10 New Things I Learned from a Return Visit to the Carson City Mint Building

1northcoin

In a recent thread I recounted a recent visit to the Carson City Mint Building which is now a part of the Nevada State Museum in Carson City. Included was a focus upon Coin Press #1 and a close to complete collection of Carson City minted coins minted there. This past week I had an opportunity to return and learn more about Nevada's mining history which was the impetus for the existence of the mint and its coins.

First though, here is a link to the original thread that focused on the minting of coins:

https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1111970/revisiting-the-carson-city-mint-with-its-coin-collection

Now for the 10 New Things I Learned on my Return Visit:

10 THINGS DISCOVERED AND LEARNED FROM YESTERDAY'S VISIT TO THE NEVADA STATE MUSEUM

1. The museum's Goldfield Mining Town Exhibit includes an Alaska connection as included in the exhibit is a tribute to photographer P.E. Larson who documented life in Goldfield from 1905 to 1908. Apart from the photos on display it is noted that his daughters donated relevant parts of his photographic collection to the Alaska State Museum.

Here, captured in video is the Historic Goldfield Mining Town Exhibit Featured at the Nevada State Museum

Link to the Goldfield Mining Town Exhibit:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DLgZejQMCbA

2. Nevada has a State Fossil, the earth's largest Ichthyosaurus species, the Shonisaurus Popularis, which is only found in the Shoshone Mountains of central Nevada. This fish-lizard co-existed with the dinosaurs in the Mesozoic Period and grew to 50 feet long and 35 tons:

3. The museum houses a cast of a 50 year old Imperial Mammoth from 17,000 years ago which was found intact in a Nevada desert as well as a large Ice-Age horse from 25,000 years ago in the vicinity of Pyramid Lake that was also found intact. Both animals died from being unable to escape slippery mud:

4. 365 million years ago Nevada was a floor of the Devonian Sea where the big fish Eustenopteron that breathed with lungs swam:

5. 850 of the world's 3,500 known minerals can be found in Nevada and much of Nevada's history is tied to mining with its becoming a State largely a consequence of the massive amounts of silver from the Comstock Lode. Today Nevada is the 3rd largest producer of gold in the world and the only source of lithium in the US.:

6. Precious opal can be found in petrified wood. This piece of petrified wood found in Nevada with its included opal was from the 1930s and was an original exhibit of the museum:

7. Mormon Settlers established the first non-Indian settlements in Nevada when most of Nevada was still part of the Utah Territory. The first was Mormon Station in 1851 which is now Genoa. Even Las Vegas was originally Mormon Mission as established in 1855:

8. A piece of the burned deck of the USS Nevada as it was burned at Pearl Harbor is on display:

9. The Mountain Howitzer Canon of 1835 with its compact size had shells that would explode at 1000 feet. The canon served early Nevada forts such as Fort Churchill:

10. The Territory of Nevada, formed in 1861, changed it size by adding territory in 1862, 1866, and again in 1867.

TomB

Great post! Thank you.

lermish

Some pics from my last visit:

oldabeintx

Thank you for posting these interesting facts and displays. I love that part of the world.

1northcoin

@lermish said:
Some pics from my last visit:

Excellent additions, thanks! I have always found It difficult to get a non-reflective photo of both portions together of the Norm Biltz coin collection as located behind the vault's bars there adjacent to the room that houses Coin Press #1.

Also nice exterior shot of the original Carson City Mint Building. There once hung a bell above the entry and even today one can see the holes above the entryway from which the ropes hung for ringing of the bell to signal the end of the work day.

Here is another exhibit in the Carson City Mint building that may be of interest to those with an interest in Indian Motorcycles which were among the first U.S. built motorcycles, circa 1901:

Onastone

Museums are so interesting!!!!
This one is really fascinating....from dinos to dollars!!!!!

1northcoin

Thanks all.

