Tag: Mine

A gold mine is a site where gold ore is extracted from the earth through mining processes. These mines are typically located underground or in open pits, where miners excavate gold-bearing ore and separate the valuable metal from surrounding rock and debris. Gold mines can vary widely in size and complexity, from small-scale artisanal operations to large industrial mines with advanced extraction and processing technologies. The discovery and development of a gold mine often involve significant investment and geological expertise, aiming to access and extract gold deposits efficiently and sustainably. The extracted gold ore undergoes processing to refine and produce pure gold, which is highly valued for its beauty, rarity, and utility in various industries such as jewelry, electronics, and finance.

Evening Star Mine

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The Evening Star Mine (also known as the Evening Star Tin Mine, Maynard Mine, Bernice Mine, or Rex Tin Mine) is located in the Mescal Mining District at the western base of the Ivanpah Mountains, San Bernardino County, California—within what is now Mojave National Preserve. It sits at approximately 4,961 feet elevation, about 1.5 miles south of the Standard No. 1 Mine, near Cima and not far from the California-Nevada border (outside Primm, NV)..

Evening Star Mine, Mojave, California - 2015 Photo by James L Rathbun
Evening Star Mine, Mojave, California – 2015 Photo by James L Rathbun

Discovery and Early Development (1935–1940)

The mine began modestly in 1935 as a copper prospect staked by lifelong desert miner J. Riley Bembry. Bembry, born in Oklahoma in 1899 and a WWI veteran, had prospected extensively in the eastern Mojave since the late 1920s or early 1930s. Within about a year, he sold the claims to Trigg L. Button and Clarence Hammett of Santa Ana, California. They began sinking the No. 1 shaft.

In 1940, Vaughn Maynard of Santa Ana purchased the claims. The site was developed as a combination surface-underground operation on a small deposit.

Peak Operations and Production (1941–1944)

The mine entered its main productive phase during World War II, driven by demand for strategic minerals. In 1941, the Tin Corporation of America leased the property. They continued deepening the shaft and, in June 1942, shipped 25 tons of ore to the Tin Processing Corporation in Texas City, Texas.

In 1943, Carl F. Wendrick, Jr. (owner of Steel Sales and Service Company of Chicago, Illinois) leased the mine. He secured a government loan, employed about eight men, constructed a larger headframe, and built a mill at Valley Wells. Operations ran primarily from 1939 to 1944 (with the most intensive work in the early 1940s).

Production and Significance

The Evening Star Mine was the only producer of tin ore (cassiterite, or tin oxide) in the eastern Mojave Desert—and reportedly the only one in the broader Mojave. It yielded over 400 tons of tin ore during its life. Several tons of tin concentrates (containing 35.96% tin) were sold to the U.S. government stockpile in Jean, Nevada, just across the border. The deposit also carried minor amounts of copper, tungsten, zinc, and possibly gold.

Nearby claims (just west) produced about 1,000 tons of tungsten ore under a separate lease (1939–1940).

Unique Engineering Feature

The mine stands out for its 60-foot headframe, which featured a crusher mounted directly on top—one of the few such setups in the Mojave. Ore fed from the headframe into a sorting structure of three tiered towers (the lowest serving as an ore bin). This design was practical for the remote, small-scale operation.

Closure and Current Status

Production ended around 1944 as wartime demand eased and the deposit proved limited. The site was never a large-scale operation but exemplified the many independent, small-scale ventures that dotted the desert.

Today, the Evening Star Mine is a well-preserved historic site within Mojave National Preserve. The impressive wooden headframe and associated structures (outbuildings, shafts, tunnels, and artifacts) remain visible and have been assessed for stabilization to protect historic timber framing. The main shaft is closed for safety (e.g., with cable netting). It serves as a photogenic reminder of WWII-era mining and the rugged life of desert prospectors.

(Note: A few secondary sources occasionally reference earlier 1900s development or conflicting details, but primary accounts consistently date commercial tin-focused work to the 1935–1944 period.)

The Evening Star Mine, though short-lived, highlights the Mojave’s role in supplying critical minerals during national emergencies and contributes to the rich tapestry of over a century of desert mining history. Many similar sites nearby (e.g., Vulcan for iron) underscore how the region supported both economic booms and wartime needs.

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Kokoweef Mine

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The Kokoweef Mine (more accurately known as the legendary caverns or lost river of gold beneath Kokoweef Peak) is not a conventional operating mine but a persistent folk legend tied to a remote mountain in California’s Mojave Desert. Kokoweef Peak (also called Mt. Kokoweef), rising to about 6,037–6,038 feet in the Ivanpah Mountains of San Bernardino County, lies roughly three miles south of Mountain Pass along Interstate 15, near the Nevada border and within or adjacent to the Mojave National Preserve area.

