Nevada Ghost Towns

 

Written by Robert C. Jones

Kennesaw, Georgia

 

Click here to purchase the booklet or DVD slideshow

 

See also my "Ghost Towns of Death Valley", "Ghost Towns (and Historic Towns) of Arizona", "Ghost Towns (and Historic Towns) of California: Bodie, Bay Area, Mojave", "Ghost Towns (and Historic Towns) of Mojave National Preserve" and "Ghost Towns (and Historic Towns) of New Mexico)"

 

 

Mill ruins at Gold Point

 

Table of Contents

Table of Contents. 2

Introduction. 3

Aurora. 4

Belleville. 5

Belmont 6

Berlin. 8

Bonnie Claire. 10

Broken Hills. 11

Candelaria. 12

Carrara. 13

Daveytown. 14

Dun Glen (Chafee) 16

Gold Canyon (Comstock Lode) 17

Gold Point 20  Updated 2008

Grantsville. 22

Humboldt City. 24

Lower Rochester. 25

Manhattan. 27

Millers. 28

Pine Grove. 29

Quartz Mountain. 30

Rawhide. 31

Rhodes. 32

Rhyolite. 33

Rochester. 35

Rockland. 37

Scossa. 38

Star City. 40

Strozzi Ranch. 41

Vernon. 42

Weeks. 43

Sources. 44

 

Introduction

Nevada provides especially fertile grounds for studying ghost towns, as the hot desert air has preserved even many 100-year old wooden buildings, and many of the ghosts in Nevada remain in isolated solitude (unlike, say, Colorado, where former ghost towns are now ski resorts).

 

I’ve concentrated primarily on the “true” ghost towns in this study – towns or mining camps that are completely deserted.  A few of the towns have a handful of people living in them, but never more than a few dozen.  Towns such as Tonopah, Hawthorne or Virginia City – with populations in the hundreds, and with operating casinos – are better classified as historic towns, and do not appear in this study.

 

With the exception of the towns near Death Valley, all of the photos in this essay were taken in the 1985 – 1991 time frame.  Since then, I’m sure that some of the buildings pictured within have disappeared, or in some cases (Gold Point, Belmont) have been restored to full use.  Consider these photos to be a snapshot in time. (Death Valley Photos 1996-2008)

 

Throughout this study, I have used a personal rating system (0 low; 10 high) to rank three categories in each ghost town.  These include:

 

• REMAINS: What is the quantity and quality of remaining boom-days structures in the town or area?
• ACCESSIBILITY: How easy is it to get to the site? 
• EXPLORING: How accessible are the buildings in the town?  Are there interesting back roads to drive down?  Posted "No Trespassing" areas are rated low; open areas in National Forests are rated high.

 

- Robert Jones, Kennesaw, Georgia, February, 2002

Aurora

 

Background:

Aurora, founded in 1860 when gold and silver were discovered there, has had almost as many lives as a cat. The initial boom, which lasted until 1869, yielded close to $30,000,000 in ore. A second and smaller boom lasted from the late 1870s to 1882.  The town was rejuvenated again in the early 1900s, and served several hundred people through World War I. By 1919, Aurora was pretty much dead. In 1946, most of the buildings in the town were leveled for their bricks. There is almost nothing left of the original town now. 

 

Aurora was a rough camp, located in an isolated area on the California/Nevada border. Prior to 1863, the border was disputed, and Aurora citizens voted in elections for both California and Nevada! (This was remedied in 1863, when a survey indicated that Aurora was really in Nevada). At its high point in the 1860s, Aurora had 16 mills, 21 saloons, 12 hotels, and two newspapers. (A later newspaper was named, amusingly enough, the Aurora Borealis). Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) worked in Aurora for a short time in 1862 as a miner and laborer.

 

Aurora will probably always be connected with nearby Bodie, California. A tortuous 15-mile mining road connects the two town sites. At the Aurora end, there are large signs which state encouraging things like "Road to Bodie closed", and "Four wheel drive vehicles only - Enter at your own risk". You can imagine my shock when a Toyota Corolla came barreling out of the Bodie road in front of me, when I was on the way to Aurora. The driver stopped me to ask for directions, and I said to him, "You came from Bodie in THAT?" He answered, "Yeah, but I'll never do it again!"

 

Aurora is once again an active mining area. A group called the Aurora Partnership is conducting strip-mining operations on the once deserted site.

 

(Photo 1991)

What is left to see:

Stone rubble.

