Chalk Mountain
Since the early days of the Comstock, mineral deposits were known to exist at Chalk Mountain, but perhaps the earliest to actually work them was "Dutch Fred" Wahnschaff in 1877. He reportedly produced some 10 tons of silver-lead ore, worth $150/ton. Some other minor work was done up to and around the turn of the century. In 1906, J.H. Wilson of Hazen incorporated the Corinthian Mining Company and began new development on the southeastern flank of the mountain, further sinking an earlier shaft to 130 feet. That company attempted to plat its own new townsite, called Corinth, during the middle part of 1906, but apparently it never came into fruition and in 1908 those claims were acquired by the Minnesota-Nevada Investment Company.
Things were quiet at Chalk Mountain until after 1920, with the formation of the Chalk Mountain Silver Lead Mines Co. by E.M. Dawes, who uncovered more extensive deposits and began development. Most production occurred between 1923 and 1929, and by 1927, fifty-one cars of ore had been shipped estimated at over $127,000. In 1929, a new 50-ton mill was erected to recover vanadium found in the mine, but it soon failed and was sold the next year. Operations were suspended at that time, and that mine has only been worked intermittently by lessees since.
