Tag: Esmeralda County

Esmeralda County, located in Nevada, is a sparsely populated region known for its rugged desert landscapes and historical mining sites. It is situated in the southwestern part of the state, characterized by vast expanses of arid terrain dotted with sparse vegetation and mountain ranges. The county’s history is deeply intertwined with mining, particularly during the late 19th and early 20th centuries when it experienced a boom due to discoveries of gold, silver, and other minerals. Today, Esmeralda County remains one of the least populated counties in Nevada, maintaining a sense of isolation and tranquility amidst its stark natural beauty. It attracts visitors interested in exploring its mining heritage, stargazing under clear desert skies, and enjoying the solitude of its remote landscapes.

Columbus Nevada State Historic Marker #20

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Columbus Nevada is Nevada State Historical Marker number twenty and is located in Esmeralda County, Nevada.

A group of Spanish miners discovered silver ore near Columbus, in 1863, and a new mining camp is founded a few years later. In 1866, a mill transported to Columbus from Aurora began to process gold and silver ore. The camp is ideal location for a mill, as it was the only stop for several miles with enough water to properly process the ore. The discovery of borax, in 1871,dramatically increase the economic viability of the town.

Columbus Nevada Late 1870s
Columbus Nevada Late 1870s

Columbus probably enjoyed its most prosperous time in about 1875, when the population was reported to have reached 1,000.  That year, the town had many kinds of business establishments, including a post office and a newspaper, The Borax Miner.

In 1881, about 100 people were left after the borax operations had practically ceased.  All mining and milling stopped entirely shortly after that time.

Nevada State Historic Marker 20 Text

The remnants of Columbus are located on the edge of the Columbus salt marsh, five miles to the southwest.

The town was initially settled in 1865, when a quartz mill was erected at the site.  This was a favorable location for a mill, because it was the only spot for several miles around where water was in sufficient quantity for operation.

The full importance of Columbus was not recognized until 1871, when William Troop discovered borax in the locality.  Shortly thereafter, four borax companies were actively engaged in working the deposits on the marsh.

Columbus probably enjoyed its most prosperous time in about 1875, when the population was reported to have reached 1,000.  That year, the town had many kinds of business establishments, including a post office and a newspaper, The Borax Miner.

In 1881, about 100 people were left after the borax operations had practically ceased.  All mining and milling stopped entirely shortly after that time.

STATE HISTORICAL MARKER No. 20
STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE

Nevada State Historic Marker Map

Nevada State Historic Marker Summary

Nevada State Historical Markers identify significant places of interest in Nevada’s history. The Nevada State Legislature started the program in 1967 to bring the state’s heritage to the public’s attention with on-site markers. Budget cuts to the program caused the program to become dormant in 2009. Many of the markers are lost of damaged.

ID20
NameColumbus, Nevada
LoctaionEsmeralda Couty, Nevada
Latitude, Longitude38.1496,-117.9472

References

Nivloc Nevada – Esmeralda County Ghost Town

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In 1907, Gold was discovered at the town site which would be known as Nivloc Nevada by a Native American prospector. The town derived its name from for the former owners “Colvin” who operated the site in 1923. The name spelled backwards was Nivloc and such is the haste in the Nevadan desert.

Nivloc mine and camp - Tonopah Times-Bonanza - Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps - Paher
Nivloc mine and camp – Tonopah Times-Bonanza – Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps – Paher

The original mining operations were short lived. The town experienced a bit of a resurgence in the 1930s. The town never amounted to much boasting only one saloon. At its height of operation from 1940 to 1943 the town could claim a post office. Between 1937 and 1943 the small town produced between $2 and $3 million dollars of Gold and Silver. The 400,000 tons of ore was pulled from mines reaching depths 440 feet and 600 feet of below the surface. During this time, the mines of Nivloc ranked as Nevada’s number one silver producer.

Nivloc Today

We have not made a trip to Nivloc, however the townsite is very high on my ghost town “to do” list. There are several standing structures and buildings intact. The mine headframe is still standing at and a rail trestle bridge which is one hundred and twenty feet in length and forty feet tall.

Town Summary

TownNivloc, Nevada
LocationEsmeralda County, Nevada
Latitude, Longitude37.71583, -117.75722
Elevation6,170 feet
GNIS851592
Post OfficeOctober 1940 to November 1943

Nivloc Map

Resources

Weepah Nevada – Esmeralda County Ghost Town

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The site of the last major gold rush in 1927, Weepah Nevada is a ghost town and gold mine site located in Esmeralda County. Named for the Shoshone word for “rain water”, the townsite was formed in 1902 when gold was discovered in shallow pockets by Indians. A modest rush of 200 people found their way to the small outpost, however the district would soon go dormant and stay that way for the next twenty five years.

Tents and autos parked along side during during the goldrush of 1927 - Leonard Trayner Collection - Paher
Tents and autos parked along side during during the goldrush of 1927 – Leonard Trayner Collection – Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Gamps – Paher

Gold was rediscovered in March 1927 by Leonard Trayner and Frank Horton, Jr. from Tonopah. Initial assay results valued the ore at $70,000 per ton. News of this strike could not be kept quiet and spread out like wildfire across the nearby mining communities of the desert and beyond.

"Mail order miners" did not look the part of the desert prospecots like Shorty Harris. - Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Gamps - Paher
“Mail order miners” did not look the part of the desert prospecots like Shorty Harris. – Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Gamps – Paher

Twenty years prior would have seen an influx of wagons and horses bringing in the miners. Weepahs gold rush was powered by the newly available automobile. The auto powered the rush and the speed of the boom and within one week of the new of “gold” in Weepah, the town was bursting with over 1,000 people searching for their fortune in the hills. Many of these miners came via auto and were fully equipped and supplied well, often even driving new cars to the site an known as “mail order prospectors”. Soon, wooden frame houses rose above the older city which was comprised from a sea of tents. The town could be found from three roads, which were often jammed with autos as the towns population was between 1500 and 2000 people.

