The US Congress Act to create a US Branch Mint in Dalles City, Oregon
Zoins
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I just ran across the July 4, 1864 act to create a branch mint in Dalles City in the Congressional record which I thought was interesting. There was an Assay Office in Dalles City and although a branch mint was authorized it was never created.
The building for the Assay Office now houses the Freebridge Brewing Company:
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Two L's -The Dalles
The branch mint that coulda been a contender!
Within the last year I read about this either here or in a CW article.
Fixed the typo. Thanks
Good memory. There was a thread here on the Dalles City branch mint a while back, but I don't recall the actual text of the congressional act was posted or not. I thought it was interesting when I ran across it.
The mint mark would not have been DC, obviously.... nor would it be D, just as obvious...Perhaps DO? Or could that be part of the reason it never became a mint? I do not think so... but interesting topic to think about...Cheers, RickO
It's interesting that the Denver Mint was created by Congress on April 21, 1862, just over 2 years earlier. Imagine if Dalles City Mint was created first?
It's also interesting that the Dalles City Mint was authorized on July 4, 1864. Is Congress still in session on July 4th these days?
Neither Denver nor Dalles was suitable for a mint at that time. The regional gold deposits were too small to justify the expense and the West Coast was fully served by the San Francisco Mint. This letter, from the Idaho Territorial Senator, might add depth to the story.
[RG104 E-1 box 075 Dec 1864-Mar 1865]
Bump for July 4th
On July 4, 1864, Congress approved the Dalles City Branch Mint. Although a Mint building was started and is now the home of Erin Glenn Winery, no coins were ever minted.
I guess word traveled slower back then. According to Wikipedia, the city changed its name to The Dalles (same as present day) in 1860! Prior to then, it was simply Dalles.
4 years is a long time. It seems like an oversight rather than slow news. By that time the Pony Express had gone bankrupt and the telegraph service was faster and more reliable.
Original members of The Ohio State fan club?
I'm guessing DD perhaps (Carson wasn't called Carson City until after the mint was established). Another possibility is W for Wasco County or the Wascopam Mission, which would eventually become The Dalles.
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