Shepperson Series in Nevada History
2 total works
From the early 1870s until his death in 1902, John Mackay was among the richest men in the world and was without a doubt the wealthiest man to emerge from Nevada's fabulous Comstock Lode. Author Michael J. Makley explores how, from his beginnings as a poor Irish immigrant, John Mackay developed a strong work ethic that distinguished him for the rest of his life. He came west to seek his fortune in the California Gold Rush and then moved on to Virginia City, Nevada, where he dealt in mining stocks and operated silver mines. After making a fortune in mining, he transferred his energies to banking and communications.
John Mackay offers new insight into the life and achievements of this remarkable man. It also places Mackay in the broader context of his time, an era of robber barons and rampant corruption, rapidly advancing technology, national and international capitalism, and flagrant displays of newfound wealth. Even in this context, he stood out, not only for his contributions to Nevada and mining history, but also for his reputation as an important business leader fighting the consolidation and venality of corporate power in the Gilded Age. His actions freed the Comstock from a financial monopoly, resulting in moderated rates for the milling, timber, shipping, transportation, and water that made mining possible and precipitated the discovery and development of the ore field known as the "Big Bonanza."
Makley's book recounts the life and career of one of the most successful men of his age, a capitalist of immense wealth who generously helped those around him and worked diligently in the public interest. This engaging biography will appeal to readers interested in the Comstock Lode and mining in the West during the latter part of the nineteenth century as well as general western history enthusiasts.
John Mackay offers new insight into the life and achievements of this remarkable man. It also places Mackay in the broader context of his time, an era of robber barons and rampant corruption, rapidly advancing technology, national and international capitalism, and flagrant displays of newfound wealth. Even in this context, he stood out, not only for his contributions to Nevada and mining history, but also for his reputation as an important business leader fighting the consolidation and venality of corporate power in the Gilded Age. His actions freed the Comstock from a financial monopoly, resulting in moderated rates for the milling, timber, shipping, transportation, and water that made mining possible and precipitated the discovery and development of the ore field known as the "Big Bonanza."
Makley's book recounts the life and career of one of the most successful men of his age, a capitalist of immense wealth who generously helped those around him and worked diligently in the public interest. This engaging biography will appeal to readers interested in the Comstock Lode and mining in the West during the latter part of the nineteenth century as well as general western history enthusiasts.
William Sharon was surely one of the most colorful scoundrels of the nineteenth-century mining West. He epitomized the robber barons of the nation's Gilded Age and the moral decay and corruption for which that period remains infamous, yet he was also a visionary capitalist who controlled more than a dozen of the greatest mines on Nevada's mighty Comstock Lode, built the Virginia & Truckee Railroad, manipulated speculation and prices on the San Francisco Stock Exchange, and revived the collapsed Bank of California. Sharon's archenemy Adolph Sutro called him ""a thoroughly bad man - a man entirely void of principle,"" while a Comstock neighbor called him ""one of the best men that ever lived in Virginia City."" Both descriptions were reasonably accurate. In this first-ever biography of one of Nevada's most reviled historical figures, author Michael Makley examines Sharon's complex nature and the turbulent times in which he flourished. Arriving in San Francisco shortly after the Gold Rush began, Sharon saw his fortunes grow with those of the city. He was involved in real estate, politics, banking, and the San Francisco Stock Exchange, and was a party in several of the era's most shocking business and sexual scandals. When he moved to Virginia City, Nevada's mushrooming silver boomtown, his business dealings there soon made him known as the ""King of the Comstock."" Makley's engaging and meticulously researched account not only lays bare the life of the notorious and enigmatic Sharon but also examines the broader historical context of his career - the complex business relationships between San Francisco and the booming gold and silver mining camps of the Far West, the machinations of rampant Gilded Age capitalism, and the sophisticated financial and technological infrastructure supporting Virginia City's boomtown economy. ""The Infamous King of the Comstock"" offers a highly readable, fresh perspective on Nevada and the mining West during one of the country's most decadent and corrupt eras.