Nevada Ghost Towns. Where fences dwindle and trespassing signs have
rusted away. The majority of these towns are abandoned and located in deserted areas of the state.
Built by miners and prospectors between
1850-1920. Not your normal
tourist destinations and definitely not recommended for
children. Some contain only partial structures with the
existing frames dangerous to enter. Broken boards with
rusty nails abound. Most of the roads into these towns
are gravel and there will be few if any people around to
answer your questions. If this does not deter you than
continue on and relive the boom years of the Old West
where most lived on hope and anyone with a pick and
shovel had the dream of becoming rich. The following is a
list of some of the most prominent and interesting but
largely deserted ghost towns.
Aurora - About 20 miles
southwest of Hawthorne. Aurora is one of the oldest ghost
towns in Nevada. Founded by a few lone prospectors who
uncovered gold and silver here on Antelope Creek. Take Rt
359 south 1 mi to Rt 338 into the Toiyabe National
Forest. Travel 20 mi to the North Fork juncture. Aurora
is estimated to have shipped $35 million of ore during
its active mining days. Peaking from 1861-1881 with 8,000
residents, 20 saloons, and two newspapers. Mark Twain
spent six months in Aurora before moving on to Virginia
City where he began his career as a reporter for the
"Enterprise" newspaper in 1862. Most of
Aurora's 700 wooden buildings have been destroyed by the
elements. Deserted.
Belmont - From
Tonopah take US 6 east 7 mi to Rt 376, then north 38 mi
on Rt 376 turning east on Rt 377 past Manhattan to
Belmont. Belmont was at its peak from 1865-1885 producing $15 million of silver and lead.
Its population approached 6,000.
The Nye county seat was moved from Ione to Belmont in 1867.
One of Belmont's most impressive structures is its two-story brick courthouse used between 1876 and 1905.
The Nevada Division of State Parks offers courthouse tours during the
first weekend of each month from June to August.
The courthouse (built in 1876) is
listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Occupied.
NV, Belmont
(photo courtesy Library of Congress, dated 1871)
Eureka - Located
on US 50 in the center of Nevada. Once the second largest
city in the state after Virginia City with 80 saloons and a population of 10,000 people in the 1870s.
Today
it is one of the best preserved of these 19th century mining towns
with many of the original buildings still standing. Part of the reason stems from the fact that
most of the town was built of brick to prevent the spread
of fire that destroyed many of its neighbors. This is
also why the town was never deserted. Eureka has restored
its courthouse, opera house, museum, and other historic
buidings. Eureka has several gas stations, restaurants,
and hotels. Occupied.
NV, Eureka, Courthouse which opened in 1879.
Gabbs - From
Fallon take US 50 east 40 mi to Middlegate, then south on
Rt 361 for 30 miles till you reach Gabbs. This small town
continues to mine magnesium and gold. There is a motel,
cafe, gas station, and grocery store. Occupied.
Gilbert - From
Hawthorne take Rt 95 south about 50 mi past Mina to Rt
360, then south 10 mi south on Rt 360. Deserted.
Goldfield - From
Tonopah take Rt 95 south 20 miles to Goldfield. Visit
what was once the largest city in Nevada in 1906 when it had a population of 25,000. A
result of the Tonopah & Goldfield Railroad
connection. A flash flood in 1913 carried away many of
the towns valuables. The area west of the city is a
treasure hunter's paradise.
The Goldfield Hotel continues to be
the centerpiece of the town and when it opened in 1908 it was the most luxurious
hotel in the state. A remnant of the boisterous days of gold
and silver mining days during the boom years from 1902-1920.
Over $100 million was taken from mines surrounding the town during these
years. Presently Goldfield has a gas station, some shops, two
RV parks, and restaurants. As the gold ran dry by 1920
most of the people left. Occupied.
Goodsprings -
From Las Vegas take I-15 south 30 miles to Rt 161, then
west 8 miles. One of the earliest mined areas which
predates most American prospecting. The area was mined by
Indians 300 years before the arrival of the first
Europeans. At its peak, Goodsprings had about 200 people
and produced about $30 million from a range of minerals
including platinum, palladium, gold, and zinc until the
1930s. The town lies in a beautiful valley that has a
panoramic view of the surrounding mountains. There are
more than two hundred buildings that still stand at this
site. This ghost town has been chosen as the set of many Hollywood movies. Deserted.
Hamilton - From
Eureka take US 50 east 15 mi, then the Forest Road 402
south. Hamilton is located just inside the Humboldt
National Forest boundary in the center of a half dozen
nearby ghost towns. This town was founded in 1867 after a
silver strike drew miners from all parts of Nevada. The
strike was exceptionally rich and easy to mine but short
lived. Most of the silver was located at the surface and
quickly excavated. At its peak in 1869 tons of silver
were shipped out but the strike was soon exhausted in
only a few years. The town was thereafter partially destroyed by a fire in 1873. Today many buildings still remain and is among the most scenic of Nevada's ghost towns.
Deserted.
