Ghost Towns and Mining Camps of Southern Nevada

by Shawn Hall

Overview

“[A] photo-packed look at Southern Nevada’s boom-and-bust civic casualties” (Las Vegas Review-Journal).
 
Ghost towns and mining camps are the last remaining vestiges of the Old West; there is a mystique surrounding these places that has made exploring them a pastime for many in the western United States. Nevada has more than a thousand of these boom-and-bust towns. Some are completely abandoned, while some still struggle to survive and even serve as county seats. Sadly, these wonderful places, including those covered in this volume, are constantly in danger from vandalism and neglect. Many ghost towns and mining camps have been destroyed or damaged needlessly, and those who are captivated by their charm must protect these windows into history so that they survive for future generations.
 
Includes photos!
 
“Few folks know as much about Nevada ghost towns as author Shawn Hall.” —Nevada Appeal
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781439623220
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	10/20/2018
Series:	Images of America Series
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	131
File size:	54 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Shawn Hall caught ghost-town fever in 1979 and has been writing books on Nevada’s ghost towns ever since. Hall has also been the head of a number of museums throughout the state that have received many awards under his tutelage. He lives in Tonopah with his daughter, Heather, who in her fifteen years has been on more ghost-town trips than she ever wanted.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

TONOPAH

Jim Butler, a local rancher, discovered silver ore here on May 19, 1900. He and his wife, Belle, filed eight claims. Six of these — Desert Queen, Burro, Valley View, Silver Top, Buckboard, and Mizpah — turned into some of the biggest producers the state has ever had. Tonopah began to grow by leaps and bounds.

By January 1901, there were 40 men in the camp. Within weeks, the population had grown to 250. The mines around the town produced almost $750,000 in gold and silver in 1901, and for the next 40 years, the Tonopah mines were consistent producers. Population peaked around 7,000.

The Tonopah Railroad, completed in 1904, connected Tonopah to the Carson and Colorado Railroad at Sodaville. The rails were extended to Goldfield in the fall of 1905, and the railroad was renamed the Tonopah and Goldfield Railroad. In May 1905, Tonopah became the county seat.

Tonopah's mines maintained a high yearly production until the Depression brought a slowdown. Mine production from 1900 to 1921 was almost $121 million. All production ceased at the beginning of World War II, and in 1947, the Tonopah and Goldfield Railroad folded. Tonopah now has a population of about 2,800.

During recent times, the town's proximity to the Nellis Air Force Bombing and Gunnery Range supported the town. Tonopah was home to the super-secret Stealth fighters and bombers. When the Stealth base was relocated to New Mexico in the 1990s, Tonopah lost almost half of its population.

Tourism now plays a large part in the local economy. Many historic buildings remain in the town. Two museums are in Tonopah: the Tonopah Historic Mining Park and the Central Nevada Museum. Both have many displays and thousands of mining artifacts. The mining park features a walking tour through its 110-acre property, which features original head frames, mining buildings, and an underground tour. The Central Nevada Museum has an outdoor ghost town comprised of old buildings saved from destruction from the local area. Both provide a wonderful look at Tonopah's vibrant mining past.

As soon as Tonopah was established, a large promotional campaign was launched. Because of the remoteness of the town, it was a challenge to attract miners to work in the mines. With so much rich ore available, mine owners needed to get it out quick. As a result, miners were offered some of the highest wages available in the West. (SRH.)

The founder of Tonopah, Jim Butler, poses with his mule. Legend has it that when Butler was camping at Tonopah Springs, he got angry at the mule, picked up a rock to throw at him, and realized that the weight of the rock was odd. It was solid silver, and the rest is history. (SRH.)

By early 1901, the town of Tonopah was still in its infancy. Most of the structures in town were still wood-framed tents, but the transition had started, as a few wood structures were being built on what would become Main Street. Population at this time was only around 200, but it had ballooned to 1,000 by the end of the year. (CNHS.)

A freight wagon unloads at Tonopah during the spring of 1901. Lack of nearby wood slowed initial construction until freight lines became established, and many businesses were housed in tents. On the slopes of the mountain in the background, the development of the town's major mines is just getting underway. (CNHS.)

