About Me

Hello everyone, and welcome all to my blog.

I suppose I should begin with my credentials. My name is Dr. Calvin. I am a 2011 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and working historian of the American West, with a particular interest in mining/prospecting culture. 


I was drawn to this project by the surviving correspondence and small cache of documents that have surfaced over the years regarding the “miracle” of Greystone, Nevada.


If any of my material or story resonates with your own family history, the door is always open for discussion.


– Dr. Calvin Rothstein


Photo of me, taken by my wife, Sandra on June 2, 2026.
Location: Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Comments

  1. Caine MarshallJuly 5, 2026 at 6:35 PM

    Great work. I've been through that area, and I always felt something strange there that I couldn't explain, so I think your research explains a lot.

    ReplyDelete

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The Death of Franklyn Calhoun

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Greystone does not matter in the broader context of the world, to the point that its very existence could be considered anecdotal at best.  Established in 1868, it was merely another failing silver camp along the southwestern borders of the Nevada desert. High pressure was expected; hard times financially, regular cave-ins, men and women alike attempting to outrun their shaky pasts. By the late 1870s, Greystone was already shrinking.  The following account is not conventional history. Rather, it is a reconstruction assembled from newspapers, private letters, dubious eyewitness statements and the handful of surviving photographs from the fire. I have arranged them roughly in chronological order, adding spare commentary where context seems appropriate.  On Feb. 22, 1879, the first observed President’s Day (Washington's birthday), Greystone experienced yet another tragic incident within the infamous Mount Diablo mine. Nevada State Journal, March 3, 1879 “It is with regret th...
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The Discovery at Mount Diablo

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In the spring of 1879, Jarek Calhoun returned to the mine with a determination bordering on obsession. It was during one of his solitary shifts in an unstable drift deep that something wholly unusual occurred. Word soon circulated like wildfire of a development within the bereaved home.  The following fragments offer the earliest glimpses of what the Calhouns would eventually come to call “Franklyn.”  Excerpt from a private note by Jarek Calhoun, undated, believed to be from early May 1879:  “(...) I found something in the new cut. Franklyn, but different. Sat there in the pocket of some strange ore I’ve never seen before. He looked at me. Moved when I spoke to him. Took my hand when I reached out. I took him home wrapped in my coat. Michelle lit up the moment she saw him. I reckon she needs this more than I do. (...)" Only confirmed photograph of Jarek Calhoun, taken in May, 1871. Letter from Michelle Calhoun to Sally Jobson, dated May 20, 1879 “Dearest Sally, You have b...
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The End of Greystone

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The remaining documents from this period belong mostly to those who had begun distancing themselves from the camp, as well as the men sent in to determine what had happened.  Letter from Matthew Perkins to Perkins Prospects company office, Reno, dated August 14, 1880 “To whom it may concern, I will not be returning to Greystone. I have reviewed the latest reports and have spoken with the few men willing to communicate still. The situation is beyond salvage. Production numbers mean nothing when our workers continue to disappear. I am declaring operations on Mount Diablo a total loss. The property should be abandoned. Our company will not set foot in that place again. M. Perkins” It was around this time that the United States Cavalry was sent to intervene. Military Telegram to 3rd Territorial Cavalry, dated September 12, 1880 (unredacted in 2025) “(...) missing persons and irregular activity originating from Greystone township have reached this office. A small detachment is to procee...
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