Diamondfield is a ghost town in Esmeralda County, Nevada, located about 4–5 miles north-northeast of Goldfield near McMahon Ridge and Black Butte (roughly 37.746°N, 117.190°W, elevation about 5,650 feet). It developed as a satellite mining camp during the early Goldfield boom and is commonly considered part of the broader Goldfield mining district.
Founding and Naming
The town was founded by Jackson Lee “Diamondfield Jack” Davis (c. 1863–1949), a colorful and controversial figure. Davis earned his nickname after unsuccessfully prospecting for diamonds in the Idaho-Nevada border region in the early 1890s. In the mid-1890s he worked as a gunman for cattle interests (including future Nevada Governor John Sparks) during range conflicts with sheepmen. He was convicted in 1896 of the murders of two sheepherders in Idaho’s Deep Creek area, sentenced to hang, and spent years under threat of execution before being pardoned in December 1902 after others confessed (though those confessions did not fully resolve the case).
After his release, Davis headed to the Tonopah-Goldfield region. In spring 1903 he prospected northeast of the nascent Goldfield camp and located promising gold-bearing ledges on McMahon Ridge. In February 1904 he platted the Diamondfield townsite near his claims and built a toll road connecting it to Goldfield. Eighty-seven lots sold on the first day. The town was named in his honor rather than for any diamond mining.
Role in the Area
Diamondfield functioned primarily as a residential and service suburb of Goldfield rather than an independent major camp. It provided housing and businesses for miners working claims in the Goldfield district (some of which straddled the Esmeralda-Nye county line). A stage line ran three times daily between Diamondfield and Goldfield ($1 one way, $1.50 round trip), and a new Tonopah–Goldfield road routed through the town. Electricity reached Diamondfield via Goldfield. The Diamondfield Miners Union No. 233 was established, reflecting organized labor activity common in the district.
The camp contributed to the rapid expansion of the Goldfield boom, which made Goldfield Nevada’s largest city for a time and a major gold producer. Diamondfield itself never rivaled Goldfield or nearby Columbia in size or importance; it remained a secondary settlement whose fortunes rose and fell with the larger district’s high-grade ore discoveries and subsequent decline.
Peak Period, Businesses, and Buildings (1904–1907)
The town grew quickly. By August 1904 it had a business district that included restaurants, three saloons, two general stores, two lodging houses, and various other conveniences. At its height (fall 1904 into 1905), reported amenities included:
- Post office
- Three saloons
- Restaurants
- General stores / mercantile
- Schools
- A church
- Livery
- Butcher shop
- Blacksmith shop
- Miners’ union hall
- Offices for a sheriff, notary public, and lawyer
Public services and commercial activity developed impressively for a camp only months old. Historical accounts note assay offices and other typical mining-camp structures as well. Little remains today beyond foundations, historical markers indicating former building sites (such as the school and assay office), and scattered relics.
Population
Population estimates vary by source and year:
- Peak often cited around 200–300 residents (some accounts claim as high as ~500 in 1905).
- By 1907–08: roughly 150–400 (sources differ).
- 1910 U.S. Census: 48 residents in the Diamondfield precinct.
Decline set in as high-grade ores were exhausted and residents moved to Goldfield or other opportunities.
Post Office
A post office operated from November 2, 1904, to May 30, 1908. Early petitions for a post office named Mrs. Rose Campbell as a proposed postmistress. Its closure reflected the camp’s rapid downturn.
Newspapers
No dedicated local newspaper is documented for Diamondfield. Coverage appeared in Goldfield and Tonopah papers (such as the Tonopah Bonanza and Goldfield publications). Standard Nevada newspaper bibliographies do not list a Diamondfield title.
Decline and Later History
By 1907 the boom had peaked and mining activity waned. Residents migrated to Goldfield. Davis himself left around 1910. By the start of World War I the town was nearly abandoned. Sporadic leasing continued, and a 1923 police raid uncovered a moonshine operation. A small-scale mining revival occurred in the late 1930s but ended in 1942 when the War Production Board halted non-essential gold mining.
Davis continued mining and promotional activities elsewhere, married, and eventually lived in relative obscurity. He died in Las Vegas in January 1949 after being struck by a taxicab.
Today the original townsite has little standing architecture. Nearby, a private property known as Diamondfield Gulch (developed by Ron Matheny) features reconstructed Old West-style buildings (saloon, jail, blacksmith shop, etc.) among original foundations and mining relics and offers limited camping/visits by arrangement. The site remains of interest to ghost-town explorers and those tracing Goldfield-district history.
Town Summary
| Name | Diamondfield |
| Location | Esmeralda County, Nevada |
| Latitude, Longitude | 37.7460445, -117.1900777 |
| GNIS | 864791 |
| Elevation | 5,650 feet |
| Population | 200 – 300 |
| Post Office | Nov 1904-May 1908 |