MARKO MEDIN
In the Daily Territorial Enterprise for January 10, 1863, Virginia City,
Territory of Nevada, a front page advertisement prominently announced:
Marco Medin
San Francisco Fruit Store
“C” Street, Corner of Union
Has on hand and offers for at the lowest cash prices,
the following goods, to wit:
100,000 lbs. Flour, best brands;
50,000 lbs. Barley;
4000 gals. Kerosene oil;
4000 gals. Camphene;
2000 gals. Lard oil;
700 boxes Winter apples;
350 boxes Autumn apples and pears;
370 boxes Candy, assorted;
385 Bags Nuts, assorted;
5000 boxes Figs;
1000,000 boxes Cigars;
50,000 lbs. Tobacco, assorted;
Letter, note and bill paper;
Envelopes, etc.; paints, oils, and colors; a large assortment
of garden seeds; wholesale and retail.
Marco Medin, pioneer from Budva, was one of the first pioneers in the
Nevada territory during the Great Silver Boom in the 1860’s and ‘70’s. He was also one of the first Slavonians in
the territory. He came from San
Francisco in 1861 having had a fruit store at 115 Kearney Street, in 1856, a
coffee stand on Market Street in 1859 and another fruit store at Kearney and
Dupont Streets in 1860. His San
Francisco Fruit Store was one of the Largest establishments of its kind in the
Nevada Territory and State.
Grant H. Smith in this history of the Comstock Lode mentions the Medin
Building in pages 53 and 54. It is
interesting to note that this was one of the largest brick buildings in
Virginia City during the 1860’s. The
building can be seen on the right side of the street int he photograph taken in
1865 on “C” Street, Virginia City. (1)
PICTURE MEDIN BUILDING VIRGINIA CITY
Marco married an Irish girl, Susan, either in San Francisco of Virginia
City during the 1850’s or early ‘60’s.
His sons were John, Bernard, Marco and daughters Carry and Ann. The United States census for 1870 lists his
family as living in Virginia City. The
Nevada State Census for 1875 lists the family in White Pine Country, Nevada. As many of the Slavonian Pioneers, Marco
married an Irish girl and undoubtedly spoke English with an Irish accent. He had a brother, Alexander, who was his
business associate in San Francisco during the 1850’s. Alexander later opened a branch of Marco’s
business at Austin, Nevada, called the Virginia Branch Fruit Store.
Silver mines were located at Hamilton and Treasure City (now ghost
towns) in White Pine County during 1869.
To get in on the ground floor, Marco immediately departed for the rich
silver district. The editor of the White
Pine News on April 8, 1869 noted Marco’s arrival with the following
announcement:
Real Estate-- Marco Medin, recently from Virginia City, yesterday paid
$14,000 in gold coin, for the lot northeast corner of Main and Dunn Sts.,
Hamilton. The lot fronts 100 feet of
Dunn St. and 75 feet on Main, the Medin intends erecting, first a tent, but
afterward a substantial building, to be occupied as a fruit store. Medin belongs to that class of our foreign
born citizens (sclavonians_ who form a large portion of the bone and muscle and
public spirit of the mining regions of Nevada, and we hope he may find his
investment a good one.
Marco apparently changed his mind about erecting a fruit store as the
Inland Empire Newspaper in White Pine County on October 4, 1870, listed the
following advertisement.
Marco Medin
Bar and Billiard Room
Corner of Main and Dunn Sts.
Hamilton, Nevada
Drinks 12-1/2˘/ billiards 25˘
Marco was a true pioneer and a credit to the State of Nevada. His life, labors, and energies were spent in
service to many worthy efforts. He was a
member of the Virginia Exempt Fire Assn., Engine Co. No. 4; a leader in the
Slavonian Colony in Nevada; a pioneer wholesale fruit dealer; pioneer builder;
and most of all, a pioneer builder of the State of Nevada.
Marco invested in many of the first mining ventures and was listed as a
Capitalist on the U.S. Census. He id not
restrict his efforts to wholesale fruit and saloon ventures but also opened and
located his own silver mine and became very wealthy in the process. The following article of Incorporation in on
file at the State Archives and is evidence of this pioneering spirit:
Territory of Nevada
County of Storey June 29, 1863
The undersigned having this day formed a corporation for the purpose of
mining, do hereby certify that the name of said corporation shall be Medin Gold
and Silver Mining Company.