Belleville

 

Background:

Belleville flourished in the late 19^th century as a mill site for the nearby mines in Candelaria.  It was also the terminus of the Carson and Colorado Railroad, which reached there in 1882.  Belleville declined after 1887 when a water pipeline was constructed to Candelaria.

What is left to see:

Stone walls and basement depressions.

 

Photo 1985

Belmont

 

Background:

Belmont is one of the more substantial ghost towns in Nevada, as many of the stores, mills and public buildings were made out of stone or brick, including the magnificent 1876 Nye County Courthouse.  Belmont served as the county seat from 1867-1905.  Most of the major mines were closed by 1890, although there was a brief revival during World War I. 

What is left to see:

The courthouse has been restored by the State of Nevada.  Various interesting ruins dot the area, including store fronts, and a smokestack from the Monitor-Belmont mill.  The photos were taken in 1985, when Belmont was pretty much deserted.  In recent years, several businesses have opened that cater to the tourist trade.

 

 

Nye County Courthouse (1876)

 

 

Berlin

 

Background:

Operations at Berlin lasted from 1895 to just before World War I, with the height from about 1905-1912.  Berlin briefly had a post office and a store.

What is left to see:

Berlin is part of a Nevada State Park, and new roofs have been put on some of the ruins to arrest further decay.  An old mill is virtually intact, although the interior was stripped during World War II.  Several other buildings are intact, and pieces of machinery can be seen scattered around the area.  (Photos 1985)

 

 

 

 

Bonnie Claire

 

Background

§  Station on the Bullfrog & Goldfield and Las Vegas & Tonopah railroads (1906 – 1928).  Tracks torn up and post office closed in 1931.

§  Shipping center during construction of Scotty’s Castle in 1920s

§  Lippincott Smelter smelted lead ore from Lippincott mine 1935-1953

What’s left to see

Significant ruins from Lippincott Smelter.  Across the road are the remains of the Montana Station Mill Site, which I believe is on the site of the original Bonnie Claire.  In the past, both sites have been posted private property, but when I was there in 2007, both signs were gone.

 

 

Broken Hills

 

Background

The Broken Hills area was productive from 1913 to World War II, with the World War One era being the glory days for the town itself.

What’s left to see

A mine lift mechanism, and a lonely grave.  (Photos 1985)

 

Candelaria

 

Background

Candelaria had a reputation for being one of the toughest camps in the West.  It boasted 27 saloons and no church at it’s peak in the 1880s.  The town contained both silver mines and mills, and produced over one million dollars a year for the decade following 1875.  A fire destroyed much of the town in 1883, and the town declined after 1885.  After a brief post-World War One revival, Candeleria was deserted until the recent revival (see below).

What’s left to see

A strange site greets the visitor to Candelaria. As one rounds the bend in road, the site of the old main street of the town comes into view. And in the background is the largest (1985) functioning silver mine in the World (Candelaria Mining Company - Nerco).

 

There are several wood/dugout buildings left on the hillside, and some traces of the mills are left. Two stone front stores peer at each other from the opposite sides of the graded dirt road. The old cemetery is right against the Nerco operation, and has been well preserved, with a metal fence around it. It was nice to see that a modern day mining company could be good stewards of our nations history.

 

 

 

 

Photos 1986

Carrara

 

Background

Marble quarrying began in the area as early as 1904, with a town site dedicated in 1913.  The Post Office closed in 1924.  In 1936, a cement company built several buildings near the old town site, but never began operations.

What is left to see:

Ruins of several large, stone buildings (associated with the 1936 cement company).  Sparse remains of the Gold Ace Mine further up the hill, and of the old town site a mile to the south:

 

"Carrara is about 1+ mile south of the Cement Plant ruins. It is marked by a large, partly sawed slab of marble. The tramway went up from there. You can see three quarry sites at the top, though on my last run, there was wire across the road and signage. Both the LV&T and then the T&T ran spurs to the marble cutting. The town site is about 2/3rds of the way up. Many foundations and marked building flats, plus debris". (John A. McCulloch)

 

Daveytown

 

Background

Daveytown was a late addition to mining activity in the Slumbering Hills area of Humboldt County. Operations in this area began in 1910, and continued on and off until 1951. One area mine, the Jumbo, was once owned by Texas tycoon H. L. Hunt. Herbert Hoover visited the area in 1936, bringing the Jumbo mine nationwide publicity.

What’s left to see

There are several wooden and metal buildings left, plus the remains of a small ore loading facility, and some old, rusted out automobiles.

