Category: Ghost Towns

Ghost towns in the Western United States are abandoned settlements, often remnants of 19th-century mining, ranching, or railroad booms. Once thriving with prospectors, merchants, and families, these towns, like Bodie, California, or Virginia City, Montana, were deserted when resources depleted or economic shifts occurred, particularly after the 1860s gold and silver rushes. Characterized by dilapidated buildings, saloons, and mine shafts, they dot deserts and mountains, preserved by arid climates. Today, they attract tourists and historians, offering haunting glimpses into the West’s frontier past, shaped by ambition and transience.

Seven Troughs Nevada – Pershing County Ghost Town

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Seven Troughs Nevada 1907
Seven Troughs Nevada 1907

In 1894, Frank Ward a sheepman in the area, built seven water troughs to water his sheep. The name Seven Troughs came from this simple event. Seven Troughs is a ghost town and old mining camp in Pershing County, Nevada.

In the fall of 1905, gold was discovered in the upper parts of Seven Troughs Canyon area. This discovery led to the ability to raise capital investment and soon funding was in place for the young mining district. Discoveries were reported in excess of $100,000 per ton in 1907 attracted in miners from Tonopah and Goldfield.

In 1907 a townsite was plotted out and the tent city soon followed. Townsite plots sere sold for $500 a lot, and the small town supported 350 citizens. A water system and school was built to support the population in 1908. The previous year, 1907, saw the construction of the post office, stores and saloons to keep the population happy and give one an insight into the priorities.

At its height their was consideration to bring in rail with the Southern Pacific line from Lovelock, to near by Vernon and up to Seven Troughs. The rail never developed and the mine camp continued to the production of the Kindergarten mine until 1918 and World War I. The Kindergarten mining operations produced about two million dollars from 1908 until its end in 1918.

The post office followed the miners out of the area, and only lease operations continued past this time.

Seven Troughs Trail Map

Resources

Oatman Arizona – Mohave County Ghost Town

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Perched precariously on the steep flanks of the Black Mountains in Mohave County, Arizona, at an elevation of 2,710 feet (830 meters), Oatman stands as a defiant relic of the American Southwest’s gold rush era—a “living ghost town” where the ghosts are not spectral but very much alive in the form of wild burros that roam its dusty streets. Straddling the historic alignment of U.S. Route 66 between Kingman, Arizona, and Needles, California—some 25 miles southwest of Bullhead City—this unincorporated census-designated place (CDP) evokes the raw, unyielding spirit of the frontier. Once a booming mining camp that yielded fortunes in gold, Oatman’s narrative is woven with threads of tragedy, triumph, and tenacity: from the harrowing tale of its namesake, Olive Oatman, to the frenzied strikes that swelled its population to over 3,500, and its improbable resurrection as a tourist haven sustained by Hollywood glamour, highway nostalgia, and a herd of free-spirited donkeys. This report traces Oatman’s evolution from a shadowed massacre site to a pinnacle of desert prosperity, its wartime eclipse, and its vibrant persistence as a quirky Route 66 icon in the 21st century.

Mines of the Oatman district; Up Gold Road Gulch, showing the surface relations of the Gold Road mine, right to left the following are identified; Gold Road Mill, No. 1 shaft, and No. 3 shaft. All the rock included in the view is the Gold Road latite. The generally easterly dip of the flows is distinctly shown. Mohave County, Arizona. 1921.
Mines of the Oatman district; Up Gold Road Gulch, showing the surface relations of the Gold Road mine, right to left the following are identified; Gold Road Mill, No. 1 shaft, and No. 3 shaft. All the rock included in the view is the Gold Road latite. The generally easterly dip of the flows is distinctly shown. Mohave County, Arizona. 1921.

