Description
Book SynopsisCoal, silver, gold. There is something about the allure of hidden treasure that puts a glint in people’s eyes. By gathering such familiar stories as that of Nevada’s infamous Comstock Lode with a succession of lesser-known scandals, Dan Plazak provides an entertaining and informative volume that delightfully investigates the history of mining frauds in the United States from the Civil War to World War I.
Table of Contents
- Table of Contents
- Acknowledgments
- 1. Introduction to Mining Fraud
- 2. The Imaginary Mine of Doctor Gardiner
- 3. The Comstock: Mother Lode of American Mining Swindles
- 4. Snow Job at the Emma Mine
- 5. A Brief History of Diamond-Mining Frauds in America
- 6. Tin Men
- 7. Professor Samuel Aughey: “A First-Class Charlatan”
- 8. Swindle in South Park
- 9. Leadville: A Comstock in the Colorado Rockies
- 10. Tichenor’s Gold: Calistoga Natural Springwater
- 11. Richard Flower: Master Swindler
- 12. Thomas Lawson: Champion of the People
- 13. Aron Beam and His Gold Process
- 14. Golden Sands of the Adirondacks
- 15. Mining Gold from the Sea
- 16. The Spoilers
- 17. Whitaker Wright’s House of Cards
- 18. George Graham Rice’s Adventures with Your Money
- 19. Death Valley Scotty: The Showman as Mine Swindler
- 20. The Literary Life: Julian Hawthorne, Mining Swindler
- 21. Selling the Pure Blue Sky
Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