AUandAG

Growing up there, I remember that they had three upstairs rooms of guns. Fascinated me as much as the coins. My favorite was a canoe mounted 4 guage shotgun. Had to be ten feet long. But they had guns of every sort, muskets, tommy's, even a blunderbust. I don't think these have been on display for decades. I often wonder if the Museum still even has them.
Great thread.
Oh, and to add the Nevada motto is the Silver State. The Comstock Lode produced huge amounts of silver, some in veins over 100 feet wide and 20 feet thick. But what people don't realize is the amount of gold almost equaled the amount of silver. Extremely rich and that is why the Mint needed to be near, instead of shipping it over the Sierras to San Francisco.

bob

BLUEJAYWAY

@1northcoin said:

In a recent thread I recounted a recent visit to the Carson City Mint Building which is now a part of the Nevada State Museum in Carson City. Included was a focus upon Coin Press #1 and a close to complete collection of Carson City minted coins minted there. This past week I had an opportunity to return and learn more about Nevada's mining history which was the impetus for the existence of the mint and its coins.

First though, here is a link to the original thread that focused on the minting of coins:

https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/1111970/revisiting-the-carson-city-mint-with-its-coin-collection

Now for the 10 New Things I Learned on my Return Visit:

10 THINGS DISCOVERED AND LEARNED FROM YESTERDAY'S VISIT TO THE NEVADA STATE MUSEUM

1. The museum's Goldfield Mining Town Exhibit includes an Alaska connection as included in the exhibit is a tribute to photographer P.E. Larson who documented life in Goldfield from 1905 to 1908. Apart from the photos on display it is noted that his daughters donated relevant parts of his photographic collection to the Alaska State Museum.

Here, captured in video is the Historic Goldfield Mining Town Exhibit Featured at the Nevada State Museum

Link to the Goldfield Mining Town Exhibit:

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/DLgZejQMCbA

2. Nevada has a State Fossil, the earth's largest Ichthyosaurus species, the Shonisaurus Popularis, which is only found in the Shoshone Mountains of central Nevada. This fish-lizard co-existed with the dinosaurs in the Mesozoic Period and grew to 50 feet long and 35 tons:

3. The museum houses a cast of a 50 year old Imperial Mammoth from 17,000 years ago which was found intact in a Nevada desert as well as a large Ice-Age horse from 25,000 years ago in the vicinity of Pyramid Lake that was also found intact. Both animals died from being unable to escape slippery mud:

4. 365 million years ago Nevada was a floor of the Devonian Sea where the big fish Eustenopteron that breathed with lungs swam:

5. 850 of the world's 3,500 known minerals can be found in Nevada and much of Nevada's history is tied to mining with its becoming a State largely a consequence of the massive amounts of silver from the Comstock Lode. Today Nevada is the 3rd largest producer of gold in the world and the only source of lithium in the US.:

6. Precious opal can be found in petrified wood. This piece of petrified wood found in Nevada with its included opal was from the 1930s and was an original exhibit of the museum:

7. Mormon Settlers established the first non-Indian settlements in Nevada when most of Nevada was still part of the Utah Territory. The first was Mormon Station in 1851 which is now Genoa. Even Las Vegas was originally Mormon Mission as established in 1855:

8. A piece of the burned deck of the USS Nevada as it was burned at Pearl Harbor is on display:

9. The Mountain Howitzer Canon of 1835 with its compact size had shells that would explode at 1000 feet. The canon served early Nevada forts such as Fort Churchill:

10. The Territory of Nevada, formed in 1861, changed it size by adding territory in 1862, 1866, and again in 1867.

Thank you for a most informative historical post. Appreciate the effort.

BLUEJAYWAY

@1northcoin said:

@lermish said:
Some pics from my last visit:

Excellent additions, thanks! I have always found It difficult to get a non-reflective photo of both portions together of the Norm Biltz coin collection as located behind the vault's bars there adjacent to the room that houses Coin Press #1.

Also nice exterior shot of the original Carson City Mint Building. There once hung a bell above the entry and even today one can see the holes above the entryway from which the ropes hung for ringing of the bell to signal the end of the work day.

