Bowers Mansion
Washoe County, Washoe County, Nevada
Marker Inscription
Bowers Mansion. BUILT— 1864 RESTORED —1967 Bowers Mansion recalls the wealth of the Comstock Bonanza. Lemuel S. “Sandy” & Eilley Orrum Bowers were probably the first millionaires produced by the famous find in Gold Canyon. As strangers, they had adjoining claims. After a rich vein was struck, they were soon married and had this mansion built.Misfortune followed fortune and soon all was lost. The richness of their vein gave out, a new mill was destroyed, financiers balked, and then Sandy died in 1868. Maneuvering to make the property self sustaining, Eilley struggled on. Finally, in 1878, she lost the property by foreclosure to Myron C. Lake. After that, the properly had a succession of owners including Henry Ritter, who managed it as popular resort from 1903 to 1946. Eilley Orrum Bowers died in poverty and unwittingly, she and Sandy left a legacy to Nevada.
Erected by Bowers Mansion Restoration Committee
The Story
Bowers Mansion, built in 1864, stands as a monument to the sudden riches of the Comstock Lode. Lemuel "Sandy" Bowers and Eilley Orrum, whose adjoining Gold Canyon claims struck a rich vein, married and became likely the first millionaires the great find produced, raising this house on their new fortune. But misfortune chased fortune: the vein gave out, a mill was destroyed, Sandy died in 1868, and Eilley finally lost the property to foreclosure in 1878, dying in poverty even as the mansion lived on as a popular resort.
Why it matters
The Bowerses' dizzying rise and fall is the human face of the Comstock Bonanza, showing how fabulous mining wealth could be won and lost within a single lifetime.
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Related people
- · Lemuel "Sandy" Bowers
- · Eilley Orrum Bowers
- · Myron C. Lake
- · Henry Ritter
Related events
- · Comstock Lode
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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