[5] After a few years, and moderate success in their prospecting efforts, Gass and Slaughter moved to the small town of Los Angeles.
His ability to speak Spanish and deal with different cultures resulted in Gass being appointed Zanjero of Los Angeles (water steward) for a time.
Gass joined with Slaughter, David Sexton, and several other investors in an attempt to purchase the Rancho Temescal (Serrano), on which the mineral deposit resided, but found that Abel Stearns had already bought the ranch.
[6] Gass ended up with several valid claims but the 1860 United States Presidential Election and approach of the American Civil War dried up investor interest.
[8] From Southern California, Gass moved to the El Dorado Canyon, south of modern-day Boulder City, Nevada.
Knapp in turn had inherited the rights from his brother, Albert, who had been one of the original Mormon missionaries that built the fort.
[13] The fields were planted initially with barley, oats, and wheat with a variety of vegetables and melons added by the second harvest.
[15] Gass's dreams for the town never came to fruition as completion of the transcontinental railroad provided an easier means to reach Utah.
[17] Upon his arrival in Prescott, Gass discovered only nine other legislators had made the trip to the territorial capital and used the reduced numbers to his advantage.
[21] Despite living in Nevada, Gass continued to represent Pah-Ute county in the Arizona Territorial Legislature for another 3 years.
[22] He chaired a joint committee on military and Indian affairs and served as the session's Spanish language translator.
[18] Upon reaching Yuma they were delayed because a stagecoach had been attacked by Indians, killing all aboard, and a replacement driver was not immediately available.
[25] Shortly after the boundary change was finalized, Lincoln County began demanding two years of back taxes from their new residents.
[26] About 600 Mormon residents along the Muddy River refused to make the payment and instead abandoned their homes to move to Utah.
[26] Gass married Mary Virginia Simpson, a niece of Ulysses S. Grant, on February 24, 1872, in Pioche, Nevada.
Simpson was traveling with her sister and brother-in-law, Ann and Isaac Jennings, from Los Angeles to Arizona but had been stopped by high water on the Colorado River.
[29] While at the time he appeared to the world as a successful rancher, which 960 acres (390 ha) and 30 employees, Gass had a large level of debt.
[32] Gass died in Bryn Mawr on December 10, 1924[2] He was buried at Redlands, California's Hillside Cemetery in the Masonic Plot.