Turquoise Bonanza Mine: Field Guide to Ted Johnson's Nevada Turquoise Claims
Part of the Turquoise Mines field guides and The Southwest Jewelry Guide.
Mike Ryan II and Philip Chambless’s 2020 history records the Turquoise Bonanza claims in Nevada, north of the old Moqui-Aztec mine, largely through Ted Johnson’s own account of buying them. Every statement below is quoted or paraphrased from their book, with page numbers, so you can check each one. Their book was published in 2020; anything described as current describes 2020.
The claims and their discovery
According to Ryan & Chambless (2020, p. 117), prospectors Karl W. House and I. Foster Smith located eight claims as the Turquoise Bonanza and Turquoise Bonanza 1-7 between May 18 and October 28, 1944, about two and a half miles north of the older Moqui-Aztec Mine; Morrissey gave 1943, which may be when they began prospecting. [1]
Ted Johnson recalled, in a 1976 Turquoise Annual interview reprinted by Ryan & Chambless (2020, p. 117), that Foster Smith first brought him a gunny sack of midgrade turquoise worth about seven dollars a pound, with a few pieces of high-grade that looked like Nevada's Blue Gem (soon to be Easter Blue). [1]
Ted Johnson, in the same interview reprinted by Ryan & Chambless (2020), described Carl House's way of mining:
“He'd just set about half a box of powder against the face and set it off. The brittle rock was just pulverized and, of course, he broke a lot of turquoise, too.”
— Ryan & Chambless (2020), p. 118 [1]
Johnson, Smith and later owners
Ted Johnson recalled, in the interview reprinted by Ryan & Chambless (2020, p. 118), that turquoise mines had so far sold for about five hundred dollars a claim, and that he and the Reno jeweler Morgan Smith paid $4,250 for the eight claims. [1]
According to Ryan & Chambless (2020, p. 118), Morgan Smith sold his half of the claims to Ted and Mabel Johnson in 1948, and the Johnsons sold the claims to Duval Corporation in the early 1970s while keeping the right to work the dumps for turquoise. [1]
According to Ryan & Chambless (2020, p. 118), Smith and Johnson were at one point partners in as many as 15 turquoise mines through the Turquoise Bonanza Corporation, although Smith sold his shares to Johnson in 1964. [1]
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How this page is sourced. We strive for accuracy: every factual statement above is quoted from or credited to the printed work listed below, with page numbers, and this page is continuously updated with new information as we read more of our library. See something we should correct? Contact us.
From the Library: Morrissey, Turquoise Deposits of Nevada (1968)
1968 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 1968, not today.
According to Morrissey (1968, p. 22), low-grade turquoise had been found below the mine as early as 1908, but the small quantity and inferior quality stirred no activity until Carl House's discovery, which the report dated to 1943. [2]
Morrissey's 1968 report for the Nevada Bureau of Mines recorded how the mine improved:
“After operations were started, Johnson discovered that the turquoise became better as it was followed up the mountainside. An open pit at the apex of the deposit then disclosed turquoise of excellent quality.”
— Morrissey (1968), p. 22 [2]
Morrissey (1968) on the colour:
“The turquoise produced was mainly of an excellent blue color, but some showed a slight greenish tinge.”
— Morrissey (1968), p. 22 [2]
Morrissey (1968, p. 22) named Ted Johnson, who had bought out Morgan Smith, as the last known owner, and put the mine's production at an estimated $40,000. [2]
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Sources
- Ryan, Mike, II, and Philip Chambless. Turquoise in America, Part Two: 1910–1990. Callais Press, 2020. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2020.
- Morrissey, Frank R. Turquoise Deposits of Nevada. Nevada Bureau of Mines Report 17. Reno: Mackay School of Mines, University of Nevada, 1968. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 1968.