History

 

First Discovery of Silver

 

“All these years miners had been prospecting throughout Nevada and undoubtedly Allen and Hosea B Grosh were the first to discover silver. They were well educated intelligent men well versed in assaying and mineralogy. In their cabin near what is now Silver City they kept a well stocked library volumes of scientific works they also had extensive assayer's and chemical apparatus.

Mrs Laura M Dettenrieder who moved to Nevada in 1853 knew the brothers. They returned from wintering at Volcano on their way to Sugar Loaf in Six mile Canyon and stopped at her home for dinner. They told her they would camp at Sugar Loaf and prospect further for silver in the place where they had found it the year before. They promised to stake out a claim for her on the Pioneer Claim to be located for the Pioneer Silver Mining Company. They had organized a company by that name while in Volcano. In the fall Mrs Dettenrieder (she was Mrs Ellis then) went to California and on her return in passing along the American Flat Wash on the way to Dayton came upon the cabin of the Grosh brothers. Hosea was laid up with a sore foot, which he had driven a pick into. Allen came to the cabin, with their partner, Captain Galpin, before she left. He gave her a piece of rock and told her it was from her claim a little above the pioneer location which was three hundred feet in extent She was taken to some elevated ground to see its location and Allen pointed to Mount Davidson and said it was at the base of that point. She told them bad news, the murder of George Brown, a station keeper at Gravelly Ford. They told her he was a partner and had intended coming out from the station in the fall to assist them to open their silver mines. He already had six hundred dollars buried. She told them that if they were sure it would be safe she would sell her property and raise one thousand five hundred dollars to put in. They satisfied her completely by the locations they had entered in a book. She went to Johntown and three days later Hosea Grosh was dead from blood poisoning in his foot Allen started back to California leaving Comstock in charge of things. He was overtaken by snow in the Sierra and when relief reached him was so badly frozen his legs had to be amputated from the effects of which he died. She could not find out what became of the record book shown her.” (Source: A History of the State of Nevada: Its Resources and People, edited by Thomas Wren, pp. 88-89

 

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