Shadows of the Past: The Oatman Massacre and Early Exploration (1850s–1890s)

Oatman’s origins are etched in blood and endurance, predating its gold-fueled fame by decades. The town’s name honors Olive Ann Oatman (1837–1903), a 13-year-old Illinois girl whose family’s westward odyssey ended in horror on February 18, 1851, along the banks of the Gila River, approximately 100 miles east of present-day Yuma, Arizona. Traveling as part of the Brewsterite wagon train—a splinter Mormon group seeking a utopian haven at the Colorado-Gila confluence— the Oatmans and their companions faced the perils of the Southern Emigration Route: scorching deserts, scarce water, and marauding bands of Tonto Apache or Yavapai warriors. In what became known as the Oatman Massacre, attackers killed Olive’s parents and seven siblings, leaving only Olive, her sister Mary Ann (aged 7–10), and possibly her brother Lorenzo (who escaped and later reunited with survivors) alive. The sisters were enslaved for a year before Mary Ann perished from starvation and exposure; Olive was traded to the Mohave tribe, who adopted her, tattooed her chin in tribal custom, and treated her as kin for four years. Rescued in 1856 near Fort Yuma through the intervention of a Mojave-Mexican interpreter, Olive’s saga—captivity, cultural assimilation, and redemption—captivated the nation via her 1857 memoir Captivity of the Oatman Girls, fueling frontier fascination with Indian captivity narratives.

The massacre site’s proximity to future Oatman sowed seeds of legend: local lore claims Olive and Mary were hidden at “Ollie Oatman Spring,” a half-mile from the townsite, though historical evidence points farther south. By the 1860s, prospectors like John Moss staked early claims in the Black Mountains, naming one the “Oatman Mine” in her honor—or, per some accounts, after a local miner named John Oatman, Olive’s purported half-Mohave son. Sporadic gold finds yielded modest returns, hampered by the rugged terrain—jagged volcanic ridges, creosote-dotted basins, and temperatures swinging from 110°F (43°C) summers to freezing winters. A narrow-gauge railroad chugged 17 miles from the Colorado River near Needles, California, between 1903 and 1905, but the camp remained a whisper in the desert wind.

1838–1903, by Benjamin F. Powelson (1823–1885), Albumen silver print, c. 1863, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
1838–1903, by Benjamin F. Powelson (1823–1885), Albumen silver print, c. 1863, National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

Boomtown Fever: Gold Strikes and Frontier Frenzy (1900s–1930s)

The 20th century ignited Oatman’s transformation from tentative outpost to roaring boomtown. In 1902, the Durlin Hotel (later the Oatman Hotel) rose as the county’s oldest two-story adobe, its thick walls shielding miners from dust storms and desperadoes alike. Renamed Vivian in 1906 for a miner’s daughter, the post office formalized the settlement; by 1908, it was Oatman proper, with banks, a chamber of commerce, and saloons slinging whiskey amid the clang of picks and the groan of ore wagons. The 1910 opening of the Tom Reed (or Bluebird) Mine unleashed a torrent: over 24 years, it disgorged $13 million in gold (about $450 million today). But 1915 marked the deluge—a United Eastern Mining Company strike unearthed $10–14 million in high-grade ore, sparking one of the desert’s final gold rushes and swelling the population to 3,500–10,000 souls by the 1920s. The United Eastern alone produced $15 million from 1913–1926, making Oatman and nearby Goldroad Arizona’s top gold producers, rivaling the Comstock Lode’s glory.

Main Street pulsed with polyglot energy: Cornish “Cousin Jacks” (expert hard-rock miners), Mexican laborers, Chinese merchants, and ex-soldiers seeking dry-air cures for World War I gas injuries flooded in, erecting frame shacks, a newspaper (Oatman Miner), assay offices, and brothels. Pack burros—sturdy descendants of Spanish explorers—hauled ore up treacherous switchbacks, their brays mingling with saloon pianos and the distant rumble of stamp mills. Yet peril shadowed prosperity: a 1921 inferno razed much of the town, sparing only the Oatman Hotel, whose bar became a respite for dust-caked claim-jumpers. Hollywood arrived too: Oatman doubled as frontier backlots for films like How the West Was Won (1962) and Foxfire (1955), its crags and canyons lending authenticity. In 1939, stars Clark Gable and Carole Lombard honeymooned in the hotel’s upstairs suite after a Kingman wedding, their romance immortalized in faded photos and lingering whispers of spectral sightings—Oatman’s resident ghost, “Oatie,” is said to haunt the halls.

Eclipse and Endurance: Decline and Route 66 Revival (1940s–1970s)

Oatman’s zenith proved ephemeral. The United Eastern shuttered in 1924 amid fluctuating gold prices and exhausted veins; by 1941, World War II’s metal demands prompted federal orders to halt remaining operations, idling the district’s $40 million legacy (equivalent to $734 million today). Miners departed, leaving burros to fend for themselves in the hills—legally protected by federal law, their descendants now number around 1,900 across the Black Mountains, managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Population plummeted from 500 in 1940 to near-zero by the 1960s, as Interstate 40 bypassed the town in 1953, rerouting traffic from its wooden sidewalks.

