George M. (George Melville) Baker
Nevada; or, The Lost Mine, A Drama in Three Acts
"Nevada; or, The Lost Mine, A Drama in Three Acts" by George M. Baker is a theatrical play written in the late 19th century. This drama revolves around themes of mining, friendship, and the complexities of human relationships in a rugged frontier setting. The main characters include Nevada, a wandering miner obsessed with a lost gold mine, and various miners and townspeople that interact with him, including Vermont, an old miner with a fatherly bond to a young girl named Moselle. At the start of the play, we are introduced to a cast of colorful characters in a mining camp. The scene opens with Silas Steele, a self-proclaimed "missionary of health," humorously detailing his struggle to promote a miracle cure called Busted's Balm while also coming into contact with Mother Merton, a motherly figure in the camp. As the plot unfolds, we learn about Nevada, a man driven mad by the loss of a rich gold mine he once discovered. The various miners converse about their lives and relationships, setting the stage for a narrative that explores themes of love, betrayal, and redemption against the backdrop of the fierce setting of a gold mining town.