Dixie
(Marvel)
Southern sympathizers may have arrived as early as 1861 and given rise to a settlement called Dixie while salt was produced on the Humboldt Salt Marsh (also known as Dixie Marsh). This salt was shipped by mule team to Unionville, Virginia City, and other prominent mining districts in the region until 1868. It may have been the first salt mining operation in the state.
In May 1907, word of a silver discovery near the marsh reached Wonder. Soon, Dixie was reborn and by June a townsite was laid out. Soon there were five saloons, two general stores and restaurants, a hotel, assay office, bakery, and a population of 200. By the end of summer, however, the excitement ended and Dixie quickly died.
In 1911 or 12, the camp got another chance at life when French promoters from San Francisco arrived with grand plans to revive it under a new name: 'Marvel'. All work done was promotional, and a group of prospectors in 1913 showed that the deposits were not worthwhile and Marvel was again deserted by 1914.
The final and largest venture, the Dixie Comstock mine, was located in April 1934 by Clyde Garrett and quickly acquired by the Comstock Keystone Mining Company. A year later, a 30-ton amalgamation mill was completed, with flotation equipment added soon thereafter. The Company also erected new buildings at a camp (again called Dixie) to house a crew of fifteen. By 1939, they were reworking the tailings pile, and when the mine finally closed in 1942 some $293,000 in mostly gold with a little silver had been produced.
