Bonanza (Span., 'a fair wind,' 'prosperity'), a term originally applied in the mining territories of the United States to the discovery of a rich vein or 'pocket'; a mine was said to be in bonanza when producing profitable ore. It has since been used colloquially of farms where steam is employed, or of successful enterprises generally, in the sense of a 'mine of wealth.'
Bonanza
Chambers's Encyclopaedia, Volume 2: Beaugency to Cataract, p. 286
Source scan(s): p. 0297