NVGHOSTTOWNS.COM
HUMBOLDT COUNTY
GHOST TOWNS
I have not personally visited all the ghost towns on this list. Humboldt County will be the subject of a future book of mine but current conditions listed, if not visited by myself, are reports from fellow ghosttowners or other literary sources. For additional information, consult Stanley Paher's Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps.
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BUCKSKIN
Discovered in 1906. A 100-ton mill was built but success was fleeting and the mines were only occasionally worked for the next 20 years. Another mill was built in the late 1920s and when it burned, the district was empty for good. Mill ruins and foundations are left.
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CAMP McGARRY
Established in 1865 and used until 1869 to protect travelers. Only foundations remain on the Summit Lake Indian Reservation.
CAMP WINFIELD SCOTT
Established to protect travelers and settlers from Indian attack. Served from 1866 until 1871. Several original buildings from the fort still stand.
CANE SPRINGS
Station on the road from Winnemucca to Denio beginning in the 1880s until the turn of the century. A hotel and saloon were built. Foundations remain.
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DUTCH FLAT
Placer gold discovered in 1898 but extensive work didn't commence until 1904. Chinese later worked the claims. Total production of $200K. Only mine dumps are left.
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FORT McDERMITT
Fort was established in 1865 because of Indian threats. The fort was used until the late 1880s. Some of the original buildings still stand on the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation.
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GETCHELL MINE
Discovered in 1933 and quickly purchased by Noble Getchell. Quickly became a huge operation with a 400-ton mill and a company town with almost a hundred homes. The mine produced copper, silver, arsenic, tungsten and gold. Operations continued until 1967. The mill was taken down and only foundations remain. However, a large open pit gold operation has been active for the last decade. The Getchell Mine has produced more than $60 million and counting making it one of the richest districts in Nevada.
GOLCONDA
First developed as a spa and resort because of its hot springs as early as the 1850s. The town of Golconda formed after the Central Pacific came through in 1868. The community remained small and served as a shipping point for nearby mines. During the 1890s, discoveries in the Adelaide district and construction of a 12 mile railroad, led to a boom at Golconda, which soon had 500 residents. However, all work was stopped in 1910 and the town shrank quickly. There is still a settlement at Golconda and some residents work at open pit mines at Getchell and Midas. A number of original buildings are scattered throughout new buildings.
GOLD RUN (Adelaide)(Cumberland)
Initial discoveries made in 1866 and the small town of Cumberland was established with a population of 60. The mines closed in 1871 and Cumberland was abandoned. New discoveries in 1907 led to the formation of Adelaide and the building of a 12 mile railroad to Golconda. The mines were shut down in 1910 and Adelaide abandoned. In 1930s, new activity led to the town moving a mile west where a new mill was built. A few buildings still stand amid mill ruins and other foundations.
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HARDIN CITY
Actual discoveries were made as early as 1849 by emigrants passing through who found silver. Hardin, one of those emigrants, came back in 1858 but gave up after two years of trying to find his silver. Despite assay reports saying there wasn't much value in the rocks, a mill was built in 1865. Hardin City sprang up in 1866 as publicity duped quite a few people. Ore sent for assaying was treated with silver flux and the reports gave misleading silver values. The excitement created was incredible but it was soon found that the only silver was from the flux used. The town was abandoned within a month. Three mill foundations and stone ruins remain.
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JUMBO (Awakening)(Daveytown)
Gold was discovered in 1910. Activity continued until 1918. The Jumbo Mine was discovered in 1935 and created great excitement. The great investment didn't equal the production. Quality production continued until 1941. Revived from 1948 to 1951. A mill and numerous buildings still stand amid other mill ruins and collapsed buildings.
JUNGO
Jungo came into being in 1910 as a station when the Western Pacific Railroad was completed. Became the major shipping point for a huge area. A substantial town developed but by the 1930s, its usefulness was gone and Jungo faded. Since the 1940s, only a handful of hearty souls have lived here. A large hotel from the early days still stands as do a number of other buildings.
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LAUREL
Discoveries were made in 1910 and a small camp called Laurel sprang up. However, the veins were small and the camp was abandoned in 1913. A few wood buildings still stand.
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NATIONAL
National was an icon in Nevada mining with some of the richest ever produced. Discovered in 1907. Early ore ran as high as $30 a pound or $60,000 a ton! By 1909, the booming camp had a population of 2000. Ore values continued to be extremely rich, as high as $100,000 a ton. One narrow vein production $4 million in 1911. However, the rich ore was mined out by 1915 and the town quickly emptied. More than $7 million was produced. Mill walls and a couple buildings still stand amid a townsite full of foundations and ruins.
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PARADISE VALLEY
Short-lived ore deposits discovered nearby in 1863 led to the discovery of this beautiful valley. Word spread and by 1864, twenty ranchers had moved in. Indian troubles led to the formation of nearby Camp Winfield Scott. A small town began to form which by 1879, had a population of 100. Paradise Valley continues to be a sleepy community and is one of the most enjoyable places to visit. So much from its vintage years remain that it is a wonderful walk into the past.
PARADISE WELL (Flynn)
Station for stages heading to Idaho and Paradise Valley from Winnemucca beginning in the 1860s and used until around the turn of the century. Had a hotel and store for many years. Only a foundation remains.
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QUEEN CITY
Camp came into being in 1874 when two mills were built to treat Spring City ore. Grew to more than 100 by 1880. However, soon after the mills closed and the town quickly disappeared. Mill ruins and other foundations are left.
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REBEL CREEK
Gold placer discovered in the 1870s and worked for a few years. New discoveries made in 1907 but were short-lived. Little development ever took place and virtually nothing is left at the site.
RED BUTTE
Gold discovered in 1907 and small tent camp formed. More substantial buildings built in the next few years and production continued through World War I. A couple of buildings and foundations mark the site.
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SOD HOUSE
Sod station house built in the 1880s on the Denio - Winnemucca road. Little known about the station which still stands on a private ranch.
SPRING CITY
Discovered in 1868 and by the early 1870s, a small camp had developed with a population of 150. More than $1 million was produced before the mines closed in the early 1890s. Revivals took place from 1907 to 1915 and 1931 to 1935. Total production is over $2 million. A few buildings and stone ruins remain.
SULPHUR
Sulphur discovered in 1869 and limited amounts produced through the 1880s. Aggressive production began in 1899 and a company town formed. The Western Pacific established a station in 1909 and while the town of Sulphur has faded into oblivion, sulphur continues to be mined. A couple of old buildings remain.
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VARYVILLE (Columbia)
Camp of Columbia formed in 1875 after ore was discovered. Two five stamp mills built but shut down in the early 1880s and the camp folded. Some placer mining took place from 1931 to 1935. A couple buildings still remain amid foundations.
VICKSBURG (Ashdown)
Discovered in 1863 but soon abandoned due to Indian attacks. Gold mining began in 1904 and production was intermitten until the 1960s. Total production of $400K. Mill ruins and foundations remain.
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WILLOW CREEK (Platora)
Station on the Winnemucca-Idaho stage beginning in the early 1860s. A large inn was built. Some nearby mining led to the construction of a 5 stamp mill near the station. Station was active for many years and had a post office named Platora from 1909 to 1925. Walls and ruins remain.
WILLOW POINT
Station on the Winnemucca-Paradise Valley stage line beginning in the 1860s. Small settlement developed and was active until 1910. Rubble and foundations are left.
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