Kokoweef Mine from below - 2015
Kokoweef Mine from below – 2015

The story blends Native American oral tradition, a prospector’s sworn affidavit, and decades of treasure-hunting fervor. It has inspired mining claims, exploration companies, paleontological digs, and countless seekers—yet no verifiable underground river of gold has ever been confirmed. Real caves exist on the peak (limestone karst formations), and zinc was mined there during World War II, but the core “mine” remains legendary.

My nephew and son searching for the "River of Gold" on Kokoweef peak.
My nephew and son searching for the “River of Gold” on Kokoweef peak.

Origin Story: The Paiute Brothers and Tribal Lore (Late 1800s–Early 1900s)

The legend traces back to three Southern Paiute (or Piute) brothers—Oliver, George, and Buck Peysert—who reportedly worked as ranch hands at the Dorr family ranch near Colorado Springs, Colorado, in the 1890s–early 1900s during the boyhood of prospector Earl Dorr.

According to the tale, tribal elders had long described a vast underground cavern system beneath a peak (later identified as Kokoweef) containing a subterranean river whose black-sand beaches were laden with placer gold. Around 1903–1905, the brothers left the ranch to search for it. They allegedly rediscovered a narrow passageway leading deep into a labyrinth of caverns. After weeks of exploration, they reached an enormous underground river. They extracted gold worth about $57,000 (at the contemporary price of roughly $20 per ounce) over a six-week period. Tragedy struck when George fell to his death into the river. The survivors cashed in their gold at the U.S. Mint and deposited funds in banks in Needles, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada. Tribal custom supposedly forbade them from returning to the site after the death.

The brothers later shared the story with Earl Dorr (some accounts place this encounter in San Francisco around 1906 after the earthquake; others say he heard it as a youth). One version claims they provided him with a map, though Dorr family members later disputed this.

These mine cart rails are a little small to pull the amount of gold claimed to be here.
These mine cart rails are a little small to pull the amount of gold claimed to be here.

Earl Dorr’s Claim and the Birth of the Modern Legend (1920s–1930s)

Earl P. Dorr (born ~1885 near Colorado Springs), a cowboy-turned-prospector and adventurer, became the legend’s central figure. By the early 1920s, he had moved to the Mojave region and reportedly rediscovered an entrance to the cavern system (possibly Crystal Cave or one of the other solution cavities on Kokoweef Peak). In 1927, he enlisted a civil engineer, Mr. Morton from Tempe, Arizona, to help map it. According to Dorr’s later account, the two men spent four days (accounts vary between three and four) exploring over eight miles of passages. They descended thousands of feet into a massive underground canyon hundreds of feet deep, where a 300-foot-wide subterranean river flowed. The river reportedly “breathed,” rising and falling like tides, exposing black-sand beaches and ledges said to be extremely rich in placer gold. Dorr claimed they panned samples that assayed at high values (one report cited $2,144 per cubic yard). They allegedly carried out about 10 pounds each of gold-bearing material.

In 1934, Dorr signed a notarized affidavit detailing these discoveries. He said he dynamited the entrance shut to protect his find while attempting to file a claim. (Some accounts note he could not because earlier claims by a prospector named Pete Ressler—possibly linked to the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang—already covered parts of the area.) Dorr tried to attract investors but never successfully reopened or proved the site. He died in a 1957 mining accident.

The affidavit was later published in the California Mining Journal (1940) and referenced in Desert Magazine and other outlets, turning the story into a classic lost-mine legend. Variations appeared in print as early as the 1930s, sometimes blending it with broader Mojave Desert tales of interconnected cave systems and underground rivers.

Kokoweef Trail Map

Spread, Exploration, and Reality Checks (1940s–1970s)

The legend drew treasure hunters and small-scale miners to Kokoweef Peak, creating a short-lived shantytown at its base. The Wallace family, inspired by Dorr’s story, formed the Crystal Cave Mining Corporation in the mid-1930s. They acquired claims from Pete Ressler in 1939 and mined zinc (not gold) at the Carbonate King during World War II to fund further searches for the river. The claims were patented in later decades.

Successive groups (including the Schnar family in the 1960s–70s and Legendary Kokoweef Cavern Inc.) continued digging and blasting in known caves like Crystal Cave. Real scientific value emerged in the 1970s: paleontologists from the San Bernardino County Museum, led by Bob Reynolds, excavated over five-and-a-half tons of sediment from Kokoweef Cave. They recovered more than 200,000 Pleistocene-era fossils (deposited less than 11,000 years ago), including dire wolves, camels, horses, deer, pronghorn, coyotes, birds, and smaller mammals. These confirmed the caves’ existence and ancient use as animal traps or dens but found no evidence of a flowing river or gold deposits matching Dorr’s description.

Geologically, Kokoweef Peak consists of ancient Mississippian-Pennsylvanian limestone (300–340 million years old) that formed karst caves along faults, primarily during the Ice Age (~1 million years ago). While underground water systems are possible in such formations, experts note the modern Mojave’s extreme aridity makes a large, persistent subterranean river unlikely, and the claimed gold quantities would be unprecedented.