Salvation came via Route 66 nostalgia. The “Mother Road,” paved through Oatman in the 1920s, drew wanderers seeking the old highway’s romance. By the 1970s, entrepreneurs leaned into the Wild West aesthetic: gunfight reenactments by groups like the Oatman Ghost Rider Gunfighters (Arizona’s oldest) and the Bitter Creek Outlaws halted traffic twice daily at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m., cowboys in chaps trading blanks and barbs. Burros, emboldened by tourist carrots (now limited due to health concerns), became unofficial mascots, nosing into shops and vehicles with endearing audacity. The annual Burro Biscuit Toss—flinging gold-painted droppings for prizes—cemented their quirky sovereignty.

Tom Reed Mine, Oatman, Arizona, 1935
Tom Reed Mine, Oatman, Arizona, 1935

Current Status (As of November 2025)

In 2025, Oatman endures as a resilient enclave of 84 residents—a 95% surge from 2020’s census tally of 43, though declining annually by 3.45%—clinging to its Route 66 lifeline amid the BLM’s vast desert expanse. No longer a mining hub (the Gold Road Mine, reopened in 1995, briefly toured visitors before resuming extraction amid high gold prices but remains sporadically active), Oatman thrives on tourism, luring over 500,000 annual pilgrims to its sun-bleached facades and burro brigade. Main Street, a narrow ribbon of weathered wood and adobe, hosts a dozen souvenir shops hawking T-shirts, mining relics, donkey puppets, and Southwestern art; the Oatman Hotel’s ground-floor bar and restaurant serve burgers and “burro ears” (potato chips), while upstairs, the Gable-Lombard suite anchors a museum of faded finery.

The burros—tame enough to peer into car windows yet wild by decree—steal the spotlight, their herds swelling midday as gunshots echo, drawing crowds that pause traffic for theatrical justice. Recent X posts from November 2025 buzz with delight: visitors gush over “cutest baby donkey” videos, warn of nighttime burro hazards on the winding approach from Kingman (a nerve-wracking 23-mile switchback jaunt), and share aurora sightings over the Black Mountains during a rare G4 geomagnetic storm. Yelp reviews (241 as of July 2025) hail its “too tough to die” vibe, with 4.5-star averages praising friendly locals who name the burros and recount mining yarns. Events like the Burro Biscuit Toss persist, though summer heat tempers schedules; no formal services exist beyond basic amenities, and visitors are urged to pack water, respect burro boundaries (no mounting!), and navigate the hairpin roads cautiously.

Oatman remains a microcosm of resilience: a place where gold’s gleam has faded into burro brays and gunshot echoes, yet the desert’s unyielding embrace ensures its stories endure. For real-time road conditions or events, check Arizona DOT or Visit Arizona resources.

Oatman Map

Resources

Skidoo California – Inyo County Ghost Town

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Skidoo, California, once a bustling gold mining town in the early 20th century, now stands as a ghost town within Death Valley National Park. Located in Inyo County at an elevation of 5,689 feet, Skidoo epitomized the boom-and-bust cycle of mining communities in the American West. Its history, marked by rapid growth, innovative engineering, and eventual decline, offers a glimpse into the challenges and ambitions of desert mining during the gold rush era. This report explores Skidoo’s origins, development, key events, and legacy, drawing on historical records and contemporary accounts.

Skidoo, CA 1907
Skidoo California, 1907

Origins and Establishment

Skidoo’s story began in January 1906, when prospectors John Ramsey and John “One-Eye” Thompson, en route to the gold strike at Harrisburg, were halted by a rare fog near Emigrant Spring. When the fog lifted, they discovered promising gold-bearing ledges, leading them to file claims for what became the Gold Eagle Group. News of their find spread, and Bob Montgomery, a prominent mining figure from Rhyolite, purchased these claims for $100,000, fueling the rapid development of the area. Initially named Hoveck after Matt Hoveck, the Skidoo Mine’s manager, the town was renamed Skidoo in 1907, inspired by the popular slang phrase “23 skidoo,” meaning to leave quickly or take advantage of an opportunity. Local lore suggests the name also referenced the 23 miles of pipeline bringing water to the town, though this remains speculative.

