What's up guys,
I found myself playing with this silver round today. Silver is always great but a piece with a cool little story behind it is even better. I stumbled across this piece on eBay a few years ago. Sit back relax and enjoy my short history upon this commemorative silver round.
Candelaria had its beginnings way back in the late 1800s when a group European prospectors set up camp there. They were finding silver and the camp quickly turned into a boomtown. The one thing that candelaria didn't have going for them was water. They were dry as a bone! The nearest town with water was 9 miles away and they really only had enough for there town. This drove the price up to an outstanding $1 per gallon. With water being so expensive the stamp mill was forced to operate dry. When a stamp mill runs dry the amount of dust accumulates to very dangerous levels. Many of the mines workers got a condition called miners consumption. Along with that, many of the people in town came down with respitory problems too. In 1882 they were able to resolve these problems because the railroad had been built to run through the town and completed. With the water flowing in by train the town thrived for a decade. They had general stores, lawyers, 2 hotels, many more shops and of course doctors which I'm sure made a good living. All good things usually come to an end for mining towns tho and in 1893 the mines shut down and with them the town. The biggest mine they had was called the Northern Belle and it produced over 15 Million ounces of silver. Fast forward almost 100 years and the Nerco minerals company took over the mine and produced another 10 million+ in the 1980s. Which is why this particular round was made. Today Candelaria stands as a rather well preserved ghost town leaving nothing but the ruins of a forgotten boomtown.
Thanks for having a look and read guys. See you in the comments section and let me know what you guys think. Have a great day.