No known supporting documentation exists, however, and so the timing and common surname linking the two Higgins inks remains coincidental. There is some speculation that the two Higgins ink men were related, and that Rufus had sold his formulas to Charles or worked with him to create the Higgins Ink Company. His inventions of the "American Indian ink" and the "Eternal Ink" were said to have happened while experimenting with dyes and inks at his sister's kitchen table. Charles would seek out usable inventor's ideas to patent. Charles Higgins was a patent solicitor in Brooklyn, New York, during the time Rufus was operating his businesses in Virginia City. It's curious that Higgins American Indian ink was launched in 1880 by Charles Higgins, shortly after Rufus left Virginia City. Records for Rufus seem to end with his bankruptcy and the loss of his business. He expanded his offering to include stationery and music items, which complemented his ink. Soon after, misfortune replaced success when his store burned down in the great Virginia City fire of 1875. In 1876 he left Virginia City never to be heard from again. As more people flocked to the Gold and Silver mines in Virginia City, Rufus' business boomed. He distributed his ink in the early 1870s through Pioneer Book Store, the only book store in the city. There are no known formulas or patents for his ink, but it did very well in the region. He established several general stores starting in 1863 and purchased a soda mine in 1868, all of which served the ever-growing mining community of the Comstock load. During this time, Rufus created one of the few inks produced in the west and sold it in the only known customized embossed ink bottles in Virginia City.
Higgins was an entrepreneur in Virginia City, Nevada - the center of the Comstock gold mining boom of the 1850s - the 1880s. Higgins ink made its first appearance in the west during the gold rush era. Where did Higgins Ink come from, and who invented it? Two men who share equal credit for the existence of this world-famous ink.
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