street and sold hay and grain. Tom Delmoi announced to the citizens of Ward that he would deliver the “best quality of fresh and pure milk” every morning to all parts of the city.
The above is just the list of advertisers on that first day of publication and does not necessarily represent all the businesses active in Ward. Of course, these would change as the times changed. Although not advertising, Wells Fargo and Company and the Livery were used as points of reference to other businesses. A list of unclaimed letters remaining in the post office on the 18th day of April 1877 included a Ladies List, with two letters unclaimed. Gentlemen’s List had 42 unclaimed and the Foreign List had four names. TheReflex initially attempted a semi-weekly. As any newspaper person can attest, important news in small towns does not occur according to deadlines. Fortunately, for the Reflex, and unfortunately for Matt Gleeson and John Roche, the murder of Gleeson by Roche occurred in time for the second edition of the paper. There was no associated press to fill the paper with news, but items were mailed in. An interesting tidbit was an item from the Boston Transcript: “A bill to allow husband and wife to testify against each other has been killed in the Indiana Legislature. It was feared that if legal permission was given, nobody else would have a chance to say anything.”
The Ward Association celebrated the 58th Anniversary of I. O. O. F with a Grand Ball Thursday, April 26, 1877. Cards of admission were $3.00 and the public was invited. The Odd Fellows Association of Ward had gone to great expense to ready City Hall for the occasion. Thomas O’Donnell advertised that he would prepare an excellent supper for those who attended the Odd Fellows’ Ball on the evening of the 26th.
Mr. Simpson edited the Reflex for several years, finally turning it over to Louis Hauck. Keen rivalry existed between the Ward Reflex and the White Pine News that was being published at that time at Taylor. Editorial quarrels were frequent. The Reflex plant was finally sold to the News in 1884.
The population of Ward was 318 in 1880. By 1881, there were sixty-five miners in the district. The mines were actively worked up to 1882. Then tragedy occurred. Saturday, August 18, 1883 the Ward Reflex reported that a third of Ward was destroyed by fire. Unhappily for Simson, he had been on vacation and just returned. He wrote, “This is not a paper this time but an excuse for one. We took a vacation for a week, out of pure unadulterated curiosity, but when the time came to resume then came the fire fiend."
The paper reported the following:
A GRAND CONFLAGRATION
A Third of Ward Destroyed by Fire
At 11:45 Tuesday evening last a fire broke out in the rear of Roach’s blacksmith shop, south side lower Main street, that at one time threatened to wipe out the entire town. Within a few minutes after the alarm was given the flames crossed to T.F.O’Neil’s livery stable on the north side of Main street and then it looked like the town was doomed and there was no salvation for it. There was but little wind for a time, but soon a breeze from the west sprang up and kept steadily down Main street otherwise but few of our residents would be comfortably housed to-day.
Following are the houses burned together with losses, as far as we have been able to learn:
Ciute & Co., $4,000: insured for $2,000 (Mr. Webb is not certain about th amount of insurance). T.F. O’Neil, $8,000: no insurance. Gilmer & Salisbury, $1,000: no insurance. Wm. Creary $500: no insurance. Jake Henderson, $1,400: no insurance. John Henry, loss not known: no insurance. Sam Roach, loss on material in blacksmith shop, $1,800; no insurance. City Hall, owned by Mrs. F.E. Yates: no insurance. Nevada Lodging house, loss unknown: no insurance. Frank Weiss saloon, loss unknown: no insurance. Mr. Padelford’s residence, loss unknown: no insurance. School house, value unknown: no insurance.
Joe Thomson says that on Tuesday night at 11:30 – the night of the fire – just after closing up his saloon, he noticed a light in the window of the little house between the blacksmith shop and the Nevada lodging house, but supposing some one to be at work in the shop and the the light proceeded from it, paid no more attention to it and went to bed. A few minutes after there was an alarm of fire, and when he got up found the same house in flames.
At first, it was the general impression that the fire started from live coals left in the forge, but that could not possibly be the case. Sam Roach says most positively that there cold not have been any fire in the forge at the time. He started a small fire between 12 and 1 o’clock Tuesday afternoon, sharpened four picks and put in the rest of the day doing other work around the shop. A number of men came in during the afternoon and one of them experienced some difficulty in getting enough fire to light his pipe. Before leaving in the evening, he poured water in the forge, as is his custom. These statements he can prove. It is clear that the house did not take fire from the forge and equally clear that it was the work of an incendiary. The forge is located in the front part of the shop and had the fire started there that portion would have fallen in first, which it did not. The incendiary has been “spotted,” but it would be a difficult matter to saddle it on him strong enough to convict. We firmly believe that the party suspected is guilty of the crime, but we are not in the possession of sufficient evidence to make a complaint.”
Ward Post Office continued in operation until September 7, 1887 when Ely became the postal designation for its patrons.
Although on a downhill spiral, the Reflex was outspoken in counter-arguments with Cherry Creek. An example is the following: “We don’t know who Uncle George Taylor of Cherry Creek had reference to, but he propounded this conundrum: ‘If it takes a barrel and a half of whiskey to prime a man from Ward how much does it take to load him?’ Well, lets see, how much whiskey is there in Cherry Creek? The whiskey of that land being good it does not have a very damaging effect, and we greatly fear the amount it takes will remain unknown.”
Not much remains at Ward today but memories, tin cans, broken pottery and foundations are scattered throughout the area. A good road, built by Silver King in the 1960s, goes past the main cemetery and some of the ruins and is not the original road through the town. Several buildings were demolished to put this road in. The mine at the end of this road is fenced, with a locked gate and is private property, marked as such. A large section of old foundations are across the ravine from the main cemetery. (NOTE: It appears that Ward will soon be home to many as private property has been sold and new roads are going in as of this writing - October 2003.)
The first known death in the Ward district was Charles H. Becker. Becker was driving the water wagon for the Paymaster mine when he was found dead on the wagon August 18 1875. White Pine News, August 28 1875, stated “It is supposed that he died in a fit.” Becker was not well known in the ward District. Ironically, on the day of his death, Deputy Assessor Comins had ascertained his name, age and nativity for census records or nothing would have been known.
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