
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.
Another devastating fire, was the fire of September 29, 1924, that destroyed the Goldfield News Building and the Montezuma Club, pictured at right. 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.