Regardless of production, reporters filed daily briefings and international newsreels informed the population of the ongoing modern gold rush. In April, the build boom continued with about 60 wooden framed buildings and over a dozen mining companies. Despite the promotion and news reels, interest in Weepah waned in July 1927. The last great gold rush in Nevada was over when the “mail order prospectors” broke camp and ran from the realities of the Nevadan desert.

Weepah Nevada Map

Town Summary

NameWeepah, Nevada
LocationEsmeralda County, Nevada
Latitude, Longitude37.931876389209,-117.5600734418
GNIS856169
Elevation6.165 Feet
Population1,500 – 2,000
Post Office

Resources

Lida Nevada – Esmeralda County Ghost Town

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Now on private property, Lida Nevada is a ghost town and mining camp located in Esmeralda County, Nevada just off State Route 266. The area probably saw it first activity in the 1860’s when Mexican and Native Americans worked the surrounding hills for gold. Their efforts were limited by their ability to extract gold from the ore. In the spring of 1867, American prospects arrived in Lida Valley and took steps to organize a mining district.

Lida Tent City in 1905
Lida Tent City in 1905

The town of Lida Valley was organized and plotted in March 1872. The town experienced an influx people and soon supported common business for these mining towns including a livery, stables, shops, saloons and a Post Office. On March 17, 1873, the United States authorized a post office for the small community. There was some confusion caused by the remote region and the post office was authorized for Inyo County, California. This mistake was corrected the following month. April 31, 1873 saw the newly established post office operating as Lida, Nevada.

Freight was brought into Lida from the nearest rail station in Wadsworth. The supplies were hauled into Lida from Silverpeak using a newly build road for $100 per ton. Ore was processed at one of steam powered mills which were constructed and springs in the area. A five stamp mill and an eight stamp mill processed ore and higher quality ore with value of $500 to $1000 per ton was hauled to Belmont and Austin for processing. In the 1870’s mining declined and by the 1880s Lida only had 10 businesses in operation.

In 1905 the town of Goldfield experienced a gold boom. Lida formed a chamber of commerce to capitalize on the event. The weekly Lida Enterprise was published and stage service to Goldfield was established. The springs near Lida helped supply Goldfield utilizing a newly constructed pipe between the towns. An automobile stage was setup in 1905 to provide service between Lida and Big Pine, California.

Prospecting Parties in Lida, Nevada
Prospecting Parties in Lida, Nevada

Lida prospered for about three years until the camp started to decline once again. Important properties were tied up in litigation which hampered the towns growth. Just prior to World War I, schools, hotels and some ranches found operation until the town languished completed.

Today, Lida is on private property.

Nevada State Historic Marker Text

Known as a contact point for Shoshone and Northern Paiute Indians, Lida Valley was the site of early prospecting in 1860’s.

Later prospectors organized a mining district in 1867 and laid out the town in 1872. Soon stores, shops, stables and a post office were established. Some ore was milled locally, yet high-grade ore ($500-$1,000 per ton) was treated at Austin or Belmont. After 1880 mining declined.

Lida revived and thrived for three years during the Goldfield boom but declined again in 1907. Mining efforts resumed a few years later, and a small community existed here until World War I.

Lida Historical Plaque

Nevada State Historic Marker Summary

NameLida
LocationEsmeralda County, Nevada
Nevada State Historic Marker157
Latitude, Longitude37.4580, -117.4985

Town Summary

NameLida
LocationEsmeralda County, Nevada
Latitude, Longitude37.4582807,-117.5068931
Elevation6,810 Feet
GNIS841625
Population300
NewspaperLida Enterprise
Post Office1873 – 1932

Lida Nevada Map

Resources

Columbia Nevada – Esmeralda County Ghost Town

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The Columbia Nevada ghost town and mine site is location just one mile north of Goldfield in Esmeralda County Nevada. Originally named Stimler, the town was renamed to Columbia in 1902 in the Goldfield District. The Columbia mines are located near the base of Columbia Mountain which provided the inspiration for the name.

Columbia, Nevada - Paher
Columbia, Nevada – Paher

The various mines in the Goldfield district were spread out into smaller suburbs to prevent the crowding problems which Tonopah suffered. Columbia and Diamondfield are examples of this new practice.

The Columbia Club in the business district of Columbia, Nevada
The Columbia Club in the business district of Columbia, Nevada

Despite the growth of Goldfield, Columbia grew and flourished for a time. A business district which included a two-story hotel, post office and bank was opened in 1904. A Chamber of Commerce was formed by local businessmen to organize and raise $10,000 in capital. This money is used to build a two story edifice on Main Street which housed office suites and a lodge hall.

The small town did suffer from some of the problems of a growing city. New arrivals to the town would commonly squat on lots, alleyways and some buildings before the owners organized and kicked the squatters out. Columbia reached a population of 1,500 people in 1907. During this time, the town was comprised of many wooden and brick two story structures beyond the common tent city, giving the town a feeling of permeance. Regardless, the towns fate was entwined with the success of Goldfield. When interest in Goldfield began to fade in 1908, the nearby sub-urban communities around it followed suite. In 1918 the closing of the districts largest mines of Columbia, sealed the fate of the twon

Town Summary

NameColumbia
LocationEsmeralda County, Nevada
Latitude, Longitude37.7243773, -117.2311898
GNIS854790
Elevation5,590 feet
Population1500
Post OfficeNov 1904 –
NewspaperColumbia Topics Oct 14, 1908 – June 24, 1909

Columbia Nevada Map

References