Right here on the border line between California and Nevada, just a few miles from arid within speaking distance of Nevada’s big, bonanza gold camps of Goldfield, Rhyolite, Tonopah, California promises to give birth to the most wonderful gold mines America has yet produced . . . . Here the golden goddess is again singing her siren song of enchantment and California is again beckoning to the world with a finger of gold: and the world is listening, and looking, and coming–TO SKIDOO!

Rhyolite Herald, 4 January 1907

Boom Years (1906–1917)

Skidoo quickly grew into a thriving community, peaking at around 700 residents by mid-1907. The town boasted advanced amenities for its time, including a post office (established as Hoveck in 1906 and renamed Skidoo in 1907), a telephone exchange, the Skidoo News newspaper, a school with 29 students, four saloons, three restaurants, and the Southern California Bank of Skidoo. Stagecoach connections to Rhyolite and Ballarat, along with private automobiles, linked Skidoo to nearby settlements, while a telephone line to Rhyolite facilitated communication.

The Skidoo Mine, operated by the Skidoo Mines Company, was the town’s economic backbone, producing approximately 75,000 ounces of gold—valued at over $1.5 million at the time—between 1906 and 1917. The mine’s success was bolstered by two remarkable engineering feats. First, Skidoo hosted the only milling plant in the Death Valley region powered almost entirely by water, using a gravity-feed system to separate gold from ore. Second, a 23-mile pipeline, constructed by Bob Montgomery, transported water from springs near Telescope Peak to the mill, an extraordinary achievement given the desert’s harsh terrain. The pipeline’s scar remains visible today, and watering stations along its route supported prospectors exploring the region.

By 1907, over 100 men were employed at the Skidoo mines, and development costs exceeded $300,000. The town’s prosperity attracted attention, with the Rhyolite Herald proclaiming in January 1907, “California promises to give birth to the most wonderful gold mines America has yet produced… TO SKIDOO!” However, the national financial panic of 1907 strained the town, particularly impacting the Southern California Bank of Skidoo, which faced creditors and operated out of cramped quarters in a grocery store.

Cook's horse-drawn wagon at Death Valley's gold mining camp, Skiddo.
Cook’s horse-drawn wagon at Death Valley’s gold mining camp, Skiddo.

Notable Events

Skidoo was relatively peaceful compared to other mining camps, but it was not without incident. In April 1908, Joe Simpson, a gambler with a notorious reputation, attempted to kill the Southern California Bank’s cashier, Dobbs, and murdered James Arnold, a popular local butcher. With no jail in Skidoo, Simpson was held in a cast-iron building under guard. An armed mob demanded his release and lynched him from a telephone pole, an event that underscored the town’s rough justice.

Another challenge came in 1913, when the pipeline froze and burst, followed by a fire that destroyed much of the original stamp mill. The Skidoo Mines Company swiftly rebuilt a ten-stamp mill, adding five more stamps by 1915, but these setbacks foreshadowed the town’s decline.

The Skidoo Mine is located 65 miles north of Trona, California, at 6500 ft. elevation. The property was established in 1906; the mill erected in 190?. The mill burned and was reconstructed in 1913. Owner: Skidoo Mines Co., Skidoo, CA. C. W. Cross, president, and Crynski , superintendent .

Two systems of quartz veins occur in a pegmatite granite. The main vein system strikes M-SE and the other E~W. The veins average from 18″ to 2 ‘ in width, with a maximum of 4’.

The ore is free milling and values average about $15.00 per ton. Ore is hauled to the mill through tunnels. The mill equipment consists of: ten 850-lb. stamps, five 1150-lb. stamps and amalgamation tables. Table tailings run to the cyanide plant and precipitated in zinc boxes. The mill is operated by water conveyed in an 8″ pipeline 21 miles
from Telescope Peak. The pipe was installed at a cost of over $200,000, 35 men were employed at the mine mill. Total production to date over $1,500,000,

California State Mining Bureau’s “Report of State Mineralogist,” 1915-16, Report XV:
Rare Air Photograph of Skidoo California Taken from the air in 1923
Rare Air Photograph of Skidoo California Taken from the air in 1923

Decline and Abandonment

Skidoo’s fortunes waned as its gold veins diminished. By early 1909, the town’s population began to decline, and the school district closed in September 1909. In July 1909, the Los Angeles Mining Review reported that the Skidoo Mine was California’s second-most productive, clearing all debts and paying a $50,000 dividend. However, the town itself was depleting, and by 1917, the rich vein had “pinched out,” leading to the mine’s permanent closure. The post office shut down the same year, and the mill and pipeline’s iron and steel components were dismantled and sold.

