Columbia Nevada – Esmeralda County Ghost Town

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

One Reply to “Columbia Nevada – Esmeralda County Ghost Town”

  1. Pingback: Columbus NSHM Nevada State Historic Marker #20 - Destination4x4

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.