 

 

Photos 1991

Dun Glen (Chafee)

 

Background:

Dun Glen, founded in 1862, had three mills by the 1870s. In 1863, and 1865, a small army garrison was stationed in the town to protect the miners from Indians. By 1894, the area was pretty much deserted. A larger town was built on the spot in 1908, named Chafey, when new ore discoveries were made. In 1913, operations at Chafey ceased.

What is left to see:

Dun Glen is a very pretty setting, marked by some large trees. However, nothing is left except some stone foundations, and some tailings from later mining operations. Probably not worth the 9 mile trip on a dirt road!

 

Photo 1991

Gold Canyon (Comstock Lode)

 

Background:

The Comstock Lode, which runs underneath the 7-mile long Gold Canyon, is the richest silver find in the history of the world.  A sign in Virginia City states “rocks that produced 1,000,000,000 in gold and silver”.

 

Although there are varying reports of small finds in the area dating as far back as 1849, the real discovery and development of the Comstock Lode began in 1859. A second major boom began in the 1870s, when the population of the major town on the Comstock, Virginia City, reached over 25,000 (making it the largest town in the West at that time).  The other towns in Gold Canyon, Silver City (population 1,200 in 1861) and Gold Hill (population 8,000in 1873) were also significant population centers.  Major mining continued on the Comstock until the late 1930s. 

 

Even today, the Comstock is probably still the richest silver deposit in the world.  However, most of the 600 miles of mine tunnels under Gold Canyon are flooded with water, and it is estimated that to pump it out would take a repository the size of Lake Tahoe!

 

What is left to see:

Gold Canyon probably has the largest concentration of “ghost” mines and mills of any comparable-sized area in the world.  The three aforementioned towns are still occupied, with Virginia City(1991 population: 700) being a significant tourist attraction.  In addition to the mine ruins in Gold Canyon, Virginia City has many 19^th-century buildings, including three significant churches, a vibrant main street area, and an opera house.

 

In the following photos, I’ve concentrated on the ghost mines.  The photos were taken at various times between 1985 and 1991

 

 

 

Near Gold Hill

 

Near Silver City

 

Near Silver City

 

Near Virginia City

 

Near Virginia City

Gold Point

 

Background

Gold Point has had three different names in its history, each in reference to the type of mineral being mined.  Originally christened Lime Point (1868), it later changed to Hornsilver (1908) and Gold Point (1930).  The latter is the name it still bears today.  At one point, New York Giants (baseball) owner Charles Stoneham owned the largest mine in the area, the Great Western.

 

Major mining operations stopped here during World War II, and by the 1960s, Gold Point was pretty much abandoned.  In recent years, many of the buildings have been restored, (see http://www.goldpointghosttown.com/).

What is left to see

There are 40+ buildings still standing here, many of them restored (see above).  Many mine hoist mechanisms dot the surrounding countryside, as well as significant mill remains. 

 

The photo above is from 1985, when the restoration was just beginning

 

1985 photo

 

2008 photo of mill ruins

 

Behind the “wallpaper” in one of the abandoned residential buildings (2008)

 

Grantsville

 

Background

Grantsville at its peak was much larger than the better-known Berlin, boasting 10+ stores, 12 saloons and a population of 800/1000 in 1879.  The town was pretty history by 1885, but mining has continued off and on as recently as World War II.

What’s left to see

There is a fairly well preserved mill (probably c. World War II), several buildings (including one of the original stone buildings from the 19^th century), a graveyard and a corral.  

 

 

 

 

Photos 1985

Humboldt City

 

Background

Humboldt City is one of those strange ghost towns in Nevada that have an exit off of I-80. The Humboldt exit of I-80 takes one to a trailer park. To get to the ghost town, an additional 4.5-mile trek is necessary, first, along an un-maintained state road that parallels I-80, and then on a winding, one-lane mining road that heads straight into the Humboldt range. Once in the completely deserted Humboldt City, there is a stunning view of the Rye Patch Reservoir to the west (see first photo).

 

At its peak in the 1860s, Humboldt City had over 200 hundred buildings. Over 1,000 silver discoveries were made in the Humboldt City area, before its abandonment in 1869.

What is left to see

Remains of about 20 buildings.  I suspect that some of these are from a later date than the 19^th century, and perhaps have been used as hunting shacks.  The photos are from 1991.

 

Lower Rochester

 

Background:

See Rochester.