Because of the low supply and high expense of lumber, residents of Tonopah scrounged for anything that would make a home to protect against the cold winter wind. Here the choice was old water barrels. When filled with dirt, they would provide some insulation. High on the mountain, the North Star Mine is visible. (SRH.)

While this might look like a nice cut-stone house, it is actually made from empty 5-gallon oil cans. The oil was used for lubrication in the milling equipment, and there was always a constant supply of the cans. Inventive miners wanting to construct a cheap home took advantage. (SRH.)

With the large amount of saloons during Tonopah's early years, empty beer bottles were also in supply. This home was built with 10,000 bottles, carefully chinked with adobe. Unfortunately, a number of years ago, the building was torn down to sell the bottles. A number of other bottle houses were built in other mining towns in southern Nevada. (SRH.)

By 1902, Tonopah was starting to look like a permanent town. The main street was lined with businesses, and a few multistory buildings had been constructed. Mining was really hitting its stride. On the hillside in the background, the new steel head frame of the mighty Mizpah Mine overlooks the boomtown. (CNHS.)

The entire population of Tonopah gathered on Main Street in 1902 for this photograph. This view gives a good feel about how far the town's development had progressed in only two years. The street is lined with wood-framed buildings, and all of the tent businesses are now gone. The future was bright indeed for the town. (SS.)

This money order shows a stamp of "Tonopah, Nev" over the original town name of Butler. The name was change to Tonopah after the postmaster general determined that there were already too many towns called Butler with post offices and told the townspeople they would have to choose another name. (SRH.)

The Northern Saloon, located on Main Street, was owned by Wyatt Earp. Legend has it that one time he went to a friend's claim to find him being harassed by a couple of thugs. Earp told them to leave, and they said, "Who do you think you are?" He told them; they turned white and ran away, never to be seen in Tonopah again. (CNHS.)

The Brougher building was the first three-story building constructed in Tonopah. It housed the Tonopah Bank and a hotel. The Mizpah Grill next door would later be razed to make way for the construction of one of the most modern hotels of its era, the Mizpah Hotel. The Brougher building still stands today. (SS.)

Tonopah became well known for its Fourth of July celebrations. This one from 1903 shows miners participating in a drilling contest. These events were extremely popular, and the tradition continues today. The Nevada State Mining Championships still take place in Tonopah during Jim Butler Days, held over Memorial Day weekend. (SRH.)

Silver was being produced by the ton from the mines. This tabletop of silver bricks, worth $250,000 at the time, is ready for shipment on the railroad's Wells Fargo car, which was guarded by a team of agents. The silver was cast in 100-pound bricks to prevent any of them from "walking off." (SS.)

The Mizpah Mine was the mainstay of the Tonopah Mining Company, which produced more than $47 million during its lifetime. This figure is based on the silver price at the time, which was 40¢ an ounce. Now it is worth more than $1.7 billion. To the right is the head frame, in the middle is the hoist house, and at left is the four-story ore bin, the largest in Tonopah. (SRH.)

The Tonopah Extension Mine was another major producer at Tonopah. It was active from 1904 to 1939 and produced $22 million at 40¢ an ounce. Charles Schwab, of investment fame, was the owner of the company for many years. The company had a 60-stamp mill to process its ore. (SRH.)

The Montana Tonopah Mine was another prominent Tonopah mine. While it was only active from 1903 until 1925, it did produce $9.3 million in ore. The huge mill, steel head frame, and other surface buildings were dismantled shortly after the closure. The site is now part of the Tonopah Historic Mining Park. (SRH.)

The five-story Mizpah Hotel has always been the centerpiece structure of Tonopah. The hotel was completed in 1908 and cost $200,000 to construct. It boasted baths, steam heat, and elevators. In the 1980s, the hotel underwent a $1-million restoration. However, the Mizpah has been closed for a number of years and awaits a new owner. (SRH.)

The arrival of the railroad in Tonopah on July 25, 1904, was met with great fanfare and a three-day celebration. Having a railroad greatly accelerated the town's growth because more ore was able to be shipped compared to the slow pace it took horse-drawn wagons. Goods also were able to flow freely into town to aid in its expansion. (SRH.)