Sporadic mining resumed in the 1920s and 1930s under new ownership, and a tungsten boom in the early 1950s brought renewed activity, though the ore was low-grade. These efforts left behind shafts, cuts, and tailings, but the townsite itself was abandoned, with the last buildings gone by the 1980s. Today, Skidoo is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the Skidoo Stamp Mill—stabilized by cables and maintained by the National Park Service—standing as the most prominent remnant.

Legacy and Modern Significance

Skidoo’s brief existence encapsulates the transient nature of mining boomtowns, driven by the allure of gold and undone by the exhaustion of resources. Its innovative water-powered mill and pipeline highlight the ingenuity required to sustain life and industry in the unforgiving Mojave Desert. The ghost town, accessible via an 8-mile unpaved road off Wildrose Road, attracts visitors who explore its mining relics, including the stamp mill, adits, and scattered debris like rusty cans and glass fragments. The surrounding hills, with over 1,000 mine entrances, evoke the frenetic activity of Skidoo’s heyday.

Tripadvisor reviews reflect mixed visitor experiences. Some find the site underwhelming, noting the absence of town structures and the challenge of the rugged road, recommending high-clearance vehicles. Others praise the stamp mill and the sense of history, emphasizing the need to continue past the townsite to reach the mill. The site’s remoteness and stark landscape amplify its haunting appeal, inviting reflection on the ambition and impermanence of Skidoo’s past.

Conclusion

Skidoo, California, rose and fell within a decade, leaving behind a legacy of resilience and adaptation in one of America’s harshest environments. From its accidental discovery in 1906 to its abandonment by 1917, Skidoo embodied the hope and hardship of the gold rush era. Its engineering achievements, preserved ruins, and place on the National Register of Historic Places ensure its story endures, offering a window into the fleeting dreams of a desert boomtown.

Town Summary

NameSkidoo
LocationInyo County, California
Latitude, Longitude36.4355016, -117.1475604
GNIS1656631
Elevation5689 ft / 1734 m
NewspaperSkidoo News
National Register of Places74000349

Skidoo Trail Map

Resouces

Ballarat California – Inyo County Ghost Town

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Ballarat, California, is a near-ghost town and unincorporated community in Inyo County, located in the Panamint Valley at the base of the Panamint Range, west of Death Valley National Park (elevation about 1,079 feet).

Ballarat, California - Marriedtofilm at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Malafaya using CommonsHelper.
Ballarat, California

It was founded in 1897 (some sources say 1896) as a supply and recreation hub for mines in the surrounding canyons, particularly after discoveries in the Panamint Range. The site had earlier use: Post Office Springs, about a quarter-mile south, served as a reliable water source since the 1850s for emigrants, prospectors, and even outlaws who used a mesquite tree mail drop in the 1870s.

The town was named after the famous gold-mining city of Ballarat in Victoria, Australia, reportedly at the suggestion of Australian immigrant George Riggins.

Heyday (1897–1905)

In its peak years, Ballarat had a population of 400–500. It functioned primarily as a provisioning and entertainment center for miners rather than a mining town itself. The nearby Ratcliff (or Radcliffe) Mine in Pleasant Canyon was a major producer (about 15,000 tons of gold ore from 1898–1903), and the broader area yielded nearly a million dollars in gold.

Known businesses and services in its boom period included:

  • Seven saloons (a key attraction for relaxation and “frolic”).
  • Three hotels.
  • Wells Fargo station (important for transport and finance).
  • Post office (opened 1897; closed 1917).
  • School.
  • Jail and morgue.
  • A general store or supply stores and a blacksmith shop (earlier establishments).
  • No churches were reported.

It was described as a “jumping-off place” for prospectors heading into the mountains, with adobe structures, burros, and a rough, lawless character typical of late-19th/early-20th-century desert mining camps.

