DIVIDE
(Divide City)(Gold Mountain)(Sigold)
Gold deposits were discovered at Gold Mountain, just south of Tonopah, on September 8, 1901 by C. Runge and Richard Roschl (sometimes referred to as Rochelle). In 1902, the Tonopah Gold Mountain Mining Company bought the claims. Jim Butler, founder of Tonopah was company president. However, not much more than leasing activity took place for the next 10 years. In 1910, George Wingfield and H.C. Brougher formed the Tonopah Divide Mining Company and gained control of the old claims. The first serious mining in the district began.
A small camp, Gold Mountain, developed on the west side of Gold Mountain, which contained a number of saloons and a general store. Population was steady at around 50 and most were the miners for the Tonopah Divide company. The close proximity to Tonopah, only a few miles away, kept the camp from becoming a bona-fide town. During 1916, a new camp began to develop on the east side of the mountain and was called Divide City. Being in the wind shield of the mountain, Divide quickly attracted the remaining residents of Gold Mountain, which emptied rapidly. Brougher had a new strike in April 1917 which started a boom in the district.
Divide City soon had a hotel, lumberyard and a number of saloons and stores. Electricity arrived at the Tonopah Divide mine in September 1918. An official townsite was laid out with inside lots costing $100 and corner lots $250. One hundred lots were sold very quickly and a 35-room hotel was built. The townsite was owned by John Miller, Zeb Kendall and Clyde Johnson. A newspaper, the Divide City Times, began publication on March 29 primarily as a promotional tool for the townsite owners. Frank Garside, owner and publisher of the Tonopah Times, ran the paper. A subscription cost $3.50 a year. After the name Divide was rejected by the postal service, a post office named Sigold opened on August 8 in the Divide Mercantile store. Harold Drew served as postmaster. Water for the booming camp was hauled in from Tonopah.
The mining frenzy that developed during 1919 was incredible with more than 350 mining companies being formed. However, many were paper companies and stock scams. Out of all these companies, only twelve ever actually produced any ore. Those companies were: Belcher Extension Divide (A. Walz, president), Brougher Divide (E.B. Brougher), Divide Extension (Zeb Kendall), Gold Zone Divide (W. Farman), Tonopah Hasbrouck (A.A. Busey), New Alto Divide (J. Mayer), New Sutherland Divide (C.R. Evans), Tonopah Dividend (E.P. Cullinan), Florence Divide, Golden State Divide, Knox Divide and Tonopah Divide.
However, the expiration of the Pittman Silver Act in 1920 virtually stopped all mining and Divide City died a quick death. Its population dropped from a peak of 440 in early 1920 to only about 25 by summer. The post office closed on May 15 but by that time, all the businesses had closed and once again, the only residents were the miners at the only active mine, the Tonopah Divide.
The Tonopah Divide was a solid producer until the late 1940s. The peak year was 1922 when $552,000 was mined. The company produced 2.8 million out of the 4.2 million mined from the district. After the Tonopah Divide company stopped active mining, it leased its property to a series of leasers but after 1950, there wasn’t any production until the Falcon Explorations Company began working the mine in 1980. A work force of 40 was employed in re-opening the mine. However, efforts ceased in a couple of years. Beginning in 1992, the Corona Gold Company leased the mine from the still existing Tonopah Divide Mining Company. Today, there still is exploration taking place and the mine is private property and off-limits.
The Divide district is an interesting place to explore. Unfortunately, as late as the 1980s, there were a number of head frames remaining but they fell victim to destructive teenagers who burned them one by one. None are left today. There are numerous mines around the area but not much remains but the dumps. At the two townsites, there aren’t any buildings left, only foundations and rubble mark the sites.