Here is another exhibit in the Carson City Mint building that may be of interest to those with an interest in Indian Motorcycles which were among the first U.S. built motorcycles, circa 1901:

In one picture of the red Indian,above and in the upper left corner is a propeller. Was this just an outboard motor or a whole boat on display.

1northcoin

@BLUEJAYWAY said:

@1northcoin said:

@lermish said:
Some pics from my last visit:

Excellent additions, thanks! I have always found It difficult to get a non-reflective photo of both portions together of the Norm Biltz coin collection as located behind the vault's bars there adjacent to the room that houses Coin Press #1.

Also nice exterior shot of the original Carson City Mint Building. There once hung a bell above the entry and even today one can see the holes above the entryway from which the ropes hung for ringing of the bell to signal the end of the work day.

Here is another exhibit in the Carson City Mint building that may be of interest to those with an interest in Indian Motorcycles which were among the first U.S. built motorcycles, circa 1901:

In one picture of the red Indian,above and in the upper left corner is a propeller. Was this just an outboard motor or a whole boat on display.

Good eye and great question. I went back and tried to see if I could find a photo that showed better the propeller to see how it was displayed. Here are the two best photos I could find from my multiple visits to the Nevada State Museum over the years. (To directly answer the question, I don't recall seeing the propeller attached to a boat, but then my attention was never directed that high up so it is possible.)

At least it can be confirmed that the propeller is a part of a 1927 Super Elto outboard motor which was manufactured in Milwaukee. The company promoted their outboard motor as a "Speedster." Presumably it plied either the waters off the Nevada shore of Lake Tahoe and/or the Colorado River waters in Nevada either prior to or after the 1931 Boulder/Hoover Dam was built.

1northcoin

@AUandAG said:
Growing up there, I remember that they had three upstairs rooms of guns. Fascinated me as much as the coins. My favorite was a canoe mounted 4 guage shotgun. Had to be ten feet long. But they had guns of every sort, muskets, tommy's, even a blunderbust. I don't think these have been on display for decades. I often wonder if the Museum still even has them.
Great thread.
Oh, and to add the Nevada motto is the Silver State. The Comstock Lode produced huge amounts of silver, some in veins over 100 feet wide and 20 feet thick. But what people don't realize is the amount of gold almost equaled the amount of silver. Extremely rich and that is why the Mint needed to be near, instead of shipping it over the Sierras to San Francisco.

bob

I don't recall seeing that canoe mounted shotgun still on display, but the blunderbust is still there.

BLUEJAYWAY

@1northcoin said:

@BLUEJAYWAY said:

@1northcoin said:

@lermish said:
Some pics from my last visit:

Excellent additions, thanks! I have always found It difficult to get a non-reflective photo of both portions together of the Norm Biltz coin collection as located behind the vault's bars there adjacent to the room that houses Coin Press #1.

Also nice exterior shot of the original Carson City Mint Building. There once hung a bell above the entry and even today one can see the holes above the entryway from which the ropes hung for ringing of the bell to signal the end of the work day.

Here is another exhibit in the Carson City Mint building that may be of interest to those with an interest in Indian Motorcycles which were among the first U.S. built motorcycles, circa 1901:

In one picture of the red Indian,above and in the upper left corner is a propeller. Was this just an outboard motor or a whole boat on display.

Good eye and great question. I went back and tried to see if I could find a photo that showed better the propeller to see how it was displayed. Here are the two best photos I could find from my multiple visits to the Nevada State Museum over the years. (To directly answer the question, I don't recall seeing the propeller attached to a boat, but then my attention was never directed that high up so it is possible.)

At least it can be confirmed that the propeller is a part of a 1927 Super Elto outboard motor which was manufactured in Milwaukee. The company promoted their outboard motor as a "Speedster." Presumably it plied either the waters off the Nevada shore of Lake Tahoe and/or the Colorado River waters in Nevada either prior to or after the 1931 Boulder/Hoover Dam was built.

Thanks for the follow up.