Decline

The town declined rapidly after the Ratcliff Mine suspended operations around 1903–1905, as other local mines played out. By 1917, the post office closed, and Ballarat became a virtual ghost town, with only a few die-hard prospectors remaining.

A handful of “desert rats” lingered into the 20th century. In the 1960s, developer Neil Cummins bought land and attempted a revival (including building a general store), envisioning tourism, but it did not materialize on a large scale.

Later History and Notable Residents

  • Seldom Seen Slim (Charles Ferge, c. 1881–1968): The town’s most famous long-term resident and often its sole inhabitant from around 1918 until his death. A classic solitary prospector, he lived without modern amenities (claiming not to have bathed for years except by splashing water outdoors) in a trailer or Volkswagen after adobe buildings deteriorated. He was known for his colorful quotes, such as “Me lonely? Hell no! I’m half coyote and half wild burro,” which appears on his grave in Ballarat’s Boot Hill cemetery (the 28th and last burial there). A peak in the area is named after him.
  • Frank “Shorty” Harris (1857–1934): Legendary Death Valley prospector (“single blanket-jackass prospector”) who discovered major strikes like the Bullfrog district. He lived in Ballarat off and on (including in the old schoolhouse) until near his death and is buried elsewhere in Death Valley beside friend James Dayton.
  • Other figures: Assayer Fred Grey (long-term resident); Chris Wicht (kept a saloon open longer); gunman “Jim” Sherlock; George Novak (prospector and later caretaker with son Rock).

Modern era (late 20th–21st century): The town has had minimal permanent residents. Rock (or Rocky) Novak, son of George, served as caretaker/”mayor”/sheriff/judge/undertaker for years (moving there around 2004), running a bare-bones general store/museum selling sodas and sharing history, operating a small motel, and maintaining vintage items (including a truck linked to the Manson Family). He has since moved to nearby Trona, with the store occasionally managed by others. Ballarat now has around 1–2 full-time residents at times.

It remains a stop for tourists, four-wheelers, and campers (up to hundreds in winter). Nearby connections include the Manson Family’s use of Barker Ranch (south of town) in the late 1960s, with some graffiti and a reputed truck in Ballarat. The 1969 film Easy Rider filmed a scene here. A 1971 hippie festival led to a hepatitis outbreak. It has also appeared in other media.

Today, visitors see adobe ruins, the cemetery, the operating (or intermittently operating) general store, and desert scenery. It is privately owned in part and serves as a gateway to Panamint Range explorations.

Ballarat exemplifies the boom-and-bust cycle of Western mining towns—brief prosperity followed by abandonment, sustained only by hardy individuals and passing travelers. Its isolation and colorful characters have made it a enduring symbol of the Mojave Desert’s rugged history.

Notoriety

In 1968 and 1969, Charles Manson and his “family” moved into Barker Ranch. The town of Ballarat was Mansons last link to civilization and served as a supply source for his desert exploits. Not to caste the town with the murderer, the town also supplied the arresting officers who raided Barker Ranch and subsequently arrested Manson and his family.

“Shorty” Harris founder of Harrisburg, photographed in Ballarat, California
“Shorty” Harris founder of Harrisburg, photographed in Ballarat, California

Time has taken its tole on the builds of the adobe buildings. Wind and water are literally melting the builds back into the desert.

Today, Ballarat is the subject of a few odd television shows and again made headlines with the Ballarat Bandit. In 2003, George Robert Johnston camped around Ballarat and Death Valley. During this time, he committed burglaries before leading investigators on a chase across the desert.

Ballarat Personalities

Charles Ferge "Seldom Seen Slim"

Charles Ferge “Seldom Seen Slim” – A Ballarat Prospector

Charles Ferge "Seldom Seen Slim" Charles Ferge “Seldom Seen Slim” (c. 1881–1968) was one of the last of the classic “desert rats”—solitary prospectors who embodied…
The booking photo of the dimunutive Charles Milles Maddox. Inyo County October 1969.

