The historic discovery of the Comstock Lode occurred in 1859 along the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, located right above what would rapidly become the booming settlement of Virginia City in the territory of Nevada. Prospectors initially stumbled upon troublesome heavy blue-black mud clogging their gold pans, which assays quickly revealed to be extraordinarily rich silver sulfide ore, sparking a legendary rush that fundamentally transformed the geography and economy of the American West.