NVGHOSTTOWNS.COM
PERSHING COUNTY
GHOST TOWNS
I have not personally visited all the ghost towns on this list. Pershing 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.
A
AMERICAN CANYON
Despite its name, the canyon was a boom for the Chinese during the 1880s when as many as 3000 were working gold placer deposits. By time the deposits had been worked out in 1895, they had recovered almost $10 million. Many stone ruins remain of one of the largest Chinese settlements in the history of Nevada.
ARABIA
Camp formed during the 1860s as the result of the rich Montezuma Mine whose ore was treated at nearby Oreana. By 1868, was the largest silver producer in Northern Nevada. Peak was 1875 when $500K was produced but soon after, the veins played out. By 1880, the district was abandoned. Headframes, foundations, and stone walls remain.
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DUN GLEN (Chafey)
Rich silver discoveries made in 1862 led to the quick formation of Dun Glen, with a population of 250. A number of mills were built and the town enjoyed success the mid-1870s when a fast decline began. Only 50 people were left by 1880. A revival began in 1908 and a population of 1000 streamed back to the area. Mines were active until 1913. Many foundations and mill ruins remain.
E
ETNA (Aetnaville)
Another milling settlement formed to treat Arabia ores in 1865. A couple of hundred moved here and two mills built. However, the milling slowed by the end of the decade and the town was completely abandoned by 1872. Extensive mill foundations and stone ruins mark the site.
F
FARRELL
Gold was discovered in 1906 and a rush to the area began. Within a year, 200 people were crowded into tents. However, the veins proved to be shallow and the town was abandoned by 1910. Foundations and rubble remain.
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GOLDBANKS
Short-lived camp formed due to gold and mercury discovered in 1907. However, the deposits were quickly mined out and by 1909, the district was a ghost for good. Only debris and mine dumps are left.
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HALFWAY HOUSE
Station on the Lovelock-Seven Troughs line from 1906 until the early teens. Stone foundations mark the site.
HUMBOLDT CITY
Silver was discovered in 1860 and a small settlement of prospectors formed. As many as 200 were here during 1861. Continued mining success increased population to 500 by 1863 and the town contained more than 200 buildings. However, the ore began to fade by 1865 and by the end of the decade, the town was empty. However, the site is a wonderful one today for ghost towners. Many stone ruins remain along the long abandoned main street.
HUMBOLDT HOUSE
Established as a station by the Central Pacific Railroad in 1868. Little used after the railroad eliminated meal stops in the 1890s. Only the foundations remain of the station and hotel.
I
IMLAY
Came into being after the Southern Pacific realigned their rails in 1904. A terminal was established and a settlement quickly developed with a population of around 300. While the terminal was moved elsewhere years ago, around 50 people still call Imlay home.
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JACOB'S WELL
Station on the Star City-Dun Glen route beginning in the 1860s. After those towns faded towards the end of the decade, the stage line stopped running. Only a foundation remains.
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KENNEDY
Initial discoveries made in 1891. The gold was rich enough that a town of 500 formed by 1894. A 20-stamp mill was built the following year. However, after the turn of the century, the ore faded and the town was abandoned by 1905. Only foundations remain.
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LANCASTER
Formed as a suburb of Mill City and during 1863, had a population of 200. However, grandiose plans to become a milling center were misguided and the town was abandoned by the end of the year. Stone walls and foundations mark the site.
LIMA (Williamsburg)
Formed after silver was discovered in 1865. Small camp had a consistent population of around 50 until the mines folded in the late 1860s. Stone ruins and foundations mark the site.
M
MAZUMA
Gold was discovered in 1907 and with its proximity to Seven Troughs, quickly grew and was larger by 1908. However, a disastrous flash flood in 1912 killed more than a dozen people and washed away most of the town. Only the mill survived but burned a couple of weeks later. The town was never rebuilt although the reconstructed mill ran until 1918. Mill ruins and foundations are all that is left.
MILL CITY
While the town first formed in 1862 as a planned milling community, it quickly failed. In 1868, the Central Pacific Railroad made it a station and it became the main shipping point for area mines. While it had a peak of a couple hundred, by 1880, population had shrunk to 50. When Imlay replaced Mill City as a railroad terminal, Mill City was basically abandoned. Later served as a freight station for nearby tungsten mines. People still live at Mill City today. Some original buildings and ruins are scattered around the site.
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O
OREANA
Oreana came into being in 1865 as a milling center. A number of mills and smelters were built during the next couple of years. A town of 300 formed. At its peak, Oreana was the largest producer of bullion in the state with $45K a month. However, it had outlived its usefulness by 1870 and saw little activity after. Mill and smelter ruins, foundations, and slag piles are left.
OREANA STATION
Sidetrack station on the Southern Pacific Railroad beginning in the 1880s. A true settlement developed in 1912 when nearby Rochester began to boom. It served as the terminus for the Nevada Short Line Railway which ran up to Rochester. However, by the late teens, the boom was over and Oreana Station virtually disappeared. A very small community remains scattered around the site.
P
PACKARD
Packard was discovered during the prospecting frenzy after nearby Rochester boomed. A huge mill was quickly built to process the gold ore. A company town of 150 formed and the mines produced until 1923, when the district was abandoned. Total production was $5 million. A couple buildings, mill ruins, and foundations remain.
PANAMA
Camp of 50 that sprang to life and died all during 1913. Nothing much is left.
PLACERITES (Placeritos)
An early little mining camp that was established after placer gold was discovered in the 1870s. The camp was never organized and leasers came and went for the next fifty years. Newmont Mining Company began serious placer operations in 1929 that ran until 1942. A small company town named Placerites was built. Some of those buildings still stand.