Charles Milles Maddox

Charles Milles Maddox AKA Charlie Manson was a serial killer and most of the bad parts of the Old Testament sort of criminal. He briefly…
Frank "Shorty" Harris

Frank “Shorty” Harris

Frank “Shorty” Harris (1857–1934) was one of the most colorful and enduring figures of the American desert West—a short-statured, hard-drinking, single-blanket jackass prospector whose 1904…
A police sketch of the Ballarat Bandit - George Robert Johnston

George Robert Johnston – The Ballarat Bandit

A police sketch of the Ballarat Bandit - George Robert Johnston George Robert Johnston, known as the Ballarat Bandit, was a petty criminal who lead…
Pete Aguereberry

Pete Aguereberry – A Panamint Valley Miner

Jean Pierre “Pete” Aguereberry (1874–1945), universally known as Pete Aguereberry, was a Basque-born prospector and miner whose four-decade solitary vigil at the Eureka Mine in…

4×4 Trails near Ballarat

The hottest place on earth, Death Valley National Park is on the order with California and Nevada

Indian Ranch Road

The hottest place on earth, Death Valley National Park is on the order with California and Nevada Indian Ranch Road is a scenic, graded dirt…
The hottest place on earth, Death Valley National Park is on the order with California and Nevada

Jail Canyon Road

The hottest place on earth, Death Valley National Park is on the order with California and Nevada Jail Canyon Road is a rugged, scenic 4WD…

References

Nelson Nevada and Eldorado Canyon – Clark County Ghost Town

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Nelson, Nevada, is a small unincorporated community in Clark County, located in the rugged hills of El Dorado Canyon about 45 minutes south of Las Vegas along Nevada Highway 165. The canyon itself drains into the Colorado River (now part of Lake Mohave) and is best known for the historic Techatticup Mine—one of the oldest, richest, and most famous gold mines in southern Nevada. Together, Nelson and El Dorado Canyon represent a classic chapter in Nevada’s mining heritage: from early Spanish exploration and a violent 19th-century gold rush to 20th-century wartime production and today’s preserved tourist site. What began as a remote, lawless mining district became one of the most productive areas in the state’s southern history.

Rock spires carved by erosion located in Eldorado Canyon, Nelson, Nevada.
Rock spires carved by erosion located in Eldorado Canyon, Nelson, Nevada.

Pre-European History and Early European Contact

Long before miners arrived, the area was home to Ancestral Puebloans, followed by Paiute and Mojave tribes who lived along the Colorado River corridor for centuries. In 1775, Spanish surveyors exploring the canyon along the Colorado River discovered rich deposits of gold, silver, and lead. They named the canyon “Eldorado” (Spanish for “golden”) and established a small settlement at the river’s mouth, but the silver quantities proved too low to sustain operations, and they soon moved on—missing the far richer gold veins hidden in the canyon walls.

The Southwest Mining Company Quartz mill located just off the Colorado River.
The Southwest Mining Company Quartz mill located just off the Colorado River.

The 19th-Century Mining Boom (1850s–1870s)

Serious prospecting began in the 1850s when American miners sluiced streams feeding the Colorado River. In 1857–1858, steamboat captain George Alonzo Johnson formally named the canyon El Dorado after noting gold and silver deposits. The real rush ignited in April 1861 when Mojave Chief Irataba guided prospector John Moss to a rich silver (and gold/copper) vein. Word spread rapidly, triggering one of the largest mining booms in southern Nevada history and the formation of the Colorado Mining District (later called the Eldorado Canyon District).

The Salvage Vein—a vertically stacked ribbon of ore—became the focus. The most famous operation was the Techatticup Mine (named from Paiute words meaning “hungry” or “bread,” because local Paiutes came to the camps begging for food). Other key mines included the Wall Street, Queen City, Gettysburg, and Savage. These produced millions of dollars in gold, silver, copper, and lead over decades. Ore was initially shipped by steamboat down the Colorado River to Yuma, Arizona, and then to San Francisco. A 10-stamp steam-powered mill (the first in the canyon) was built in 1863 at El Dorado City near the river, cutting transportation costs.

Several mining camps sprang up: San Juan (upper canyon, near modern Nelson), Alturas and Louisville (mid-canyon near Techatticup), and Colorado City/El Dorado City at the river landing. During the Civil War, the area even hosted rival camps—Lucky Jim (Confederate sympathizers) and Buster Falls (Union)—highlighting the national divisions that spilled into the remote desert.

Many structures are still standing, Nelson, Nevada.
Many structures are still standing, Nelson, Nevada.

