Tag: Esmeralda County

Esmeralda County Nevada

Silver Peak Nevada

Posted on by

Silver Peak Nevada is an unincorporated town located along State Route 265, 20 miles south of U.S. Route 6 and 30 miles west of Goldfield, in Esmeralda County, Nevada.

Silver Peak, Nevada
Silver Peak, Nevada

Silver Peak is a small unincorporated community located in the southwestern part of Nevada, in Esmeralda County. The town was founded in the late 1800s, during the height of the silver mining boom in Nevada.

Silver Peak’s history is tied to the mining industry, as it was initially established as a mining camp. In 1863, prospectors discovered silver in the area, and soon after, the town began to grow. The silver deposits were located in the Silver Peak Range, and the area quickly became known for its rich ore deposits.

.

Photograph of Silver Peak, Nevada; Title taken from image; postcard - University of Nevada, Reno
Photograph of Silver Peak, Nevada; Title taken from image; postcard – University of Nevada, Reno

The town’s name comes from the nearby Silver Peak Mountain, which was named for the silver deposits found in the area. In the early days of the town, mining was the main industry, and the population grew rapidly as people came to work in the mines.

The town’s fortunes rose and fell with the fortunes of the mining industry. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the town experienced a boom as new silver deposits were discovered. During this time, the town had a population of over 2,000 people and boasted a variety of businesses, including saloons, stores, and hotels. In 1939, boxer Max Baer defeated “Big Ed” Murphy of Silver Peak in a one round fight at Silver Peak.

However, as the silver deposits began to run out, the town’s population began to decline. By the mid-1900s, the town had become a ghost town, with only a few people remaining. In the 1950s, a new industry emerged in Silver Peak – lithium mining. Lithium is a valuable mineral used in batteries, and Silver Peak had large deposits of it. The town experienced a small revival as a result, and a new processing plant was built to extract the lithium from the ore.

Today, Silver Peak is still a small town, with a population of around 100 people. The lithium mining industry is still the main industry in the area, and the town remains an important hub for the industry. Silver Peak’s history is one of boom and bust, tied closely to the fortunes of the mining industry. While the town has had its ups and downs, it has managed to survive for over a century and remains an important part of Nevada’s mining history.

Silver Peak Map

Town Summary

NameSilver Peak, Nevada
LocationEsmeralda County, Nevada
Latitude, Longitude37.755, -117.635
GNIS845661
Elevation1317 meters / 4321 feet
Current Population@100

Resources

Millers Nevada

Posted on by

Millers Nevada State Historic Marker 101 is located at a rest stop alone highway 6 a few miles west of Tonopah, in Esmeralda county, Nevada. Millers was a train station and watering stop for the Tonopah and Goldfield Railroad.

Millers Nevada about 1905 - Mrs. Harry Mighels Collection
Millers Nevada about 1905 – Mrs. Harry Mighels Collection

Following a mining boom in Tonopah in 1901 and construction of the Tonopah and Goldfield Railroad, Millers was first founded in 1904 as a station and watering stop.  The name honored Charles R. Miller, a director of the railroad and former governor of Delaware.  He also served as vice-president of the Tonopah Mining Company and instrumental in having its 100-stamp cyanide mill built here in 1906. 

Charles R. Miller - Millers Nevada State Historic Marker 101
Charles R. Miller

In 1907, the town boomed with the construction of the Tonopah and Goldfield Railroad’s repair shops and another large mill.  The population grew to 274 in 1910, when the town boasted a business district and post office.  Millers boasted a modest business district and despite its relatively small population layed claim to a large park with baseball diamond and grandstand.

By 1911, the railroad shops and a mill had been moved away, and Millers began to decline.  It was abandoned in 1947 when the railroad went out of business.

Nevada State Historic Marker Text

As a result of mining excitement at Tonopah in 1901 and subsequent construction of the Tonopah and Goldfield Railroad, Millers was first founded in 1904 as a station and watering stop on that line.  The name honored Charles R. Miller, a director of the railroad and former governor of Delaware.  He was also vice-president of the Tonopah Mining Company and was instrumental in having its 100-stamp cyanide mill built here in 1906.  In 1907, the town boomed with the construction of the T. & G. R.R.’s repair shops and another large mill.  The population grew to 274 in 1910, when the town boasted a business district and post office.  By 1911, the railroad shops and a mill had been moved away, and Millers began to decline.  It was abandoned in 1947 when the railroad went out of business.

