Henry Comstock - Bozeman, MT
Posted by: hykesj
N 45° 40.537 W 111° 01.626
12T E 497889 N 5058006
Burial site of prospector Henry T. P. Comstock, namesake of the Comstock Lode, the first major silver deposit discovered in the United States.
Waymark Code: WM16TJY
Location: Montana, United States
Date Posted: 10/03/2022
Views: 0
By 1859, the California Gold Rush had largely dissipated but a Nevada silver rush was about to begin. Gold had been discovered in Six Mile Canyon just east of Mount Davidson in Nevada, but it was difficult to get to because of the bluish-black clay-like substance in which it was stuck. When this stuff was assayed and determined to contain a high percentage of silver, the rush was on. Virginia City sprang up practically overnight directly over the rich vein of silver and gold which ultimately produced about $400 million worth of precious metal.
Details of the original strike are sketchy, and no doubt romanticized, but apparently the two prospectors who discovered the gold in the canyon were confronted by Henry “Pancake” Comstock who claimed he had a right to the land. After some dispute, they agreed to share in the claim. Comstock eventually sold his share for a reported $11,000 and at the time boasted about how well he had made out, but considering the total value of the ore, it turned out to be a bad deal. (“Pancake” got his nickname because he was too lazy to bake bread.)
The name Stanford may be associated with the university in Palo Alto and the name Hearst with newspapers, but the rich strike of silver and gold which directly or indirectly contributed to both of those fortunes was named for Henry Comstock who died in relative poverty. The fast-talking prospector had bragged to so many people about ‘Comstock’s’ lode that the name eventually stuck and it’s the name by which the most famous silver bonanza in the United States is known today.
Henry Tompkins Paige Comstock eventually ended up prospecting in Montana where he died at the approximate age of 50 from a gunshot wound, possibly self-inflicted. Due to the fame of the Comstock Lode, some local folks found a spot for his burial in the Sunset Hills Cemetery near the plot of the well-to-do Story family.
(Sources: wikipedia.org, americanheritage.com.)
Description: See Long Description above.
Date of birth: 01/01/1820
Date of death: 09/27/1870
Area of notoriety: Historical Figure
Marker Type: Horizontal Marker
Setting: Outdoor
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: none
Fee required?: No
Web site: [Web Link]
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