The town was aptly named, Goldfield. Today it is a mere mining ghost town,
but back in 1902 it was the site of one of the great gold rushes of the
20th Century. So, great was this find, that Goldfield became the county seat of
Esmeralda ( Emerald ) in the southwestern part of Nevada.
In 1910 the production of ore reached an all time high, valued at more than
11 million dollars. Federal troops came to town during a massive labor struggle
( 1907 - 1908 ) between the miners and the owner/operators.
But the boom lasted only until the end of World War I in 1918. After that
Goldfield's population declined rapidly from an estimated 40,000 to less than 400.

The Goldfield Consolidated Mines Company was one of the major operators
thru - out the period. Presented here, is a pay check ( technically, a draft )
from this same company during the height of the production ( 1913 ),
each is in extremely fine condition. These were printed by the Union Litho
Company of San Francisco and were payable thru the Bank of John S. Cook
( the major bankers of Goldfield ). Each pay check is counter - signed by the
payee. It is the last remnant of this greatest gold find of the 20th Century.