Thompson's Opera House Sings Again

The Historic Pioche Nearby Pioche Mining Town Walking and Birding Community of Pioche Driving Tour Adventures Services Page 3 Page 4 Page 8 Page 16 TREASURE HILL CHRONICLES p i o c h e t h e n a n d n o w EE! FRe Thompson’sOpera TakOne. House sings again The Thompson Opera House in Pioche, Nevada has a rich history, as does the town of Pioche.The building, located on Main Street just down the hill from the current Over- land Hotel, started out its life known as Brown’s Hall. In February of 1873, Mr.Aleck Brown of Pioche, announced that he planned to build a two-story building and that the upper story would be a Pioche in the 1930s taken from Lime Hill public hall – “something greatly needed in Pioche” as commented by the newspa- Welcome to our town.Before you set out to explore the per. ByApril of that year, the town and its surroundings, take the time to browse through this informative paper announced that the wholesale and retail undershirt. A white froth covered his mouth little paper. You will find a tour of the uptown historic district and a brief liquor store of Aleck Brown has been moved and an empty bottle of Laudanum (opium to his new building, “where he will be pleased based painkiller) was on the table. He had suc- overview of life in a boomtown mining camp miles from mainstream America to meet with his customers new and old.” cumbed to two days of drinking along with that is in stark contrast to the present day village. We are surrounded with what Two days later, on April 26th, the new Aleck the Laudanum leaving a note saying, “I test is probably our biggest asset, the natural World of the high desert of southeastern Brown’s Hall hosted the Odd Fellows Ball. It the problem”. He was buried at Boot Hill pos- was the grandest ball ever held in Pioche. A sibly as the 196th “guest.” Nevada. You don’t have to venture far from town to find nearly endless public newspaper of the time stated the new hall was, Mr. Arthur S. Thompson purchased lands, spectacular state parks, the Silver State ATV Trail, the Mt. Wilson Back- “ a large and elegantly furnished hall and was Brown’s Hall in September of 1891 and country Byway and plentiful wildlife. For those that want to stay a while, our crowded with joyous participants. The music started overhauling the inside and out accord- was exquisite and the supper could not have ing to a newspaper of the time. By April of businesses are advertising their services and for those that might be tempted to been surpassed.” Brown’s Hall competed 1892 the renovation was complete in the up- permanently join us for a more laid-back lifestyle, we have included a relocation with a couple of other halls in the early days stairs part of the building that housed the hall, section with a listing of community services, fees, etc. Lastly, we have included of Pioche: hosting theater events, lectures, va- with a new stage and floor. A newspaper of riety shows and dances (balls). the time stated the “new set and stage a bibliography for further reading and internet browsing. On September 16th of 1873, Brown’s scenery,” was included in the renovation, “at Hall, became Brown’s Theatre as it held it’s that time for the benefit and amusement of the Grand Opening presenting the comedy of loving people of Pioche.” On April 14th the Pygmalion and Galatea staring Miss Sallie paper states that “The building on Main Street Hinckley and Mr.PierpontThayer.On the fol- for so long known as Brown’s Hall is re- lowing night, the two were again scheduled named and hereafter will be known as to do The Fortunes of a Poor Young Man but Thompson’s Opera House.” Various per- a substitute stood in for Mr.Thayer.Later that formances and events were held at the newly night, at about eleven in the evening, a con- renovated “Thompson’s” to close out the versation was interrupted at the lodging house nineteenth century with seats going for 50 where Mr. Pierpont Thayer was staying, by cents and 25 cents extra for reserved seats. what sounded like a moan. Upon investigat- In January of 1893, an advertisement in the ing, the party discovered that the sound came paper stated that A. S. Thompson had built a Pioche in 1870 before the big fire Pioche in 2009 taken from Lime Hill from Mr. Thayer’s room. When they went store in the downstairs part of the building be- This publication was made possible with a grant from the Nevada Commission on Tourism and funds from the into the room to check, they found Mr.Thayer