The historic discovery of the Comstock Lode in 1859 is credited to a group of prospectors, including Peter O'Riley and Patrick McLaughlin, who staked initial claims on the gold and silver deposits along the slopes of Mount Davidson in Nevada. Shortly thereafter, financial speculator Henry Comstock aggressively attached his name to the district after injecting himself into the ownership claims, ultimately securing lasting historical renown even though he was not the primary original discoverer of the massive underground mineral wealth.