Have you ever heard of Delamar Lake? There is a little history behind this lake and I want to share with you what that is.
Seems
the gold rush era town of Delamar lasted just 13 years. It was founded in 1889
by John Ferguson and Joseph Sharp who found gold nearby and named their mining
camp Ferguson. 5 years later in 1894 it was bought by Captain Joseph Rafael De
Lamar, who renamed this boom town “Delamar.” By 1896 it was in full swing with
1,500 residents processing 260 tons of ore per day. But it also held a deadly
secret! “Dagger Dust.” The gold was encased in quartzite and it’s removal sent tons of glass-like
slivers into the air. So many miners died of this “dagger dust,” actually
Silicosis (an emphysema-like scarring of the lungs,) that the town was called
the Widow Maker by locals. At one time it housed 400 widows!
Around the turn of the last century gold was discovered in Tonopah and
Delamar went “bust” in 1902. So if we learned anything from this obscure footnote to Nevada history it’s that Mining is a dangerous business. Most boom towns go bust. And avoid
anything called a Widow Maker! Also: given the origins of the name it’s
probably pronounced more like “de-la-MAR” than “DELLa-mar…”
This is a great story that makes you think. Doesn’t it? Have fun at this eventful place. I will be looking for GOLD!!!!!