POKER BROWN
A short-lived silver camp that formed shortly after the turn of the century but little was every produced and nothing is left.
PRINCE ROYAL
A small silver camp that existed from 1864 until 1867. Only a couple of stone buildings were ever built and ruins of those mark the site.
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RABBITHOLE SPRINGS
Earlier a place where emigrants stopped for water, gold placer deposits were found in 1916. During the 1930s, as many as 150 were working the district. A camp of almost 200 formed during this period. Activity continued off and on through the 1960s. Buildings still stand at the camp.
ROCHESTER
While some gold was discovered in the 1860s, nothing came of it. It was the incredible silver discoveries made in 1912 that led to one of the biggest booms in Nevada of the 20th century. Two towns, Rochester and Lower Rochester, developed and had a population of 2500 by the end of 1913. A railroad was built to the Western Pacific in the valley below. Major operations continued into the 1940s and $9 million was produced. A lot of buildings remained until fairly recently until an open pit mine began operation. Today, a number still survive above and below the pit as do a multitude of foundations.
ROSEBUD (Goldbud)
Silver was discovered here in 1906. Town quickly developed and by the summer of 1907, had a population of 800. However, all the excitement took place before it was revealed that the deposits were very small and already mined out. The town was abandoned within a year and some half built buildings were abandoned. A couple of buildings, foundations and rubble are left.
RYE PATCH
A small silver camp formed during 1863. A mill was built in 1870 and during the decade, the town had a population of around 100. Ore ran out in the mid-1880s after producing $1 million. Mill ruins and stone foundations remain.
S
SANTA CLARA
Silver was discovered in 1862. Within two years, the booming camp had a population of 200. However, the mines gave out in 1865 and the town was quickly abandoned. Many beautiful stone cabins still stand at the site.
SCOSSA
Small camp that sprang to life in 1907 but was gone by 1908. New discoveries were made in 1930 and soon, the gold camp of Scossa achieve a measure of permanence. The veins produced until 1937 and the camp was one of the few bright spots in Nevada mining during the Depression. A couple of buildings remain.
SEVEN TROUGHS
Rich gold was discovered in 1905 and additional discoveries in 1907 led to the formation of a true boom town. Some ore ran as high as $100K a ton. Population peaked at 250. Mining faded during the early teens and had shut down by 1918. Numerous buildings, mill ruins, and mine dumps remain.
SPRING VALLEY (Fitting)
Like nearby American Canyon, Spring Valley was also the scene of extensive Chinese gold placering activity during the 1880s and early 1890s. In 1905, a mining company brought in a huge dredge and built a 15 stamp mill but it met with limited success and the entire operation was abandoned by 1915. A number of buildings from the post 1900 era remain.
STAR CITY
Stunning silver deposits were discovered in 1861 and by 1863 a town of 1200 residents had formed. Town peaked during 1865 and a large stamp mill was in operation around the clock. However, the main stay mine, the Sheba, ran out of ore in 1868. By the early 1870s, only 75 people were left and within a couple of years, the town was completely abandoned. Many interesting ruins remain.
ST. MARYS
Established in 1863 as a prospective milling center. However, when plans for a water power ditch didn't materialize, the town of 150 was quickly abandoned. Stone ruins are left.
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TORREYTOWN
A milling center established in 1867 when a smelter was constructed to treat ore from Arabia. However, the smelter was a failure and was abandoned the next year. Smelter ruins and foundations mark the site.
TRINITY
Initially discovered in 1859 but mining district not established until 1863. A small camp developed with a stamp mill, hotel and a couple of other businesses. Some limited amounts of ore were shipped until 1870. Stone houses and mill ruins remain.
TUNNEL (New Seven Troughs)
A company town of the Nevada State Mining Company which formed in 1927. A huge mill was built and a town of 30 buildings. Mining continued until 1934. Buildings and mill ruins are left.
TUNGSTEN
While small silver deposits were discovered in 1856 and worked off and on until the early 1870s, little was produced. The discovery of tungsten in 1916 led to development and the mines at Tungsten became of vital importance nationally. By 1920, a couple of mills and the town had been built with a population of 250. The Nevada-Massachusetts Company took over in 1926 and was a major producer until 1958 when it was shut down when the federal government curtailed its tungsten purchase policy. All buildings and mills were removed in 1962. Only foundations remain.
U
UNIONVILLE
Rich silver was discovered in 1861 and a bonafide rush developed. The town grew rapidly and was named county seat of Humboldt County. Mark Twain even worked a mine for a short time. By 1863, Unionville had a population of 1000. The town and mines peaked the next year but still maintained good production. During the early 1870s, three mills were in operation. But the mines were declining and a large fire destroyed a lot of the town in 1872, and then the county seat was removed. By 1880, population had shrunk to 200. Unionville was a ghost town soon after after producing $2.7 million. Some buildings are still occupied and a very nice bed and breakfast is in operation. A multitude of old stone ruins abound in the area.
V
VERNON
Gold was discovered in 1905 and a small town quickly developed. Within a year, population stood at 300. However the mines closed around 1910. Today, only the crumbling ruins of the stone jail are left because most buildings were moved to nearby Tunnel during its boom in the 1920s.
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WILLARD (Loring)
Small boom developed after gold was discovered in 1915. By summer, a few hundred had relocated here. However, production was very erractic and the camp folded by the late teens. The mines were only occasionally worked after. Foundations and wood rubble mark the site.
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