Lawlessness and the “Wild West” Reputation

El Dorado Canyon earned a notorious reputation for violence that rivaled Tombstone, Arizona. Its extreme isolation—hundreds of miles from the nearest sheriff in Pioche or Hiko—meant law enforcement rarely ventured in. Claim-jumping, shootings over ownership and labor disputes, greed, and vigilante justice were daily occurrences. Many miners were Civil War deserters seeking anonymity. Murders were so common that they barely made headlines. The U.S. Army established Camp El Dorado in 1867 at the canyon mouth to protect steamboat traffic and deter Paiute raids, but it was abandoned two years later.

Infamous figures included Paiute renegade Ahvote and Cocopah serial killer Queho, who murdered over 20 people in the early 1900s (one victim near the Techatticup Mine in 1919). Locals formed posses for justice when authorities could not respond.

The Rise of Nelson and 20th-Century Operations

The original riverfront town of Eldorado gradually declined after the 1870s. In 1905 a new hub emerged about seven miles up-canyon and was named Nelson (after early settler Charles Nelson). A 50-ton smelter was built, sparking a second boom. Mining slowed in the early 1900s but revived in the late 1930s to supply ore for the U.S. military during World War II. The Techatticup Mine—the longest-lived and most productive in the district—finally closed around 1941–1945 due to rising labor costs.

The construction of Davis Dam in the 1950s created Lake Mohave, flooding the old Nelson’s Landing, stamp mill site, and lower canyon. The historic cemetery was relocated one mile upstream to avoid inundation

The steamboat Mohave departing the landing in El Dorado Canyon.
The steamboat Mohave departing the landing in El Dorado Canyon.

Modern Era and Tourism

Today, only about 35 people live in Nelson, a quiet cluster of homes and remnants of the mining past. The Techatticup Mine site (51 acres) was purchased in 1994 by Tony and Bobbie Werly and their family. They restored buildings, cleared tunnels, installed lighting and safety features, and opened guided tours that explore both above- and below-ground sections (about 500 feet deep). The site now functions as a museum and living-history attraction with antique vehicles, mining artifacts, a gift shop, and even a wedding chapel. It has also served as a filming location for movies such as Breakdown (1997) and 3000 Miles to Graceland (2001), whose crashed airplane prop remains on display.

El Dorado Canyon is no longer an active mining district but a scenic desert landscape popular with hikers, photographers, and history buffs. Visitors can explore the preserved “ghost town” feel—rusting machinery, weathered buildings, and canyon views—while remembering its turbulent past of riches, bloodshed, and resilience.

Mill in Eldorado Canyon, circa 1890
Mill in Eldorado Canyon, circa 1890

Founded in 1905 Nelson, Nevada is located some seven miles west at the head of Eldorado Canyon. The town of Nelson slumped for two decades beginning in 1909, but the 1930’s found a resurgence in gold production. By 1941, the three cyanide mills processed 220 tons of ore daily. The population reached 600 persons, however increased costs caused the gold production to slow and eventually cease. The Techatticip mine produced over half of the total gold produced in the area. The gold produced by the region has an estimated valued at $10,000,000.00.

In 1951, Davis Damn is completed. The original town site in Eldorado canyon was buried and drowned by the rising waters of Lake Mojave.

A visitors center and store are open to those who travel here. Nelson, Nevada
A visitors center and store are open to those who travel here. Nelson, Nevada

Today

Today, the town of Nelson hosts some 37 people in the 2010 census. The older section of town hosts many old buildings, ruins, cars, mining equipment and all in all is an eclectic collection of mining and western history. The current occupants have a wonderful collection of old mining gear and western history, mixed with an eclectic collection of art.

Nelson, Nevada

Conclusion

From Spanish dreams of El Dorado in 1775 to the chaotic gold rush of the 1860s, Civil War tensions, and World War II production, Nelson and El Dorado Canyon encapsulate the boom-and-bust cycle of Nevada mining. The Techatticup Mine’s millions in precious metals helped shape the American West, even as lawlessness and isolation defined daily life. Today, the restored site offers a safe window into that wild history—just a short drive from Las Vegas—preserving the stories of the miners, outlaws, and dreamers who once called this canyon home. For those interested in touring, reservations are required through Eldorado Canyon Mine Tours.

Nelson, Nevada is a quiet destination worthy of a few hours if you are in the area.
Nelson, Nevada is a quiet destination worthy of a few hours if you are in the area.

Nelson and El Dorado trail map