Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Reno, Nev. -- In 2003, author Rusty Goe would have paid at least $1,000 for a picture of a key character to include in the publication of his book, The Mint on Carson Street. For two years prior to its release, Goe ran ads in newspapers across northern Nevada offering rewards for information about or photographs of a certain James Crawford, the former superintendent at the Carson City Mint, whose term extended from 1874 to 1885.

Goe?s efforts failed to produce a single piece of archival material, and his 536-page book went to press with only minimal information about James Crawford and no picture of the man. Though very discouraging to Goe, these omissions did not hinder the success of his new work, as it subsequently grabbed book-of-the-year honors in 2004 from both the Numismatic Literary Guild and the Professional Numismatists Guild.

Still, the desire to bring the legacy of Superintendent James Crawford to life did not vanish from Goe?s mind. He immediately began working on a biography of Crawford. At first, Goe wondered if the project would even result in a full-length book, or if he would be lucky to produce a pamphlet-size treatise on Crawford. Then suddenly, his hours of research began paying dividends, providing him with the impetus to persevere. And, somewhere along the way, Goe successfully discovered an old photograph of James Crawford, which really energized him with enthusiasm to finish the book.

Finally, in early 2007, Goe finished his manuscript, and after five toilsome months of layout and printing work, he had a 658-page hardcover biography entitled, James Crawford: Master of the Mint at Carson City?A Short Full Life. The massive volume featured not just one image of the main character, but six; with a very rare photograph of Crawford?s beloved niece Lizzie added for good measure. Except for the problems encountered with the graphic designer and the printing company, Goe experienced immeasurable satisfaction with his completed volume.

Now, it was time to reap the residual rewards associated with publishing a book. There really are no financial benefits available to small publishers, such as Goe?s company, Southgate Coins and Collectibles, according to the author. ?By the time you factor in all the costs involved in publishing a small run of between 2,000 and 3,000 books,? says Goe, ?even if every book gets sold, you?ll still probably lose money.? Especially if the author credits himself with minimum wage for every hour spent working on the project, adds Goe. Yet, as far as Goe is concerned, there are many other ways by which an author can profit from writing a book.

One such way, according to Goe, is meeting all the people you would never have had the opportunity to meet if it weren?t for the book. As examples, Goe cites the numerous relationships he has established since the publication of his first book, The Mint on Carson Street. ?I have met interesting individuals from all across the country, and even from abroad,? says Goe, ?including other authors, lots of new clients, and even a distant relative of T. Robert Hofer, a former Carson Mint employee.? Yet even with all of these encounters, Goe never dreamed that he would ever meet the two very special persons who came into his life less than three months after the release of his recent book.

It all began unassumingly enough on a mild fall day in October 2007, when Goe?s assistant at his store Southgate Coins in Reno, received a phone call from a woman desiring to order a copy of his book. As the phone conversation progressed, the woman told the Southgate staffer that she was related to the main subject of Goe?s new book and that she had been doing research for her family?s genealogy. She related how she had run into a roadblock when it came to James Crawford from the Carson Mint, whom she knew through family documents was one of her ancestors. She said that as she searched the Internet she was amazed to find a newly published biography on Crawford. Not realizing that this biography?s author might be at the store she was calling to order the book, this woman was elated when Rusty Goe got on the line.

Yet nowhere near as elated was she as was Goe when he discovered who exactly this woman was and what she had in her possession. The two spoke excitedly for almost two hours, as Goe became overwhelmed with emotion when he learned that he had in fact conducted a phone interview with this woman?s 90-year-old father more than a year and a half earlier, and had even included transcripts from the interview in his book. The woman was unaware of this previous communication, however, as her father who suffers from dementia, had forgotten about the conversation with Goe immediately after hanging up the phone. Not remembering that he had spoken to Goe, he never mentioned the conversation to his family. This dear elderly man had also failed to divulge to Goe some very important information during their phone conversation in spite of the fact that Goe specifically asked him about it.

It was not because this nonagenarian deliberately evaded Goe?s inquiry. He simply did not remember that his family owned scrapbooks of rare photographs and documents once belonging to Superintendent James Crawford. Included in this archival treasure trove are at least a dozen pictures of Crawford, correspondence between Crawford and notable figures from the last quarter of the 19th century as well as official U. S. Mint documents. For someone like Goe who has devoted years of his life researching the history of the Carson City Mint and its many colorful personalities, the discovery of this one family?s collection of historical memorabilia was tantamount to a miner striking a rich vein of ore.

He wasted no time, and within a week, met with the woman and her father at their home, which was in another state. The memorable meeting, which lasted six hours, was everything Goe hoped for, and proved to be very rewarding for his hosts as well. Not only did this family?s holdings include pictures of James Crawford, it also contained at least 300 other old photographs of significant people in Crawford?s life, many of whom are profiled in Goe?s new book. There was also a small library of books once owned by James Crawford, which provided Goe with more insight into the subjects which influenced Crawford?s worldview. Goe explained to the woman and her father what relevance each book would have held for Crawford, and he also indentified as many of the people in the photographs as he could.

Then, they focused on the remarkable assortment of correspondence and official documents, many of which in reference to, Goe presented interesting anecdotes. The entire serendipitous event was like a journey back in time, recharging Goe?s history-buff-inspired batteries, and at the same time illuminating his hosts on the significance of their honorable ancestor. Everyone came away a winner from this heart-warming initial contact between Goe and the descendants of the subject of his new biography.

Once again, Goe acknowledges that without a book of his being published the opportunity would never arise for him to connect with people such as this woman and her father. There?s no monetary reward involved. In fact, Goe even provided the daughter and her father with complimentary copies of his two books. But the euphoric high that Goe experienced from this encounter is in his words, ?almost supernatural.? And though he would love to purchase the ?Crawford Collection? of photographs, letters, documents and books from this family, he realizes that the woman wishes to preserve this wonderful heritage for her children and her other living relatives. Yet, if the opportunity ever arose, Goe would ?empty his checkbook? in order to obtain it. ?I don?t think there?s a person alive that values this collection as much as I do,? says Goe. ?If I owned it I would create a mini-museum in which to display it and all the other documents and mementos from the Carson City Mint that are in my collection.? ?There?s such a rich well of history from which to draw concerning the Carson Mint,? reflects Goe, ?and I want as many people as possible to learn about it.? So far, Goe has been doing his part to spread the message.

For more information on Rusty Goe?s two books, or about the Carson City Mint in general, please contact Marie or Amy at Southgate Coins, 5032 S. Virginia St., Reno, Nevada 89502; or call (775) 322-4455; or email mariesgate@sbcglobal.net.