The Devastating Fire of July 6, 1923
The fire of July 6, 1923 completely destroyed the Main St. area,
a total of about 25 blocks. The fire started in the house of T.
C. Rea, immediately south of the Brown Parker Garage at 6:40
a.m. It is generally believed a liquor still in Rea’s house had
exploded. The Fire Chief, I. N. Galliac, believed it was the
result of a bootleggers feud.
Two lives were lost during the
fire. One was John Duryer, janitor at the National Hotel
(formerly known as the First National Bank Building). Mr. Duryer
was last seen alive on the roof of the hotel. The second victim
was David D. McArthur, a shoemaker located at the intersection
of North Main and Broadway. Mr. McArthur died of a heart attack
while watching helplessly as his store burned. After the fire,
Goldfield would never again resemble the great town that it once
was.
Another devastating fire, was the fire of September 29, 1924,
that destroyed the Goldfield News Building and the Montezuma
Club, pictured above. Goldfield, Nevada, once a busy bustling
town which commanded so much political and economic power
throughout the
state, today, is but a whisper of its former self.
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If you have an interest in research of the history or genealogy of Esmeralda County please contact the Central Nevada Museum at cnmuseum@citlink.net |
The History of Goldfield |
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