Citizens were very proud when the town library opened in 1912. The library is still used today and is the oldest continuously operating community library in Nevada. It was built using locally quarried stone and was recently restored. A new addition has been built to better serve its patrons. (SRH.)

In 1900, the monitor USS Nevada was launched. However, in 1909, it was renamed the USS Tonopah so a new battle ship could be commissioned as the USS Nevada. Residents took pride in their ship and followed its adventures. Tonopah was one of very few towns that had the honor of a ship named for it. The ship was decommissioned in 1920 and was later sold for scrap. (SRH.)

As Tonopah continued to boom, it was necessary to build a much larger school. A very attractive two-story wood building was constructed. It served for many years until a new high school was built in the 1950s. The building remained empty for years and was finally torn down because of safety issues. (SS.)

After the railroad arrived in Tonopah, spurs were run to many of the major mines, which allowed for easy transport of ore. Here flatbed cars are loaded with sacks of ore from the Tonopah Extension Mine to be taken for processing at mills located 10 miles west of town. (SRH.)

Tonopah was at its peak in the early 1910s, when this photograph was taken. By this time, Tonopah was a true city in all aspects. Taken looking north, the image shows all the major mines and mills. Note how some of the mines are located in the middle of town. The Mizpah Hotel and the adjacent Belvada building dominate the downtown section. The Tonopah Belmont Mine and Mill are located over the crest of the hill. This was the scene of the deadliest mine accident in Tonopah's history. Tragedy struck on February 28, 1911. A mysterious fire, small but smoky, broke out at the bottom of the 1,200-foot shaft of the Belmont Mine at 7:00 in the morning. Although many men were brought to safety, 17 men perished in the mine, including "Big" Bill Murphy, who saved numerous men by riding down the shaft and pulling them to safety before perishing on his last trip. (SRH.)

The Tonopah and Goldfield Railroad depot in lower Tonopah was a busy place in 1912. The depot stood empty after the railroad folded in the late 1940s. In 1979, the Central Nevada Museum had worked everything out to restore the building for use as the museum. However, arson claimed the building in October 1980 before work started. (SRH.)

Here is a view of the Mizpah Mine in the 1940s after mining had ended. During the 1950s and 1960s, Howard Hughes had control of most of Tonopah's old mines. He spent much of his time living here, experimenting with improvements to the Hughes drill and attempting to find ways to increase ore recovery rates. During his time here, Hughes married his second wife, Jean Peters, in a local motel. (SRH.)

This is a modern-day view of the Desert Queen Mine. This is one of only two wooden head frames remaining in Tonopah. It also has a complete hoist house with all of the original engines and equipment inside. Unfortunately, the head frame is in danger as its support legs are rotting through, and unless it undergoes restoration very soon, this rare and beautiful artifact of Tonopah's past will be lost. (Lorraine Hall.)

The Mizpah head frame, one of the first steel frames built in Nevada, has undergone two different restorations during the past five years and is ready to continue overlooking the town of Tonopah for many years to come. The hoist house has a complete set of hoisting works that was actually used off and on through the 1960s and could be put back into operating condition very easily. (SRH.)

At the Silver Top Mine, a completely intact ore sorting building still remains. This is the only one of its type left in Nevada. The workers assigned to this building suffered tremendously from silicosis because of all of the dust inside. Restoration work has stabilized the building, and it will remain an iconic part of the Tonopah Historic Mining Park for many years to come. (SRH.)

The Silver Top head frame was made from huge redwood timbers hauled in from California. The 1,200-foot shaft is wood lined and is completely intact, in itself a rarity in these old mines. It also has an intact hoist house. These are extremely rare, and for three complete hoisting works to be intact in one place is astonishing. (SRH.)

CHAPTER 2

RHYOLITE AND BULLFROG

Although Rhyolite was relatively short-lived, it has a history of dramatic rise and swift decline. Rhyolite formed soon after Frank "Shorty" Harris and Eddie Cross made rich discoveries in the summer of 1904. Soon a small camp sprang up, called Bullfrog. Another camp, Rhyolite, formed a half mile to the north. One of the first substantial buildings constructed was the $30,000 two-story Southern Hotel.

