The birth of the great Territorial Enterprise
In the middle of nowhere, a small place called Genoa in the future state of Nevada, a newspaper was born that would give rise to stories, hoaxes - and Mark Twain.
Quintus Hopper of Nevada, published in January 2022, is a historical novel that follows the epic and peculiar life of a frontier newspaper typesetter. As part of my research I made extensive use of newspaper archives and, in this series, I’ll share some of my often surprising findings. Here are history, commentaries and contemporary newspaper articles as they relate to my latest novel. This time, a look at the Territorial Enterprise.
Below article in the Sacramento Daily Union is really just a brief note – and yet it marked the beginning of the grand operation that would be the Territorial Enterprise. The Enterprise started out in Genoa (renamed from “Mormon Station,” then moved to Carson City, and soon afterwards to Virginia City, where it would experience its meteoric rise in the company of some of the best newspapermen in the history of frontier journalism. In the novel, Quintus lends his typesetting talents to the new paper from its first edition. And, through his employment there, he meets the inimitable Joseph Goodman, Dan De Quille and, of course, Sam Clemens - who would soon become known by his nom de plume Mark Twain.
September 30, 1858
Sacramento Daily Union, Sacramento
“THE TERRITORIAL ENTERPRISE.” – This is the title of a weekly, proposed to be issued early in November, by W. L. Jernegan and Alfred James, at Carson City. It will advocate the erection of a new Territorial Government.
The next article comes from that very same Territorial Enterprise - it had begun its printing operations under harsh conditions and in this 1859 article reports on the weariness of miners, as well as highlights the dire conditions for American Indians at the time. Settlers and miners had made life difficult for them ever since the beginning of the California gold rush. But then, most of them had just trampled through their lands and took as much game as they could, before moving on to California. Ten years later, gold in California was no longer easily forthcoming, and more and more of the miners and settlers remained on the Nevada side of the mountains. They took the land, they took the timber (from the pine nut groves essential to the Indians), and they took the game. The Indian way had been to hunt before the cold season and to stockpile as much food as possible to survive the harsh winters. Because of white man, they had no longer been able to stockpile. Bands were starving and many would not survive the particularly cold winter that year. The plight was recognized, as the article shows. And to keep the Northern Paiute, Washoe and Shoshone peaceful, clothing and flour was distributed – it wasn’t anywhere near enough. In the novel, Quintus becomes friends with Sarah Winnemucca, daughter of Northern Paiute Chief Winnemucca and, through her, learns the truth beyond the reports in the newspapers.
The article is special for another reason. It depicts a time when Carson Valley was, all things considered, still the very opposite of bustling California. Only one month later, however, a few miners discovered the Comstock Lode – which began the next mad rush. The wealth of the Comstock Lode – its discovery a key part in the novel – had vast implications. It led to the expedited statehood of Nevada, gave the Union the funds to keep fighting and eventually winning the Civil War, brought thousands upon thousands of people to Nevada, gave birth to Virginia City – and, with all of that, made life for Indians ever more of a challenge with starvation, white men’s diseases and warfare.
One additional note: There’s a mention of a ‘Lake Bigler.’ John Bigler was not only California’s third governor, he was also a Confederate sympathizer. Before long, Unionists fought to remove his name from the lake – it became known as Lake Tahoe instead.
January 1, 1859
Territorial Enterprise, Genoa
At Gold Canyon the miners are becoming exceedingly weary waiting for water, which is the great desideratum in all mining operations. Rose’s new ditch is ready to receive the water from Carson river, but until the weather moderates it is useless.
The Indians at Pyramid Lake are all peaceable at present; all they ask is something eat. Major Dodge has given clothing or flour to over 4,000 Indians since he assumed the duties of his agency, and has traveled the entire country from the source of Carson river to its sink, and from Lake Bigler down the Truckee river to Pyramid and Mud Lakes, and from the head waters of the Humboldt to its sink. He has yet to traverse Walker’s and New rivers, southeast from here, and the McNemany river, north of Honey Lake. The Major found more Indians on Carson river and lake than on any other, having seen on that river along 2.035 Pyutes and 342 Washoes. On the Truckee river he saw 930 Pyutes; on Pyramid and Mud Lakes, 620. He estimates the Indians on the Humboldt at 800 Pyutes and 400 Shoshones.