STATE HISTORICAL MARKER No. 101
STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE
AMERICAN LEGION, NEVADA DEPT.

Town Summary

NameMillers
LocationEsmeralda County, Nevada
Nevada State Historic Marker101
Latitude, Longitude38.1402, -117.4539
Elevation4,800 Feet
GNIS856083
Population275
Post Office1906 –

References

Jackson Lee Davis “Diamondfield Jack”

Posted on by

Jackson Lee “Diamondfield Jack” Davis who was pardoned for murder in Idaho and moved to Nevada where he founded several mining camps. Davis was a hired gun who worked for the cattlemen “protecting” cattle herds and their grazing land from sheep famers.

Jackson Lee "Diamondfield Jack" Davis (12 Aug 1863–2 Jan 1949)
Jackson Lee “Diamondfield Jack” Davis (12 Aug 1863–2 Jan 1949)

In 1895, Davis is hired by the Sparks-Harrell cattle company to keep the sheepherders off of the grazing lands. After an altercation where Davis wounded Bill Tolman in a shooting. Following this incident, he fled south to Nevada to star or of sight. While in Nevada, Davis is known to brad about his exploits.

In February, 1896, Davis returned to Idaho and returned to work for Sparks-Harrell in Idaho. During this time, two sheepherders, Daniel Cummings and John Wilson, are shot and killed. Due to he previous bragging and his being in the area at the time, Davis became a suspect. Davis fled to Arizona and is eventually captured. Upon his capture, he is returned to Idaho, tried, found guilty and sentenced to death for of the shooting.

DiamondField Nevada - 1904 - Paher
DiamondField Nevada – 1904 – Paher

keep the sheep back. Don’t kill but shoot to wound if necessary. Use what measures you think best. If you have to kill, the company will stand behind you – regardless what happens.

While “Diamondfield Jack” is waiting his execution, two other men, James Bower and Jeff Gray, confess to the killing. During their trial, the two men are found not guilty. Regardless, this trial raised doubt as to the trial and Davis is reprieved one day before his scheduled execution.

Following a series of appeals, Davis is again scheduled for execution on July 3rd, 1901. At this point in time, public opinion no longer supported the death penalty. His execution is rescheduled until the Board of Pardons commutes his sentence to life in prisons. Davis is eventually pardoned on December 17th, 1902.

Following his release, Davis moved south into Nevada. In the spring of 1903, when news of promising gold strikes in Goldfield, Davis travelled to the town. After exploring and prospecting he uncovered promising ore ledges on McMahon Ridge northeast of town.

Within weeks of his discovery, prospectors flooded into the area. “Diamondfield Jack”, ever the opportunist plotted a townsite for the location and build a toll road to the new town from Goldfield. In the fall of 1904, the town reached its apex. At that time, it boasted a Post Office, three saloons, restaurants, general stores, schools, church, livery, butcher shop, blacksmith and union hall for the miners, which is impressive for a town just six months old. Public servants such as a sheriff, notary public and lawyer also maintained offices in the new formed district.

Nevada State Historic Marker #251 Text

This historical marker commemorates the lasting notoriety of flamboyant western gunman Jackson Lee Davis (1870-1949), who was better known by the colorful name, “Diamondfield Jack.” As a young man, after unsuccessfully prospecting for diamonds in the nearby hills, Davis was jokingly called “Diamondfield Jack,” a nickname that he carried the rest of his life.

In the late 1890’s, Davis gained a measure of fame as a gunman for the cattle interests, including rancher John Sparks, who would later become a Nevada governor, that were attempting to restrict sheep ranchers from southern Idaho and northeastern Nevada rangelands. Following a sensational trial in 1896, Davis was convicted of murdering two sheepherders. He was sentenced to be hanged, even after others confessed to the murders.