Rhyolite reached its peak in 1907 and 1908. Its population then was estimated to be anywhere from 8,000 to 12,000. During this time, two weekly newspapers and one daily were published. Rhyolite was served by three railroads, an honor rarely bestowed on any Nevada city.

In January 1907, a network of 400 electric streetlight poles was installed, and soon Rhyolite was brightly lit 24 hours a day. During Rhyolite's brief stardom, more than 85 mining companies were active in the area, with the Montgomery-Shoshone being the most productive.

The financial panic of 1907 killed Rhyolite. The devastating effects of the panic did not reach Rhyolite until 1908. The city emptied as fast as it had been populated only a few years earlier. By the end of 1909, the population was well below 1,000. The Montgomery-Shoshone Mine, the last real hope of survival for Rhyolite, closed after producing close to $2 million.

The population had shrunk to 675 by 1910, and the streetlights were shut off. By 1918, all railroad service had left, but hardly anyone was left to use it for the last few years. The population of the almost-dead town had shrunk to 14 by the beginning of 1920. The last resident, J. D. Lorraine, died in 1924.

Thankfully, for Rhyolite and its visitors, the town site is now under the care of the Bureau of Land Management and the Friends of Rhyolite, working together to preserve what is left of the town and protecting it from further vandalism. Rhyolite is clearly one of the best ghost towns in Nye County and in the state. A visit to Rhyolite in 1979 was the main reason this author embarked on a lifetime of ghost towning.

Rhyolite in May 1905 was a bustling town. The boom is on, and a well-defined street system has already developed after less than a year. As was typical with a fledgling town, the majority of the structures are tents, but at this point, there are already some substantial multiple-story buildings, a sign of the coming prosperity. (CNHS.)

Another early-1905 view of Rhyolite looking to the east shows the town's rapid growth. The town is nestled in a small valley between two mountains. In the distance, a small straight line of white tents is the sister camp of Bullfrog. While the two camps grew separately, within a couple of years, both had grown until they basically merged. (CNHS.)

While the boom was going on in Rhyolite, 5 miles away, Beatty was also growing. The town was centrally located and quickly developed into a shipping center for area mining camps. However, most of its prosperity came from supplying Rhyolite. Here the population of Beatty gathers on Main Street. (CNHS.)

By the summer of 1905, the gap between Bullfrog and Rhyolite was quickly filling in with miners' tents. The town of Bullfrog is comprised of the row of buildings on either side of the wide street to the left. William Stewart's law office is the only wood structure evident in the foreground. (CNHS.)

The bearded gentleman in this photograph is William Stewart. He had served as a senator from Nevada from 1864 until 1875. He was senator again from 1887 until 1905, when he retired. By the time he came to Rhyolite, he was over 80 years old. He practiced law in the booming town until he died in his office on April 23, 1909. (CNHS.)

By December 1905, Rhyolite's population had already grown to about 2,000. The town's main thoroughfare, Golden Street, was lined with business, including some of the first stone buildings constructed. Recreational activities had started, and Rhyolite residents built a baseball field and fielded a team of strong miners. Four different stage lines were running each day to the booming town. (CNHS.)

Frank "Shorty" Harris was already a longtime Nevada and Death Valley prospector when he and Ed Cross made the initial discoveries in the hills above Bullfrog and Rhyolite. Originally from Rhode Island, Harris came west in the 1870s. Most of his adult life was spent in the area. He died at Big Pine, California, and was buried in Death Valley. (CNHS.)

(Continues…)

---

Excerpted from "Ghost Towns and Mining Camps of Southern Nevada"
by .
Copyright © 2010 Shawn Hall.
Excerpted by permission of Arcadia Publishing.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

---

Table of Contents

Title Page,
Copyright Page,
Dedication,
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS,
INTRODUCTION,
One - TONOPAH,
Two - RHYOLITE AND BULLFROG,
Three - BELMONT,
Four - MANHATTAN,
Five - TYBO,
Five - GOLDFIELD,
Seven - CANDELARIA,
Eight - CARRARA,
Nine - AURORA,