Please remember to exercise caution when exploring Nevada's Ghost Towns & Mining Camps. Open shafts, drifts going into mountainsides, and old buildings, are all DANGEROUS. Be aware of your surroundings, and let someone know where you are, especially if your plans change.

 

Egan Canyon (Gold Canyon)

DIRECTIONS: From Cherry Creek, head south on poor road for 5 miles to Egan. The Pony Express site is located at the west end of the canyon, in a small open area.

"Egan Canyon was the site of a Pony Express station and later served as a stop on the Overland Stage. As early as 1859, the canyon had been used for the Chorpenning mail service. The station was named after Howard Egan, overseer of the Pony Express line in the area. Egan Canyon was constantly plagued by Indian attacks, the most serious of which was the so-called Battle of Egan Canyon.

On the 16th of July, 1860, the only men at Egan Canyon station were Mike Holten, stationkeeper, and Wilson, rider, who took the Express from Will Dennis who had my ride from Ruby east, and carried it to Schell Creek. The soldiers had left and the other three employees of the Express Company who had been there for a month past, were sent to work on other portions of the route, as we all supposed the Indian war was over. But on the day referred to, about 80 of the renegade (Indians), who had fought under Leatherhead, in all their war paint, rode through Egan Canyon up to the station and demanded of the boys, flour, bacon and sugar. The boy handed out the provisions knowing it would not do to refuse. Mike then started out to gather the Express horses up and put them in the stockade corral, but one big Indian, who could talk some English, told Mike to go in the house, that the Indians would take care of the horses and them too after they had their feast.
Holten and Wilson were brave men, well armed and expecting to be massacred by the (Indians) after powwow was over, closed up their door and barricaded the only door and window they had in the log cabin with grain sacks, leaving a few chink holes to shoot through, determined to sell their lives dearly as possible. It was a trying time for those two men, but they had nerves of steel and expected to make several reds bite the dust before they lost their hair. They knew that it would soon be time for Dennis, the Pony rider from the west, to arrive and they thought as he did not show up that the Indians must have waylaid him and killed him, but such was not the case.
After Dennis came through Nipcut Canyon, which was steep and rocky, he rode fast with the Express until he came even with the knoll (behind the station), when he pulled up his horse for a moment to get his wind, as we usually would let our horse walk until we came in sight of the station. Dennis caught sight of the Indians before they saw him. He comprehended the situation instantly and whirled his horse out of sight of the redskins. He passed the soldiers who were on the road to Camp Floyd, about 5 miles back, so he rode as fast as possible to the command and informed Lt. Weed of the situation, who immediately started for Egan Canyon with 60 dragoons. The rode fast until they got to the knoll.
Orders were then given to Corporal Mitchell to take 20 men and go to the mouth of Egan Canyon and cut off the retreat of the (Indians), but in the excitement of the moment Mitchell got his orders mixed up and instead of going to the mouth of the canyon, he led his men around the east side of the knoll and charged the Indians. As soon as Lt. Weed heard the shooting he rode around the west side of the knoll and charged right into the fight.
When Holten and Wilson saw they were about to be rescued they did rapid shooting themselves. The fight was soon over; 18 Indians fell to rise no more, and the rest of the (Indians) made their escape through the canyon. Had Corporal Mitchell not made any blunder the whole band of (Indians) would have been killed. The soldiers got 60 of the Indians' horses; three soldiers were killed and several wounded, Corporal Mitchell receiving 3 shots, one through the back. He recovered from his wounds, but died about 6 months afterwards.
After that battle the Indians sued for peace, but did not keep it, as they committed many murders on the road after that and during the next summer.

The Indians returned in October, bent on revenge, and burned the station, killing the station tender. After the Pony Express folded, the Overland Stage incorporated Egan Canyon into its route. The first station tender was Dan Salisbury, who was paid $50 per month in gold for his services. The cabin he worked in was furnished with a stove, cooking utensils, prepared flour, and bacon, all brought by the stage company. Salisbury employed two assistants, a hostler to care for the horses and change the teams and an Indian to grease and clean the harnesses. Indians, now peaceful, constantly visited the station, looking for free handouts.

