Tonopah’s Raycraft house & a shootout in the Pine Nut Mountains 

Tonopah’s Raycraft House

Overlooking Tonopah on Stewart Street is the beautiful stone Raycraft house.  Built by Arthur Raycraft in 1906, it is known for two Queen Ann turrets with domed roofs, columns, and windows with diamond-shaped glass panes.  

Raycraft moved to Tonopah in 1904 during the town’s boom after he was appointed to the Nye and Ormsby County Bank branch there. He worked as a bank cashier until 1907, when he sold his house and moved following the economic panic.  

Arthur was a well-respected businessman and the father of wireless in Nevada. But, he also had a colorful past in Carson Valley, including a good old-fashioned shoot-out at his Buckeye Mine.

Father of Wireless in Nevada

The Manhattan Dexter Mining Co. Appointed Raycraft president and general manager. During his tenure, he installed the first wireless telegraph system in 1909, making him the “Father of Wireless in Nevada.”  

Buckeye Placer Mine

Driving around Tonopah, I found the beautifully maintained historic home and the plaque saying Arthur Raycraft built it. Wait, I recognized the name Arthur Raycraft, not as a distinguished Tonopah businessman but as a Carson Valley miner involved in a shoot-out. And in tradition with “Cousin Valley,” the local nickname for Carson Valley, Raycraft is a distant relative of my Husband’s family.

 In 1892, twelve years before moving to Tonopah, Raycraft lived in Carson Valley.  Along with his brothers, Raycraft prospected the Pine Nut Valley, east of Carson Valley and discovered “good color.”  

On April 18, the Raycraft brothers filed claims for mineral and water rights at the county seat in Genoa. They named the mine the Buckeye Placer Mine and worked the claim as a family.  

Word of the Raycraft’s discovery grew, and by August, there were 28 mining claims in the area. The Raycraft brothers owned several claims, including the Buckeye Placer and Black Horse Mines. Adequate water plagued the brothers, so they filed claims on water from nearby Mt. Como. The Raycraft brothers worked the claims seasonally as water permitted. In the off-season, they ran a stage line and various businesses in Genoa. They also explored methods to save enough snow melt in the spring to carry them through the dry summers. 

War at Buckeye

Conflict was inevitable with a large number of mining claims in the valley. Peter Milich purchased an interest in the Coal Pit claim bordering Raycraft’s Black Horse Mine. Milich constructed a small cabin in 1892-1893. The Raycraft brothers destroyed it, claiming it was on their property. Multiple disputes occurred over the next few months, including over boundary lines and the Raycrafts preventing Milich from accessing his water rights. 

On May 20, 1893, Milich and an associate approached the Raycraft cabin at the Black Horse Mine. Arthur Raycraft was home ill and ordered the pair multiple times to vacate his property. Milich opened fire with his rifle, and Raycraft returned fire. Neither man was hit, and Raycraft retreated into the cabin and fled out the back along with his Chinese cook. 

Hearing gunfire, Tom Raycraft returned from moving sluice boxes. The brothers fled to Carson Valley and notified Sheriff McCormick of the incident. Warrants for assault with intent to kill were issued for Milich and his associates. They were arrested the next day and held in the Genoa County Jail. Judge Dake dismissed the case two weeks after hearing evidence, as there were no injuries.  

The cartridge below was discovered by an old timer at the Buckeye Mine. It is impossible to know if it was used in the shooting, but it is consistent with the Winchesters used in the shoot-out.

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References

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