Becky Bartholomew History Blazer, December 1995 The rich ores of Pioche, Nevada, were discovered as early 1864, but the camp developed rather slowly at first. About 1870 a Frenchman named F. L. A. Pioche came in and began development in earnest. The camp was named for him. Soon two other men, William Raymond and John Ely, began working the Raymond-Ely …