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UNLV University Libraries Collection on Goldfield, Nevada (MS-00010)

Abstract

The UNLV University Libraries Collection on Goldfield, Nevada Collection dates from 1906 to 2009, with the bulk dating from 1906 to 1917 and documents the mining, business, and civic history of Goldfield, Nevada. Items in the collection include a program from the Nelson-Gans boxing match, a letter from H. M. Yerington describing the miners' strike, mine prospectuses, and minutes from the Goldfield Woman's Club.

Finding Aid PDF

Date

1906 to 2009
bulk 1906 to 1917

Extent

1.36 Cubic Feet (3 boxes, 1 flat file)
2.04 Linear Feet

Scope and Contents Note

The UNLV University Libraries Collection on Goldfield, Nevada Collection dates from 1906 to 2009, with the bulk dating from 1906 to 1917 and documents the mining, business, and civic history of Goldfield, Nevada. Items in the collection include a program from the Nelson-Gans boxing match, a letter from H. M. Yerington describing the miners' strike, mine prospectuses, and minutes from the Goldfield Woman's Club.

Access Note

Collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.

Arrangement

Materials are arranged by topic.

Biographical / Historical Note

Prospecting in the Goldfield area revealed gold deposits as early as 1900, but the area surged in popularity following large ore shipments beginning in late 1903. By 1906, Goldfield was the largest city in Nevada with a population of approximately 20,000 people. The city hosted the Gans-Nelson boxing match in 1906. George Wingfield and George Nixon invested in many of the Goldfield mines and formed the Goldfield Consolidated Mines Company. Tension between labor and the Goldfield Consolidated Mines Company culminated in a strike in 1907. John Sparks, the governor of Nevada, requested federal troops from President Roosevelt to prevent violence. United States Army troops arrived in Goldfield in December 1907. Following the strike, stock in Goldfield mines continued to decline and the city entered a period of decline. The population dropped rapidly and a fire in 1923 burned much of the city. As of 2021, Goldfield has a population of approximately 359 people.

Source:

Online Nevada Encylopedia, "Goldfield." June 8, 2012. Accessed December 17, 2018, http://www.onlinenevada.org/articles/goldfield.

"Goldfield, NV," Data USA. Accessed April 26, 2021, https://datausa.io/profile/geo/goldfield-nv.

Related Collections

The following resources may provide additional information related to the materials in this collection:

C. A. Earle Rinker Collection, 1880-1960. MS-00514. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Clyde S. Barcus and Edith Giles Papers, 1848-1978. MS-00206. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Goldfield Consolidated Mines Company Records, 1904-1930. MS-00744. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Preferred Citation

UNLV University Libraries Collection on Goldfield, Nevada, 1906-2009. MS-00010. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.

Acquisition Note

This is an artificial collection. Materials were gathered or purchased by the Director of Special Collections

starting in the late 1970s; accession number MS10. Additional materials were donated in 1972 and in 1974 by Elizabeth Warren and Catherine Miller; accession number 74-211. In 2021, materials were purchased from Vigilante Rare Documents; accession number 2021-036.

Processing Note

Collection was originally processed in 1996 by Special Collections staff. In 2015, Joyce Moore added material to the collection and revised it to bring it into compliance with current professional standards. In 2018, as part of an archival backlog elimination project, Angela Moor rehoused and arranged the materials, and revised the collection description to bring it into compliance with current professional standards. In 2021, Tammi Kim minimally processed the 2021 addition and updated the finding aid.

Resource Type

Collection

Collection Type

EAD ID

US::NvLN::MS00010

Finding Aid Description Rules

Describing Archives: A Content Standard
English