What is left to see:

Several mining buildings and lift mechanisms are intact

 

 

 

Photos 1991

Manhattan

 

Background:

Although a small amount of mining was done in the area as early as 1867, Manhattan’s heyday started around 1905, when a post office opened, and the population swelled to 4,000 within a year.  Large-scale mining operations continued into the early 1950s, including a dredging operation that started in 1938.

 

As of 1985, Tenneco had started up mining operations in the area.

What’s left to see:

Several wooden buildings, the remains of a stone bank, lots of mine rubble, and a wooden church that once stood in Belmont.

 

Bank ruins

 

1874 church, moved from Belmont to Manhattan in 1908

 

 

Photos 1985

Millers

 

Background

You have to look hard to find Millers these days, but 85 years ago it had a railroad repair yard, silver mill, and cyanide plant.  Originally a desert oasis named “Desert Wells” (c. 1865), the town blossomed in 1904 when the Tonopah railroad located a repair yard here, and the name was changed to Millers (after a mining official).

 

It looked like Millers was going to experiencing a revitalization in the early 1980's, when the Anaconda company started up mining operations in the nearby mountains, but they have since been terminated, leaving old Millers in its serene state of decay.  (Photo  1985)

What’s left to see

Today there is a state highway rest area there (complete with several displays of local history), and the concrete remains of the old cyanide plant. A dugout house remains among the rubble, with a bed still inside - not very comfortable lodgings! 

 

Pine Grove

 

Background:

Pine Grove is your classic Nevada ghost town.  Founded after the Civil War; had a post office, newspaper and several mills; decline in the late 19^th century; revival in the 1960s.

 

I’ll claim a special affinity for Pine Grove, as it was my first Nevada ghost town.

What is left to see:

There are two pretty much intact buildings (assumedly dating to the 1960s revival) left in this isolated, eerie ghost camp. The view is quite spectacular, particularly if one is hardy enough to climb up one of the canyon sides.  Pine Grove is part of the Toiyabe National Forest.

 

Quartz Mountain

 

Background:

After initial discoveries in 1920, Quartz Mountain bloomed in 1926, and a small town was built (with buildings being moved in from Rawhide and Goldfield).  The town had almost died out by 1927.

What is left to see:

A mine hoist and an outhouse.  (Photo 1985)

 

Rawhide

 

Background

At its peak in 1908, Rawhide was actually larger than the more famous Rhyolite.  On Sept. 4, 1908 tragedy struck – a fire wiped out most of the town, and it was never rebuilt.

What’s left to see

The 1908 fire, the elements, and active mining operations have pretty much decimated Rawhide, with the only prominent ruins being that of a stone jail.

 

Rhodes

 

Background:

Rhodes served as a salt distribution center for the Hawthorne/ Comstock/Tonopah mining areas (nearby is a large salt marsh). Camels were utilized to transport salt to the Comstock. 

 

Rhodes was also a station on the Carson and Colorado Railroad. The Post Office closed in 1911.

 

What is left to see:

Rubble, and the remains of a lone salt loading tower.  (Photo 1985)

 

Rhyolite

 

Background:

Rhyolite is one of the most famous ghost towns in the old west, because of the large number of extant buildings.  Gold was originally discovered in the area by famous Death Valley prospector Frank "Shorty" Harris in 1904.  By 1907, there were four newspapers, three railroads, as well as a number of profitable mines and mills (one owned by Charles Schwab).  The financial panic of 1907 caused the boom town to go bust.

What is left to see:

Several streets are fairly intact, and there are impressive remains of a bank, school, jail, retail store, and the Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad station.  Also, the famous 1906 bottle house, made out of thousands of beer and champagne bottles can be seen here.   The photos are mostly 1996-2001.

 

 

 

c. 1907 photo of the Montgomery Shoshone Mill in Rhyolite (Library of Congress, PAN US GEOG - Nevada no. 4)

Rochester

 

Background:

Rochester Canyon was named in the early 1860s by, you guessed, people from Rochester, New York. The town wasn't established until 1912, though, when rich silver discoveries were made. Rochester had a number of buildings, two newspapers, and its own Philharmonic Orchestra. Heavy mining operations continued into the 1920s, but the area was pretty much deserted by 1942.

 

Rochester and Lower Rochester (about a mile away from each other) are both fairly easy to get to, and boast a number of intact buildings. Both are located about 9 miles east of the Oreana exit of 1-80. Helpfully, the exit signs on I-80 indicate the name Rochester, but you are on your own finding it after exiting I-80.

What is left to see:

Rochester has several standing wooden buildings (probably dwellings), as well as an intact mill.

 

 

 

 

Photos 1991

Rockland