James William Pringle was born in Scotland in 1838. Many members of the Pringle family immigrated to America for various mining rushes. James, along with other family members, first settled in New York. In 1857 he was off to California to seek a fortune in gold. According to his biography, he was “fairly successful” in California, remaining there until 1864. Learning “placer mining” in California, Pringle took his trade to the gulches of eastern Oregon, Idaho and Montana. By 1870, Colorado got his attention, and he was one of the early prospectors to venture into the San Juan Mountains, which later became an area of intense prospecting and metal production.
Pringle found silver in Rosita, and there he made his home, and a name for himself. Silver was discovered here in 1870. It was reported that Pringle, along with his two partners Dick Irwin and a man named Robinson, found some of the first rich silver lodes. Colorado mining man Frank Fossett reported that the trio discovered the Senator Lode, one of the best of the early mines in that area. The Hardscrabble Mining District was formed in 1872, and Pringle was so popular that a local hill was named in his honor. A neighboring hill was named after Robinson, and Hungry Gulch bisected both hills. The town of Rosita was formed in 1873, and the best of the lodes were ultimately discovered in 1874.
Production in Rosita was at its best in the 1870’s, and by 1882, mining had pretty much come to a standstill. By 1879, Pringle’s name was not to be found. A search of the 1879 Colorado Mining Directory yielded no hits for his name in the Rosita area.
In later years, Pringle was reported to have worked for British owned mines north of Idaho, and went to the Klondike rush of 1898. He was back in Colorado within a year, thinking the difficulties of the San Juan range were easy compared to the tough winters in the Klondike. Pringle returned to Rosita, where he retired.
This ingot dates from approximately 1873 from Rosita, and probably contains silver from the Senator Mine. The name of C.H. Pringle is stamped on the obverse, who is possibly a cousin. J.W. Pringle’s name is gang stamped with a single bullion punch on the reverse.
Other members of the Pringle family are all traced back to Scotland (George Pringle, formerly of New York, who moved to Carson Valley near the Comstock in 1861, is of unknown relation to James William Pringle). His son, Charles H. Pringle, born in New York in July of 1834, was a mining engineer on the Comstock from about 1869 to after 1900. The two names appearing on the ingot may mean there was a close association of the two relatives. J. D. Pringle, of unknown relation , was an assayer in Austin, Nevada from the late 1860’s to the mid 1870’s, when he rose to the rank of mine superintendent, before moving on to mines near Elko, Nevada in 1875. Austin was also a silver mining camp in Nevada.
3.50 oz Rosita,CO – c1873 – J.W. Pringle Silver Ingot
This ingot probably commemorates the discovery of silver at the senator mine in Rosita, Colorado about 1873, and was given to his cousin, C.H. Pringle, who also worked in mining on the Comstock.
Ex. HKA Bass Collection 2006
[10/2010] https://www.icollector.com/Rosita-CO-c1873-J-W-Pringle-Silver-Ingot-3-50-oz_i9828770 ($17,037)
J. W. Pringle Silver Ingot. Rosita, Colorado. Circa 1873. James William Pringle was born in Scotland in 1838. Many members of the Pringle family emigrated to America for the various mining rushes. James, along with other family members, first settled in New York. In 1857 he was off to California to seek a fortune in gold. According to his biography, he was “fairly successful” in California, remaining there until 1864. Learning placer mining in California, Pringle took his trade to the gulches of eastern Oregon, Idaho, and Montana. By 1870, Colorado got his attention, and he was one of the early prospectors into the San Juan Mountains, which later became an area of intense prospecting and metal production.
Pringle found silver in Rosita, and there made his home, as well as a name for himself. Silver was discovered there in 1870. It was reported that Pringle, along with two partners Dick Irwin and a man named Robinson, found some of the first rich silver lodes. Colorado mining man Frank Fossett reported the trio discovered the Senator Lode, one of the best of the early mines there. The Hardscrabble Mining District was formed in 1872, and Pringle was so popular that a local hill was named in his honor. A neighboring hill was named after Robinson, and Hungry Gulch bisected the hills. The town was formed in 1873, and the best of the lodes were ultimately discovered in 1874.
Production in Rosita was at its best in the 1870s, and by 1882 things had pretty much come to a standstill. By 1879, though, Pringle’s name was not to be found. A search of the 1879 Colorado Mining Directory yielded no hits for his name in the Rosita area.
In later years, Pringle was reported to have worked for British owned mines north of Idaho, and then went to the Klondike rush of 1898. He was back in Colorado within a year, thinking the difficulties of the San Juan range were easy compared to the tough winters in the Klondike. Pringle returned to Rosita, where he retired.
This ingot dates from approximately 1873 from Rosita, and probably contains silver from the Senator mine. The name of C. H. Pringle is stamped on the obverse, who is possibly a cousin, both men with New York roots. J. W. Pringle’s name is gang stamped with a single bullion punch on the reverse.
Other members of the Pringle family, all traced back to Scotland, but of an unknown relation to James William Pringle, are George Pringle, formerly of New York, moved to Carson Valley near the Comstock in 1861. His son, Charles H. Pringle, born in New York in July, 1834 was a mining engineer on the Comstock from about 1869 to after 1900. The two names appearing on the ingot may mean there was a close association of the two relatives. J. D. Pringle, an unknown relation, was an assayer in Austin, Nevada from the late 1860s to the mid 1870s, when he rose to the rank of mine superintendent there, before moving on to mines near Elko, Nevada in 1875. Austin was also a silver mining camp in Nevada.
This ingot probably commemorates the discovery of silver at the Senator mine in Rosita, Colorado about 1873, and was given to his cousin, who also worked in mining on the Comstock.
From The Kagin Reference Collection of Frontier Ingots.
[08/2006] https://coins.ha.com/itm/ingots/j-w-pringle-silver-ingot-rosita-colorado-circa-1873-james-william-pringle-was-born-in-scotland-in-1838-many-members-o/a/414-2580.s ($14,950)