Mining Camps
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A Walk Back in Time- Sutro Tunnel
Dayton Nevada Last May I received the rare opportunity to visit and bring some fellow historical researchers to photograph and write about this unique ghost town and event frozen in time. The town of Sutro has been closed to the public for the last 50 years. On October 19, 1869 Adolph Sutro raised enough money through stock sales to start a 9 year project to dig a 20,498 foot long tunnel from the hills east of Dayton to intersect the deep silver mines under Virginia City to drain, ventilate and provide an emergency exit. But a bigger reason was to provide both easier and cheaper alternate ore haulage for the…
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Candelaria – Mineral County Nevada
This is one of the easiest Ghost Towns to visit in Nevada. It is located of Highway 95 south of Mina and has a well marked sign directing you to the west on a paved road. Modern 1980’s mining still has buildings and offices for staff supervising ongoing restoration. Nearby is the old graveyard and a bit further the road becomes graded dirt which was the Main Street of Candelaria with ruins on both sides. The Jeep group I was with explored the area extensively and continued on the dirt road for 10 miles where it connects to highway 360. Candelaria was founded in 1864 when Mexican prospectors working the…
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Nye County 1950’s Abandoned Gold Mill
Late 1800’s – Early 1900’s miners cabins Copyright © Thanks for looking
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Tonopah Nevada-Victor Shaft Headframe and Swimming Pool
Tonopah Extention Mining Company. This is one of the deepest of the many silver mines in Tonopah. The headframe is the tallest remaining in Tonopah. The hot water from the 2375’ deep shaft fed the community pool provided by the company according to Nevada Expeditions Austen Metz until the mine closed in the 1950’s. The pool has a 10’ deep end as there were large diving boards. *After 1905 , two mining companies consolidated between them most of the productive mines in Tonopah: the Tonopah Extension Mining Company, controlling about 700 acres of property west of the Tonopah Mining Company’s property. The Tonopah Extension company had three mines – the…
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Belleville Mill-Mineral County Nevada
Highway 360 Belleville was founded in 1873 or 1874 and its primary industry was the mill processing ore from the Northern Belle Mine at Candelaria. Its first bullion bar shipment of $9,200 was made in April 1875. The town was famed for a “Wild West” atmosphere; murders, drunken brawls, and “sporting” practical jokes were commonplace. When the Carson and Colorado Railroad reached the town in 1882 its population was 500, and the town was served by a doctor, assay office, express office, telegraph station, livery stable, school, two hotels, restaurants, and blacksmith shops as well as by seven saloons. The post office was in operation from December 1874 until 1894.…
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Rhyolite Railroad Depot – Las Vegas and Tonopah RR
Rhyolite RR Depot Las Vegas and Tonopah RR 1906 Rhyolite, Nevada was founded in 1904 after Shorty Harris and Ed Cross discovered Gold in the Rhyolite Quartz at the Bullfrog mine. By 1906 the town had two railroad lines and a population of 10,000. The mines, however, did not produce as expected and by the early 1910s Rhyolite was abandoned. By 1914 only 25 residents lived there. Charles M. Schwab the Financier and father of present day investment company President and present day namesake. By 1906, Schwab had very seriously invested in what was happening in Rhyolite by purchasing the Montgomery Shoshone Mine. By 1906, Schwab had very seriously invested…
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Virginia City Nevada: Annabelle’s House
Annabelle’s House 1863. Virginia City NevadaHer kind son Reggie invited me in to share the history of his mother’s house he inherited. Please read it’s history in the second photo. The old picture of a worker in the hard hat is proported to be a descendant of Lawyer, Gunman John Wesley Harden.
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Silver City Nevada
Lost and Found
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The Cannon Ball Safe 1896
The Nevada Company, Berlin Nevada founded by James G Stokes. Only old time ingenuity would come up with such an ingenious idea to stop strong boxes from being stolen. Make something so heavy and impossible to lift and carry, no matter how many men and horses you have. The cannonball safe weights 2,400 pounds and has walls a foot thick on each side. The interior compartment is 10” in diameter. The safe made a weakly trip between Austin and Berlin. Plus it had a removable double dial. One of which was in Berlin and the other in Austin. Makes it pretty hard to open without a dial. Also, how would…
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Time Machines – Goldfield Nevada
