WI: No Comstock Lode

Lets say that the silver and other minerals of Mt. Davidson remain undiscovered for decades longer than in OTL. What are the butterflies.

The ones I've considered are: No Pyramid Lake/Paiute War (better for Paiutes?), Nevada statehood is delayed (may not affect A.Lincoln's presidency/relection), and William Ormsby does not die. If Ormsby would fight on either side of the Civil War I can't say. He was born in PA (a freestate) but was also an ally of William Walker (a pro-slavery guy).
 
I don't think it could remain hidden for more than a few years. People were pouring into the West and someone would notice all that precious metal at some point.
 
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I don't think it could remain hidden for more than a few years. People were pouring into the West and someone would notice all that precious metal at some point.

Despite the plausibility, how would things be different if the gold had not been found until much later.
 
I don't think it could remain hidden for more than a few years. People were pouring into the West and someone would notice all that precious metal at some point.

Post hoc ergo proctor hoc. People were pouring into the West BECAUSE of the gold, the gold wasn't found because of people pouring into the West. So it is plausible the medal isn't found. Another way to stop it- the Mormons discover it first, realize that they'd get swamped demographically if the rest of the world finds out, and so "nothing here to see!" becomes the official doctrine. Mormons made up the single largest non-Hispanic or Native population in the west at that time, even Las Vegas was first settled by Mormons. Mormons might even do some low-key secret mining of their own, we might see Deseret a reality in that case. Whatever happens, the thing that butterflies the most is the boundaries of California were drawn partly due to the location of the gold rushes, we most likely see different boundaries.
 
How quietly could the Church of Later Day Saints move gold between congregations?
What are the chances of a wealthy congregation back east buying up large tracts of upstate New York?
 
How quietly could the Church of Later Day Saints move gold between congregations?
What are the chances of a wealthy congregation back east buying up large tracts of upstate New York?

Probably not in Upstate New York, any congregations of "Mormons" there at that time would be the early ones that branched off from Smith, and the ones in Missouri and Illinois were mostly those that branched off from Young. A lot of gold and silver though could buy some loyalty and you're right we could see some land purchases and forms of "money laundering" to hide the source of the gold and sudden wealth of the LDS.
 
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