The Mohawk mine and mining facilities, Goldfield, Nevada, ca.1905

Photograph of the Mohawk mine and mining facilities, Goldfield, Nevada, ca.1905. Several mine shaft contraption, used for raising and lowering miners into the mine and for extracting ore, can be seen jutting above the land throughout the area. The buildings surrounding them are mills, boarding houses, cabins, storage houses, or other mining buildings. Several inactive railroad cars stand dormant on one of the several railroad tracks that go through this mining facility. A horse-drawn carriage and its driver are preparing to travel up a hill towards the mining facilities (foreground). Wheel tracks streak the ground. Legible signs include: "Mohawk", "best on earth, A1 [...]", "T. & N.O., 9826, 33FT [...] inside AP 50,000 [...] WT, LPS.", "B. & O., 136, 257 [...]", "BAL, TIM, CRE, & O. [...]", "O.S.L., 4737".; "In 1902 gold was discovered in the hills near Tonopah, Nevada. Soon a few tents dotted the barren hills among the Joshua trees, and the boomtown of Goldfield was born. In 1903 only 36 people lived in the new town. By 1908 Goldfield was Nevada's largest city, with over 25,000 inhabitants. Along with the influx of miners and businessmen, came the labor unions. The Western Federation of Miners, the Industrial Workers of the World and the American Federation of Labor all vied for power in the region. During the early years, the unions were able to control wages and working hours. But in November, 1906, the Goldfield Consolidated Mines Company was incorporated by owners George Wingfield and United States Senator George Nixon, signaling the beginning of monopoly control in Goldfield, and the start of an adversarial relationship between mine owners and the unions." -- unknown author