Diamondfield Jack Davis
Diamondfield Jack Davis Overview
This historical marker commemorates the lasting notoriety of flamboyant western gunman Jackson Lee Davis (1870-1949), who was better known by the colorful name, “Diamondfield Jack.”
In the late 1890s, Davis was a gunman for cattle interests. Later he became a successful mine operator and founder of several mining camps.
Category
- Mining
- Person
- Ranching/Farming
Marker Type
Stone marker
Nevada Historical Marker Number
Diamondfield Jack Davis is Nevada Historical Marker #251.
Click here to view the full list of Nevada State Historical Markers.
County
GPS Coordinates
41.984799, -114.671903
Nevada Historical Marker Transcription
This historical marker commemorates the lasting notoriety of flamboyant western gunman Jackson Lee Davis (1870-1949), who was better know by the colorful name, “Diamondfield Jack,” a nickname that he carried the rest of his life.
In the late 1890s, Davis gained a measure of fame as a gunman for the cattle interests, including rancher John Sparks, who would later become a Nevada governor, that were attempting to restrict sheep ranchers from southern Idaho and northeastern Nevada rangelands. Following a sensational trial in 1896, Davis was convicted of murdering two sheepherders. He was sentenced to be hanged, even after others confessed to the murders.
In 1902, Davis was finally pardoned for the crimes. He moved to the central Nevada mining towns of Tonopah and Goldfield, where he became a successful mine operator. He also helped found several mining camps, including one called Diamondfield. In later years, he drifted into obscurity and died in Las Vegas in 1949 after being struck by a car.
STATE HISTORICAL MARKER No. 251
DIVISION OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND ARCHAEOLOGY
NEVADA COMMISSION ON TOURISM
References Used
Diamondfield Jack Davis