The Comstock Lode, a small section of dirt in Nevada, changed the destiny of the United States, producing over $65 million in gold and silver between 1873 and 1882. Four Irishmen, John Mackey, James Fair, James Flood, and William O'Brien, known as the Silver Kings, discovered the Big Bonanza, a vein of nearly pure gold and silver, and became fabulously wealthy, accumulating multi-million dollar estates and contributing to charities.
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