neathThompson’sOperaHouseonMainStreet, Lincoln County Room Tax Board. lying on the floor undressed, except for his Continued on page 11 2 p i o c h e t h e n a n d n o w wealth. People in all walks of life are said to Temescal Canyon, between Elsinore and Co- The Strange Story of have entrusted their money to him, and when rona, which had been discovered in 1857. he returned to San Francisco, he had six mil- The mines, located on the western edge of lion dollars to invest. Rancho El Sobrante de San Diego, did not Pioche envisioned a great city at the add to Pioche’s wealth: in later years an Eng- Golden Gate, although San Francisco then lish syndicate lost $2,000,000 in an unsuc- was only a few thousand population, clustered cessful effort to profit by tin mining. around the old harbor section. So he pur- Pioche as a wealthy merchant, living in chased the San Miguel Rancho, a great land grand estate and entertaining lavishly at his . grant confirmed in the name of Jose de Jesus several residences in the San Francisco Bay Noe, and lying southward from the harbor, region, is the picture he left in Northern Cali- FLA down the peninsula, as well as Hayes Valley fornia. But as an unusually large investor in and Visitacion Valley – all in the direction he Southern California ranch lands, very little is believed the future great metropolis would known of him except the scanty records of grow. Pioche again visited France, and al- deeds and transfers in early San Diego and by Philip S. Rush though the depression of the 50s had some- LosAngeles counties. It is quite evident, how- ever, that he had a great interest in the South- Of the many queer Montgomery, where Pioche established a what curtailed his earning, he continued to PIOCHE land, and that either he is penchant for buying actors who strutted store in February 1850. expand his interest, particularly in the early up Mexican land grants in the south, or Don across the stage in Francois Louis Alfred Pioche was born at Sacramento Valley Railway and the old San Juan Forster was a super real estate salesman the dreams and St. Dizier,France in 1818, the son of a well-to- Francisco Gas Works. Then, because his land who found in him a mighty good customer. tragedies of early holdings on the outskirts of the city were dor- do French business man. Although educated In Deed Record Vol. 1. Pg. 72 San Diego California, there mant, he built the first Market Street railway, as a lawyer, he received an appointment to a County, there is recorded a deed from Juan was no stranger opened new home sites for the bulging city, clerkship in Le Ministere de Finance. In 1841 Forster to J.B. Bayerque, covering Rancho de figure than Fran- and sold his acreage at enormous profits. an uncle, M. Ferrand, left him an estate of a la Nacion and Rancho San Felipe, for a con- cois Louis Alfred He ventured in mining as an owner/opera- hundred thousand francs, most of which Pi- sideration of $25,000. The deed bears date of Pioche. tor, and became one of the principals of the oche soon lost in extravagant living and in un- Sept. 22, 1850, which was about nine months He rose from rich new mines developing 215 miles east of wise stock speculations.When near the end of after Pioche and Bayerque landed in Califor- comparative obscurity to great prominence, Tonopah, Nevada, at a town named in his his legacy, he sailed for Chile, SouthAmerica nia, and started their San Francisco enter- millions of dollars of other peoples’ money (as did many adventurous European lads in honor, Pioche, Nevada. The settlement soon prises. The San Diego county records also passed through his hands, he became wealthy those days), and soon became a clerk in the outdid Virginia City, Butte and all the other show that Nov. 17, 1857, J.B. Bayerque a great land owner. In the first quarter century French consulate. Later he took employment wild camps, in lawlessness and mining profits. deeded the same property to Romaine Bay- of California statehood he was a power for with the trading house of Roux et Ci, where According to the book, “Gold, Guns and erque, and Oct. 14, 1869, Romaine Bayerque good in the development of the land. He was the bookkeeper was J.B. Bayerque, and the Ghost Towns,” one Pioche mine paid thirteen deeded Rancho de la Nacion to Pioche for certainly gifted with the touch of Midas. Yet, two formed a personal and business friendship million dollars in dividends in a few years, and $20,000.

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