Ed Workman discovered gold and silver deposits at Orizaba in 1909. He soon began shipping ore from the mine to Millers, the milling center of Tonopah, in Esmeralda County. By 1911 prospectors in the area staked six claims covering 120 acres and included gold, silver, lead, and copper deposits. The property came under the control of the Diamondfield Black Butte Reorganized Mining Company, based in Goldfield, who then sold the claims to the Orizaba Mining and Development Company while retaining a financial interest in the new organization, which was incorporated in 1915 with $1 million in capital. Per Don L. Cirac in his 1990 interview, he mentions "Curly Coombs's Orizaba Mine" which apparently was a more recent owner.