Douganville
(Granite)
Prospectors Jack Hughes and J.H. Hatterly discovered rich gold ore in 1922, leading to the formation of a small camp called Granite. Soon they sold their claims to the owners of the Betty O'Neal Mine in Lander County for $150,000. Other claims were located nearby, including the Silver Leaf and Black Reef owned by the Brohilco Silver Corporation of Broken Hills. That corporation set up another townsite called Brohilco, complete with a boarding house and cookhouse. Ore quickly ran out, though, and both Granite and Brohilco were abandoned by the end of 1923.
In May 1945, tungsten ore was discovered near the old Granite townsite by Albert Brown, William Sovy, and John Sutherland, and the Victory Mine was located. Shortly thereafter, it was purchased by the newly-formed Gabbs Exploration Company, organized by James Dougan and Associates of Salt Lake City. Meanwhile, the adjacent Kay Cooper mine was located by Carl Cooper and Pete Peterson, and in 1949 it too was purchased by that Company. In 1951, a mill was erected at Gabbs to treat ore from the mines. By 1953, the mines were being worked by the Nevada Pacific Development Corporation, and in 1955 a small camp called 'Douganville' was completed in 1955. About thirty-five men were employed around this time, but high cost of labor brought the property to a close in 1958.