That the Object of said corporation is to carry on and conduct the
business of mining on the certain veins of lodes known by the name of Mina
Granda or Series of Ledges.
And situated in the district of County known as the Argentine
Mining District Washoe County, Nevada Territory.
The amount of the Capital Stock of said corporation shall be
one hundred thousand dollars, which shall be divided into one
thousand shares for one hundred dollars each.
the said corporation shall exist for the term of fifty years,
and its concerns shall be managed by a board composed of five
trustees.
The principal place of business of said corporation shall be
in the county of Storey, Nevada Territory where an Office shall
be kept for the purpose.
The following persons, to-wit:
MARCO MEDIN
James Astrado
C. H. Krebs
Matt Rapp
Bernard Springer
Shall be the trustees to manage the concerns of said
corporation for the first three months.
Certificate of Record
Territory of Nevada
County of Storey
Nelson W. Winton, Clerk of the Probate Court of Storey County,
Nevada Territory, do hereby certify that the above and foregoing
is a full, true and correct copy of the original which now remains on
file in y office at Virginia City, in
said
county and territory.
In testimony whereas, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed
the seal of said court, this twenty-ninth day of June, A.D.
1863.
In 1884 Marco moved with his family to Butte, Montana and became a
leading citizen in the commercial and business community. A local history of Montana mentions Marco:
(3)
Marco Medin-- It is fitting that memoir be here entered of this honored
pioneer of the Pacific coast, for his life was one of signal usefulness and
honor, concerned with affairs of wide scope and importance and attended with a
success worthy the name, though a number of his ventures were unfortunate. He made a record of which any man might well
be proud, and his name is honored in the three states with whose history he was
conspicuously identified. Marco Medin
was born in Budua, Dalmatia, Austria, on May 4, 1824, the son of Anton Medin,
who was for many years a prominent merchant and influential citizen of Budua,
of which he had the distinction of serving as mayor for sixteen years and where
his death occurred Marco was the eldest
of five children, and his education was received in the excellent schools of
Budua, and he was there identified with mercantile pursuits until 1850, when he
emigrated to America, and by the Panama route made his way to California,
attracted by the gold excitement.
From that state, in 1861, he removed to Virginia City, Nec., where he
engaged in merchandising, as he ad been in California. He made extensive investments in mines, and,
although successful in a number of ventures, he here lost fully $250,000. In September 1884, he came to Montana,
locating in Butte, where he was merchandising until his death on June 24,
1901. He devised his business to his
sons and the residue of his estate to his cherished wife. Mr. Medin enjoyed the esteem of those who
knew him and was acknowledged as one of the large-hearted business men of
Montana’s metropolis. he was a stanch
supporter of Democratic principals and policies. June 16, 1865, Mr. Medin was united in
marriage with miss Sarah Thornton, a native of Ireland, who survives him, as
for their six children, who were born in Nevada, and of whom we enter brief
record as follows: Antoinette is the wife of Marco Zarick, of Sacramento, Cal.;
Marco J., a young business man of Butte; Sarah, wife of J. J. O’Meara, of
Butte; Mamie, wife of John G. Holland of Butte; Annie (deceased), wife of W. A.
O’Brien, of Butte, and Tony, who is in business in Butte. Mr. Medin, at his death, was the owner of a
large amount of Nevada real estate and had a valuable holdings in Great Falls.
Marco Medin, Jr., one of the progressive young men of Butte, is
attending to the settlement and management of his father’s estate. He supports the Democratic party, and was for
two years representative of the Fourth ward in the city council, and in 1901
was the Democratic candidate for city treasurer, only being defeated by
divisions in the party ranks, which made the contest an unequal one. He had been connected with mercahndising and
banking from the time of his entering the active duties of life, having been an
executive in the Wells-Fargo bank in Virginia City, Nev., and being a
bookkeeper in Butte for the Anaconda Company.
He was president of the Finely-Medin Drug Company until the business was
old and still retains an interest in the business.
1. Grant H. Smith, History of the
Comstock Lode, 1850-1920 (Bureau of Mines, Nevada), pp. 53 and 54.
2. Zajednicar, January 15, 1964,
Pittsburgh.
3. Progressive Men of the State
of Montana (A. W. Bowen & Co., Publishers, 190?), 2 V.