The Bullfrog Mining District is located in the Bullfrog Hills of Nye County, southwestern Nevada, near the town of Beatty and close to the eastern edge of Death Valley. It lies in a desert basin surrounded by volcanic hills, about 120 miles northwest of Las Vegas.
Geology
The district is part of the southern Walker Lane trend, characterized by brittle deformation in upper-plate volcanic rocks due to detachment faulting and associated dip-slip and strike-slip displacements. The primary host rocks are Tertiary volcanic units, including rhyolitic flows and tuffs (such as rhyolite No. 1 and No. 2, with interbedded limestone in places). Ore deposits are epithermal, featuring quartz-calcite veins with micron-sized gold, often in stockworks. Oxidation is widespread, with pyrite altering to limonite, calcite partially dissolving, and manganese oxides developing. Native gold (alloyed with silver) dominates, with some cerargyrite (horn silver) in richer zones; minor sulfides like pyrite, chalcocite, or galena occur locally. Veins are typically fine-grained quartz intergrown with calcite, and ores range from high-grade surface bonanzas ($100–$700/ton initially) to lower-grade milling material (often <$15/ton average).
History and Early Development
Gold was discovered on August 9, 1904, by prospectors Frank “Shorty” Harris and Ernest “Ed” Cross (or Eddie Cross), who located the Original Bullfrog Mine on a prominent quartz outcrop with green-stained ore (possibly inspiring the “Bullfrog” name due to color or shape). Assays showed high values up to $700/ton or more. The rush followed discoveries at Tonopah and Goldfield, spurring prospecting in the region. Claims quickly covered the area, and tent camps emerged.
Towns sprang up rapidly:
- Bullfrog (near the original discovery, adjoined Rhyolite later).
- Rhyolite (laid out in February 1905, became the main town and “metropolis” of the district; peaked at 3,500–5,000 residents in 1907–1908 with amenities like electricity, water, telephones, newspapers, a hospital, school, opera house, and stock exchange).
- Beatty (4 miles east, on the Amargosa River; survives today as the only lasting settlement).
- Others like Amargosa City (early tent camp, abandoned) and Bonanza.
Transportation improved with railroads: Las Vegas & Tonopah, Bullfrog Goldfield, and Tonopah & Tidewater lines connected the area.
The district boomed briefly but declined after rich surface ores depleted and deeper mining faced issues like litigation (e.g., at Montgomery-Shoshone) and lower grades. Early production (pre-1911) focused on high-grade shipping ore.
Significant Mines, Owners, and Mills
- Original Bullfrog Mine — Discovered 1904 by Harris and Cross; minor early production; some chalcocite noted.
- Montgomery-Shoshone Mine (most important) — Discovered 1904; underground to 700 ft; owned by Montgomery-Shoshone Consolidated Mining Company (litigation delayed early work); later bought by industrialist Charles M. Schwab (1906), who invested in infrastructure. A 300-ton-per-day cyanidation mill processed ore; produced ~67,000 gold equivalent ounces from ~141,000 tons (1907–1911, average ~0.48 oz/ton gold).
- Polaris Mine (adjacent) — Produced ~4,900 oz gold from ~9,500 tons (~0.52 oz/ton).
- Others: Bullfrog, Gibraltar, Tramps groups; Bonanza Mountain; Ladd Mountain areas.
Early mills included the Montgomery-Shoshone cyanidation mill (key for processing lower-grade ore).
Through 1911, the district produced ~94,000 oz gold (mostly early high-grade).
Later Production (Modern Era)
Minor activity post-1911 until modern exploration in the 1980s. St. Joe American explored from 1982; Bond International Gold (later acquired by LAC Minerals, then Barrick Gold in 1994) developed the Barrick Bullfrog Mine (open-pit and underground from 1989–1999). A ~9,000-tpd cyanidation mill/heap leach processed ore. Total modern production: ~2,328,852–2,313,643 oz gold and ~2.5–3 million oz silver from ~28.8 million tons ore (average ~0.081 oz/ton gold).
Overall Production, Tonnage, and Value
Early phase (1904–1911): Focused on high-grade; total ~94,000 oz gold. For 1907: 9,050 tons ore yielding $207,538 (~$132,428 gold, $74,991 silver, minor Cu/Pb). 1907–1910: ~$1,687,792 total value.
Full historical (pre-modern): ~112,000 oz gold and ~869,000 oz silver (1905–1921 estimates).
Modern (1989–1999): ~2.3+ million oz gold from ~28–29 million tons ore.
The district’s early boom contributed to Nevada’s economic revival post-1900, despite its short-lived peak. Rhyolite became a famous ghost town, while Beatty persists. Recent projects (e.g., Augusta Gold’s Bullfrog Gold Project) explore remaining resources in the area.