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The Bonanza King book cover

The Bonanza King

John Mackay and the Battle over the Greatest Riches in the American West

Gregory Crouch

This biography tells the story of John W. Mackay, a self-made Irish immigrant who rose from poverty to control Nevada's Comstock Lode. Overcoming thousands of rivals, Mackay took on the pernicious "Bank Ring" monopoly to claim the legendary "Big Bonanza," a stupendously rich body of gold and silver ore discovered beneath the streets of Virginia City. Gregory Crouch's well-researched and well-written book is a dazzling tour de force, featuring great period photographs and maps, and is a riveting history of Virginia City, Nevada, the Comstock Lode, and America itself.
Publish Date
2018-06-19T00:00:00.000Z
2018-06-19T00:00:00.000Z
Goodreads Rating
4.04
ISBN
9781501108204
Recommendations
1
Recommendations
2022-04-09T20:16:49.000Z
A great book: In 1872, right before he hit the big bonanza, Mackay warned his wife that the Consolidated Virginia could easily consume all of their money. His wife asked what would happen if it did. Mackay replied, “We’ll go broke and start over.”      source