This Day…

1857-President Buchanan, in his annual message to Congress, requests money for soldiers and supplies to suppress the revolution in the Utah Territory.

1870-The opening round of the El Paso Salt War erupted in Ben Dowell’s saloon when a local lawyer named B.F. Williams killed Judge Gaylord Clarke and wounded politician Albert Jennings Fountain. Fountain brought Williams down with a rifle shot, then state police Captain A. H. French dashed in and finished Williams off with a shot to the head.

1873-Four miners strike the “Big Bonanza” while digging through the rock of Davidson Mountain near Virginia City, Nevada. At a depth of 1167 feet, the miners discover a vein 54 feet wide filled with silver and gold. The richest strike in history of mining produces a fortune estimated between $150 million and $200 million.

1902-Harry Stimler and William Marsh make a gold discovery on Columbia Mountain, Nevada about 30 miles south of an earlier discovery at Tonopah. This will lead to the famous Goldfield, Nevada, Mining District.

1902-Harry Stimler and William Marsh make a gold discovery on Columbia Mountain, Nevada, about 30 miles south of an earlier discovery at Tonopah. This will lead to the famous Goldfield, Nevada, Mining District.

1815-A committee of the North Carolina legislature reports that within the past 25 years, more than 200,000 inhabitants of the state have moved west and thousands more are leaving each year.

1940-In Downey, California, a 12-day airplane plant strike begins, halting $50 million worth of plane construction. On 23 December 1941, labor and industry united to declare a no-strike policy in war-related industries.

1900-Several diseases are now epidemic among the miners and Eskimos who have decended on Nome, and most of the game in the area has been killed by hungry ‘boomers.’ Approximately 30,000 men are stranded on the beaches of Nome, of whom only a few hundred are even trying to find gold.

1855-Kansas Governor Shannon organizes a ‘Law & Order’ party at a pro-slavery meeting at Leavenworth.

1874-King Kalakaua of Hawaii visits the United States as a guest of the U.S. Government. Kalakaua is the first king to visit from any country and is received in state by President Grant. The purpose of the visit is to stregthen ties between the two countries and aid the negotiation of a reciprocity treaty. After an extended tour of the United States, Kalakaua will return to Honolulu on 15 February 1875.

1832-Congress authorizes the War Department to enlist mounted troops, known as dragoons, for use on the Western plains to protect caravans on the Santa Fe Trail.