Hawthorne - On
the south shore of Walker Lake at the intersection of Rts
95 and 359, 100 miles west of Tonopah. Hawthorne was
established in the 1880s as a railroad depot between
Mound House and Candelaria. It became an ammunition depot
in the 1920s and is presently a fishing resort. Hawthorne
has two campgrounds. The Walker Lake State Recreation
Area is located 12 miles north of Hawthorne off Rt 95
where visitors enjoy boating, water skiing, and fishing
in Walker Lake. Occupied.
Ione - Fifteen
miles east of Gabbs on Rt 844, then north about 5 miles
on Rt 91 to Ione. Located in the Toiyabe National Forest.
Ione was founded in 1864 and is one of the oldest ghost
towns in Nevada. The first of Nye County's seats which
once had about 600 residents. Located at the entrance to
the Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park. There is also a
Toiyabe NF campground located 10 mi from Ione on FR 119.
Occupied.
Manhattan - From
Tonopah east on Rt 6 for 7 miles, then north on Rt 376
for 38 miles turning east on Rt 377, seven miles to
Manhattan. A rich silver mining town with a less than
illustrious start. The town began with small strikes in
1866 and then took 40 years to find the mother lode.
Manhattan along with Goldfield and Tonopah were the last
of Nevada's ghost towns. The town peaked from 1900- 1920.
Remnants include a Catholic church, post office, and bank
building. The country store is open and some residents still live here.
A Toiyabe NF campground is located nearby (from
Manhattan take Rt 377 E 7 mi, Rt 376 S 2 mi, FR 020 11 mi
to the campground). Occupied.
Marietta - From
Hawthorne take Rt 95 south 40 mi to Rt 360, then continue
on Rt 360 to Marietta. One of the smallest ghost towns in
Nevada. Located about 18 miles SW of Mina. The home of
rich borax deposits that were transported on 20-mule
teams in the 1880s. At its peak, Marietta had 10 saloons
and 200 people. The city was slowly abandoned in the
1890s when richer borax deposits were discovered in Death
Valley. Deserted.
Rhyolite - Rhyolite is 35 miles from the Furnace Creek Visitor Center at Death Valley NP near Beatty. From
Beatty take Rt 95 then Rt 374 five miles southwest to
the heart of the town. Location of one of the state's largest
freshwater springs. When the Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad
arrived in 1906 it made Rhyolite one of the largest towns on the rail line between
Las Vegas and points West. By 1908 Rhyolite was home to about
7,000 residents, 45 saloons, 10 hotels, a post office, opera house and
bank. Visitors can view remains of
mine shafts, the Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad Depot,
three story bank building, and some stores and saloons that were restored in 1925 by Paramount pictures. The ghost town of Rhyolite is on a mixture of federal and private land.
Tonopah - The
third of Nye County's seats after Ione and Belmont.
Located between Reno and Las Vegas at the intersection of
Rt 95 and Rt 6. This silver mining town stimulated the
second wave of prospecting activity in the early 20th
century. Tonopah was at its peak in the early 1900s with
3,000 people, a newspaper, churches, and over 30 saloons.
When the silver was exhausted around 1920, the town
shrunk to a few hundred people. Today it has a
supermarket, hotel, campground, casino, and historical
museum with numerous artifacts from the boom years. Its
premier attraction is the restored, five-story, stone
Mizpah Hotel that stands in the center of town. Built in 1907 it is a symbol
of Tonopah's flamboyant boom years. A good place to
recall these pioneer days is the Central Nevada Museum of
Tonopah where artifacts of this era are on display.
Several mines continue to produce gold and silver.
Occasionally visitors uncover petrified wood, silver,
gold, and gems of opal and jasper in the surrounding
terrain. Several Toiyabe NF campgrounds are located 6 mi
E of Tonopah on Rt 6, then 55 mi N on Rts 376 and 82.
Occupied.
Virginia City -
The first of many mining towns that sprang up in the wake
of the 1859 Gold Rush to Nevada. Comstock was the
location of the richest silver strike ever recorded in
America. The Comstock Lode silver deposits occupied
nearly all of the south side of Sun Mountain. Virginia
City sprang up almost overnight to become the largest
city in Nevada. Thousands flocked to this rich strike in
search of their fortunes. At its peak in the 1870s,
Virginia City had 30,000 people, a newspaper, 100
saloons, three theaters, and six churches. The fortunes
of many faded however when the mine was exhausted in the
1880s.
NV, Virginia City, Comstock Lode
(photo courtesy Library of Congress, dated 1867)
Today Virginia City is
among the best preserved of Nevada's old mining towns.
Its brick and stone buildings have weathered well and
stand as memorials to this once prosperous city. Many of
the original hotels, stores, and restaurants continue to
serve visitors to Virginia City. In contrast to many of
the previously mentioned towns, Virginia City is a safe
place for all to enjoy Nevada's past, including children.
Occupied. www.calneva.com/ghosts and
www.travelnevada.com/nevada_mining_town.asp