Gold was discovered by a Captain Tober and Company C of Fort Ruby in September 1863. A mining district was organized on September 23, and the camp of Egan Canyon began to boom. Among the early producers were the Gilligan (discovered by John O'Dougherty on February 25, 1864), Hope (October 3, 1863), Gold Canyon (September 29, 1863), and Jenny Lind (initial assays of $3,500 per ton) mines. The Social Mining Company and the Steptoe Mining Company became active in Egan Canyon during late 1863 and were the two main producers in the district. Social Mining built a 5-stamp mill, which began production in October 1864. The mill had five 650-pound stamps, three Varney pans, two settlers, and a capacity of 5 tons a day. Before the mill closed in 1868 it produced $80,000. By fall 1865 two other mills were in operation: the 5-stamp Rose and the 10-stamp Stephen, built by Steptoe. By 1866 Egan had become a small town, with stores, a school, residences, and a post office that opened on April 13. During 1866 the Stephen Mill was expanded to 20 stamps and renamed the Social and Steptoe. The two mining companies merged, becoming the Social and Steptoe Mining Company. The company employed more than 100 men to work the mines and mill, cut wood for the mill, and make equipment in the company's three blacksmith shops. The mill closed in May 1870, and the mines followed suit in July.

Egan Canyon was revived in 1872 when a General Rosecrans reopened several mines. Rosecrans and Bart O'Connor organized the San Jose Mining Company, and construction was begun on a new 20-stamp mill. The Egan Mill was the first mill in Nevada to run entirely by waterpower. Before the mill was completed, ore from the mines was shipped via the Woodruff and Ennor stage line to Wells. Postmaster Patrick Logan owned most of Egan Canyon's businesses, including the camp's only store, saloon, and boardinghouse. He also owned Egan Canyon's water rights and townsite. Two other small mills joined the Egan Mill during 1873. The 5-stamp Wide West Mill and the 80-ton Exchequer Mill were built. The Wide West was owned by San Jose Mining. At the mill stood an assay office, a two-story mansion that served as the company president's home, and a telegraph office. Rosecrans spent more than $250,000 developing his Egan Canyon holdings during the 1870s. The most important mines in the district included the Gilligan, Jenny Lind, Wide West, San Jose, Centennial, Pine Tree, and Eastern mines. Egan experienced a mining slowdown in the late1870s, and the post office closed on March 19, 1878. Despite the slowdown, the work force consistently exceeded 100 men. In August 1881, 110 were employed, 50 at the Egan Mill. The main vein pinched out in late 1882, and Egan fell on tough times. The San Jose Mining Company folded in 1883 after producing close to $400,000. All mining activity ended by 1885, and only leaseholders worked the districts during the next ten years.
In 1896 the newly organized North Mountain Mining Company purchased the old San Jose holdings. The focus on the company's exploration was the Gilligan claim group. The company enjoyed modest production through the 1920s. In the mid-1920s, the Goshute Mining Company leased the property, but after five years of low production, Goshute left the district. Some additional leasing took place in the late 1930s, and a little over $100,000 was produced. Egan Canyon has been quiet ever since. Remains of the settlement are scattered throughout the canyon. The Pony Express station site and soldier cemetery are located at the western mouth of Egan Canyon. Mill ruins and the Egan townsite are at the eastern mouth. At the station site, faint foundations remain but are covered by thick sagebrush and so are difficult to find. The soldier cemetery is located to the north of the road. Collapsed wooden cabins and mine ruins are scattered along the canyon road. Not much remains of the Egan camp and mills. Some mill foundations are still evident, but the townsite has been obliterated by later leasing activity. The road to both Egan Canyon sites is quite rough, so beware."

 

 

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