Oct 15, 2015 - Sale 2393

Sale 2393 - Lot 37

Unsold
Estimate: $ 20,000 - $ 30,000
JACKSON, WILLIAM HENRY (1843-1942)
A 2-part mammoth-plate panoramic view of the Portland Gold Mining Co. property in the Cripple Creek mining district of Victor, Colorado, with delicate hand-tinted elements. Featuring posed workmen perched atop trains, standing on the platform, and riding in a horse-drawn box cart. Also depicted are four billowing smokestacks, multiple railroad tracks, including one elevated, and Old Glory flying high in the wind above it all. Unique hand-tinted albumen prints, overall size 17 1/4x33 5/8 inches (43.8x85.4 cm.), mounted to linen-backed paper stock, with the Jackson-Smith Photograph Co. credit in the negative. Circa 1897
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Additional Details

In 1908, the Portland Mine, depicted heroically in this photograph, was the most successful gold mine following the Cripple Creek gold rush. Gold was first discovered in the Cripple Creek district in 1890 by Bob "Crazy Bob" Womack, a gold-hunting hopeful who never gave up the search, yet never profited from his great discovery when it finally came. The area was soon thriving and reliving the Pikes Peak gold rush that had happened 30 years prior. By 1900, there were 500 active gold mines in the area. Between 1890 and 1910 the mines yielded 22.4 million ounces of gold and thus created 30 millionaires. The towns of Cripple Creek and Victor were established and connected the region to the outside world via 3 major rail lines, making 56 trips a day.

In its early days the Portland Gold Mining Co. acquired the financial backing of Winfield Scott Stratton, a highly successful gold magnate who himself also owned two large mines in the area, the Independence and the Washington. Between 1894 and 1908 the Portland turned out $27,512,211 worth of gold. At the end of this brief period the mine was the strongest corporation of its kind in the district. The Portland mine is said to have employed over 700 miners at the peak of its operation.