Encyclopedia Dubuque
"Encyclopedia Dubuque is the online authority for all things Dubuque, written by the people who know the city best.”
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
BELL GOLD MINING COMPANY
BELL GOLD MINING COMPANY. In 1876 a group of prominent Dubuque residents established a company to mine gold in Plumas County, California. These citizens included Cornelius BAYLIES, J.C. PAINE, and Robert W. STEWART. The property of the Company in Plumas County consisted of approximately seventy-five acres of mining ground. By 1870 three mines had already been discovered and examined. The prospectus stated that experts who examined the mines had said they were worth $150,000.
The company was named for the Bell Ledge which was discovered in California in 1873. According to the prospectus, this ledge was the source of deposits in Betsy's Gulch in which "rich surface deposits of quartz gold have been found in years past." Between 1852 and 1879, the prospectus claimed at least $750,000 had been washed from the ravine.
Note: Research continues on this topic to determine the eventual value of the business.