In 1902, Davis was finally pardoned for the crimes. He moved to the central Nevada mining towns of Tonopah and Goldfield, where he became a successful mine operator. He also helped found several mining camps, including one called Diamondfield. In later years, he drifted into obscurity and died in Las Vegas in 1949 after being struck by a car.

Nevada State Historic Marker #251 Summary

Nevada State Historic Marker251
NameDiamondfield Jack Davis
LocationElko County, Nevada
Latitude, Longitude41.98471, -114.67209

Resources

Christian Brevoort Zabriskie

Posted on by

Christian Brevoort Zabriskie was a vice president and general manager Pacific Coast Borax Company located in Death Valley National Park. Zabriske served teh Pacific Coast Borax Company for some thirty six years, and due to this activity is honored by the naming an Zabriske Point.

Christian Brevoort Zabriskie
Christian Brevoort Zabriskie

Christian Brevoort Zabriskie (1864–1936) was born at Fort Bridger in the Wyoming Territory. After schooling, he worked for the Virginia & Truckee Railroad located in Carson City, Nevada. For a time, he relocated to Candelaria, Nevada at work for the Esmeralda County Bank. He briefly venture into the mortuary business with a partnership formed with a local cabinet maker. His lack of knowledge in the art of embalming was not considered a liability as burial speed was a huge priority.

In 1885, at the age of twenty one, Zabriske was hired by Francis Marion “Borax” Smith to supervise the Chinese laborer’s. These men worked for the Pacific Coast Borax Company is the Columbus Marsh located near Candelaria. During his thirty six year tenure with the Pacific Coast Borax Company, the company closed up Candelaria operations and relocated to Death Valley to increase production. The company also expanded into the Calico Mountains and Trona, California

Zabriskie Point named for Christian Brevoort Zabriskie - Photo by James L Rathbun
Zabriskie Point named for Christian Brevoort Zabriskie – Photo by James L Rathbun

Zabriske retired from the Pacific Coast Borax Company in 1933 as Vice President and General Manager. All of his work in Death Valley took place before the area was designated National Monument. He passed away just three years later, on February 8thm 1936 at the age of 71. He is buried in Carson City, Nevada.

Zabriske Point is named to honor the man for his many years of service to the Pacific Coast Borax Company.

References

Goldfield NSHM Nevada State Historic Marker #14

Posted on by

Goldfield NSHM is Nevada State Historical Marker number fourteen and is located in Esmeralda County, Nevada.

Photograph of half-tone print of a busy main street in Goldfield, Nevada, ca.1905. The dirt street is crowded with horse-drawn wagons, and pedestrians. Stores and other commercial ventures front most of the small buildings lining the street. A hill is in the background at the end of the street. - Photo Credit “University of Southern California. Libraries” and “California Historical Society” as the source. Digitally reproduced by the USC Digital Library.
Photograph of half-tone print of a busy main street in Goldfield, Nevada, ca.1905. The dirt street is crowded with horse-drawn wagons, and pedestrians. Stores and other commercial ventures front most of the small buildings lining the street. A hill is in the background at the end of the street. – Photo Credit “University of Southern California. Libraries” and “California Historical Society” as the source. Digitally reproduced by the USC Digital Library.

Nevada State Historical Markers identify significant places of interest in Nevada’s history. The Nevada State Legislature started the program in 1967 to bring the state’s heritage to the public’s attention with on-site markers. Budget cuts to the program caused the program to become dormant in 2009. Many of the markers are lost of damaged.

For a 20-year period prior to 1900 the mining in Nevada fell into a slump that cast the entire state into a bleak depression and caused the loss of one-third of the population.

The picture brightened overnight following the spectacular strikes in Tonopah and, shortly afterwards, in Goldfield. Gold ore was discovered here in December, 1902, by two Nevada-born prospectors, Harry Stimler and Billy Marsh. From 1904 to 1918 Goldfield boomed furiously. The city had a railroad that connected into Las Vegas and a peak population of 20,000. Between 1903- 40 a total of $86,765,044 in metals was produced here.

Neada State Historic Marker #14

Summary

ID14
NameGoldfield Nevada State Historic Marker
LocationEsmeralda County, Nevada
Latitude, Longitude37.7076, -117.2335

References