Gold high on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada brought hundreds of miners racing to Lake Mining District and the boom town of Mammoth City. Mammoth Gold brings back to life the brief but tumultuous years of 1877 to 1881, when hopes leaped sky-high, then abruptly faded and died. It was gold high on the eastern slope of the Sierra Nevada that had brought prospectors racing to Mammoth City, California. General Dodge and other moneyed men from San Francisco rushed to the new strike, bought up claims, and formed the Mammoth Mining Company. The company drove several tunnels into Mineral Hill, built a 40-stamp mill, a tramway, and a flume from Twin Lakes. Yet barely two years later the mill shut down forever and the following year all the company's property was sold at a sheriff's sale. What went wrong? Was it just bad luck? Or mismanagement? Fraud? Highgrading? And who were the gutsy men and women that cast their lot with this harsh, isolated mining camp? Where did they come from? How did they manage? Were they happy? Did they strike it rich? Exploring for answers, Gary Caldwell combines an historian's obsession for accuracy with a writer's love for the people who lived, worked, and died in Lake District. A tour-de-force of investigative wandering by the author himself. -- The Review Herald Caldwell's fascination for the area's history prompted more than two decades of research and exploration. The text is accompanied by numerous excellent black and white photos, maps, line art, and detailed mechanical drawings of quartz reduction mills and equipment. A brief glossary of mining terms and a comprehensive bibliography are also included. Well-written and produced, this volume is an excellent look at a typical 19th-century boom town [and] the lifestyles enjoyed by its residents. -- Reno Gazette Journal This is the first book to investigate the everyday life in Mammoth's mining camps, and to explore the reasons for the Mammoth Mining Company's abrupt shutdown. Used Book in Good Condition