Stormont Mining Co. of Utah - 1882-1886 dated Utah Mining Stock Certificate (Uncanceled)

Uncanceled Stock. Located Harrisburg District, Washington County, Utah. Rich Green color and outstanding graphics including a vignette of nude babies fighting with spears and using Liberty Seated Silver Dollars as shields. One of the prettiest mining stocks ever printed by American Bank Note Co., New York! Very Scarce!

Silver Reef is a ghost town located in Washington County, Utah, about 15 miles northeast of St. George and 1 mile west of Leeds. It was established after prospector John Kemple discovered a vein of silver in a sandstone formation in 1866, a surprising find given that silver is rarely found in sandstone. In 1875, two Salt Lake City bankers sent William Barbee to the area to stake mining claims. Barbee staked 21 claims, attracting an influx of miners who either worked his claims or staked their own. To accommodate the growing population, Barbee founded Bonanza City. However, due to high property values there, some miners settled on a ridge to the north, initially naming their settlement Rockpile. This settlement was later renamed Silver Reef when business interest grew following the closure of silver mines in nearby Pioche.

Silver Reef, like many mining towns, faced labor disputes, particularly between miners and mine owners. A significant dispute with the Stormont Mining Company led to the formation of the Silver Reef Miners Union to advocate for fair wages. The town also saw its share of gambling, prostitution, and violence, including a notable shootout between Town Marshal Johnny Diamond and mine guard Jack Truby. This conflict arose when Truby, hired by Colonel Enos Wall to guard the Kinner mine, refused Diamond entry to serve a closure warrant, ultimately forcing him off the property and temporarily shutting down the mine.

William Smith Clark (July 31, 1826 – March 9, 1886) was an American professor of chemistry, botany, and zoology, a colonel during the American Civil War, and a prominent figure in agricultural education. Raised in Easthampton, Massachusetts, he spent most of his adult life in Amherst, Massachusetts. After graduating from Amherst College in 1848, Clark earned a doctorate in chemistry from Georgia Augusta University in Göttingen in 1852. He then became a professor of chemistry at Amherst College, serving from 1852 to 1867. During the Civil War, Clark took a leave of absence to serve in the 21st Regiment Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, eventually rising to the rank of colonel and commanding the unit.

After stepping down from his role as president of the Massachusetts Agricultural College (MAC) in 1879, Clark moved away from academia and became the president of a mining venture, Clark & Bothwell, from 1881 to 1882. The company purchased several silver mines, primarily in Utah and California. However, Clark's partner, John R. Bothwell, was corrupt, leading to the company's rapid collapse. This not only destroyed Clark's reputation and personal finances but also severely impacted the fortunes of his friends and family, resulting in a scandal that ruined his health. Clark died of heart disease at his home in Amherst in 1886.

Following the collapse of Clark & Bothwell, the stock values of the company's various mines plummeted and became unsellable. The first of many lawsuits from investors seeking to recover their losses was filed in April 1882. The most damaging blow came when the Stormont Mining Company, one of Clark & Bothwell's subsidiaries, sued for withheld funds. It soon became clear that Bothwell, as Treasurer, had mismanaged the company's affairs at its New York office, leading to the firm's downfall. By May 1882, Bothwell disappeared en route to San Francisco and was never heard from again. The scandal made national headlines, and the ensuing lawsuits were widely covered by newspapers in New York and New England.

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