The Great Manastache Mining Hoax
A town's feverish dreams of gold were shattered when a slick assayer fled with their hopes and their money.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
A Herald reporter recently asked a prominent citizen of Ellensburgh about the Manastache mining boom. 'Oh, that was a fake, pure and simple,' he replied. 'Ellensburgh derived some benefit from it, as prospectors came from all parts of the northwest and outfitted there, but even the most conservative citizens were taken in. It happened in this way: Some good looking quartz was found along the Manastache creek and brought to Ellensburgh just at the time a plausible-speaking man, who claimed to be an all-wool, yard-wide assayer, located there. He was given some of the rock to assay and made fabulous returns as to its richness. More rock was brought in, and according to the assayer, it was still better. The country was on fire. Glowing reports were telegraphed in all directions, and people eager to get wealthy in a day or two rolled in and left for the wonderful new fields. The whole country was staked off. Rock was sent abroad for assaying, and with the returns came the first damper on the enthusiasm. It was said to contain only a trace of the precious metals and was pronounced worthless. The local assayer, who had all of this time put on a bold front, suddenly weakened and skipped for parts unknown, leaving an active and pushing community to mourn over their blasted hopes and extreme gullibility.'
“The country was on fire. Glowing reports were telegraphed in all directions, and people eager to get wealthy in a day or two rolled in.”
This 1891 report reflects the recurring boom-and-bust cycle of the Pacific Northwest, where speculative fever—whether for gold, real estate, or tech—often overrides common sense. It serves as a reminder that a 'can't-miss' investment opportunity usually serves the person promoting it, not the community buying in.
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