Bennettville's Boom and Bust
Opening the Heart
of the Wilderness
The Rush Is On
In 1874, a young shepherd came across a rusty pick and shovel. Next to them
was an old tin can wedged in the rocks. The boy had re-discovered the
"thundering big silver ledge" of Tioga Hill. The hill's rich silver vein drew a
rush of miners and gave rise to the town of Bennettville.
A City of 50,000 People on Tioga Pass?
Bennettville was named for Thomas Bennett, Jr., president
of the Great Sierra Silver Mining Company. Although the
company boasted about the richness of the strike,
Bennettville never reached its dream of becoming a city.
The company spent $300,000 on the mining claim, yet it
returned nothing to its shareholders. Imagine what this area
would be like today if the dreams of those early miners
had panned out.
