Montezuma was the site of extensive mining activity from the 1860s-1880s but was dormant in the early 1900s when the Goldfield strike was made. According to the information painted on the front of the "Road House" of the "Montezuma Trading Company", the traveler or prospector could purchase "Wines & Liquors, Tobacco, Miners Supplies, Hay & Grain, and Groceries" at the store. Montezuma was located in the Montezuma Mountains seven miles west of Goldfield and was experiencing a resurgence precipitated by the discoveries at Goldfield.

Jane Cadogan Patten with her children, Edwin, Patricia and Arthur Patten