Modern Era and Enduring Search (1980s–Present)

In 1984–1985, Explorations Incorporated of Nevada (later evolving into Kokoweef Inc.) took over, continuing exploration through drilling, geophysical surveys, and tunneling. The company has found additional caverns, crystals, and mineral veins, and some drilling has encountered traces of gold and sulfides. They maintain mining claims and emphasize both the legendary river and potential commercial deposits. Investors (hundreds over the years) have funded the work, with some visions of trillion-dollar riches, but the river itself remains elusive.

Today, the site features old mine entrances, tailings, and ongoing (low-key) activity. Kokoweef Caverns were briefly a curiosity or tourist draw in earlier decades but are no longer promoted that way. The legend still circulates in books, magazines, forums, and videos, sometimes linking to wider desert lore about hidden caves or ancient civilizations. Skeptics view Dorr’s tale as an imaginative hoax or prospector’s yarn designed to attract backers; supporters point to the consistent details, real caves, and ongoing finds as evidence something extraordinary may still lie undiscovered.

In summary, the Kokoweef “mine” endures as one of California’s most captivating lost-treasure legends—rooted in a purported Native American discovery, amplified by Dorr’s dramatic 1934 affidavit, and kept alive by real geology, fossils, and determined explorers. Whether it conceals a river of gold or remains a desert mirage, it continues to draw dreamers to the Mojave’s rugged peaks.

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Rawhide Nevada – Mineral County Ghost Town

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Rawhide is a classic Nevada mining boomtown-turned-ghost town in Mineral County, located approximately 55 miles southeast of Fallon at coordinates 39°01′0″N 118°23′28″W and an elevation of 5,082 feet (1,549 m). Nestled in the high desert west of the Buckskin Mountains, the site exemplifies the rapid rise and fall of early 20th-century Nevada mining camps. Discovered in late 1906 and heavily promoted as the “Land of Gold,” Rawhide swelled to a peak population of around 7,000–8,000 by mid-1908 before a devastating fire, flood, and disappointing ore bodies triggered a swift bust. Today, virtually nothing remains of the original townsite; it was completely obliterated by large-scale open-pit gold and silver mining operations in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, leaving only a massive pit and reclaimed landscape as a reminder of its fleeting glory.

Rawhide, Nevada. 1908.
Rawhide, Nevada. 1908.

Early Settlement and Discovery (1906–Early 1907)

The first discoveries in what became the Regent mining district occurred in 1906. On Christmas Day 1906, lone prospector Jim Swanson found gold while exploring the area. Two months later, Charles “Charley” Holman joined him and is credited with naming the camp “Rawhide.” A third prospector, Charles “Scotty” McLeod from Aurora, staked claims on nearby Holligan Hill. Word of the strike spread quickly to nearby towns, sparking a modest rush. By early 1907, the camp began to take shape with basic tents, shacks, and mining activity focused on gold and silver veins.

Boom Period and Promotion (1907–Mid-1908)

High-grade ore discoveries in the summer of 1907 ignited a full-scale boom. Promoters, most notably George Graham Rice (the notorious “Jackal of Wall Street”) and vaudeville star Nathaniel Carl Goodwin, aggressively hyped the district through their Nat C. Goodwin & Company brokerage. Rice orchestrated publicity stunts—including a visit by best-selling novelist Elinor Glyn—and flooded newspapers with ads touting Rawhide’s riches. The town exploded virtually overnight: by June 1908 it boasted a population of 7,000–8,000, more than 40 saloons, dozens of restaurants, stores, a red-light district, and the usual assortment of boomtown infrastructure. It became one of the fastest-built mining cities in Western history, with stage lines, a post office (established October 11, 1907), and frenzied speculation in claims such as the Rawhide Queen, Rawhide Coalition, and Black Eagle mines.

Rawhide, Nevada - 1915
Rawhide, Nevada – 1915

Disaster and Decline (Late 1908–1910s)

The boom was short-lived. On September 4, 1908, a massive fire swept through the wooden town, destroying large sections. A devastating flood the following year (September 1909) compounded the damage, leaving many residents unable or unwilling to rebuild. Ore production proved far less substantial than advertised, and by late 1910 the population had plummeted to fewer than 500. Mining continued on a reduced scale, but the speculative frenzy ended. The post office remained open until August 31, 1941, reflecting a small but persistent community.

Sept. 4, 1908. Devastating fire in Rawhide Nevada. Over $1 million in property damage and thousands were left homeless.
Sept. 4, 1908. Devastating fire in Rawhide Nevada. Over $1 million in property damage and thousands were left homeless.

Later Years and Final Abandonment (1920s–1960s)

Rawhide lingered as a quiet mining camp through the 1920s and 1930s with intermittent small-scale operations and placer mining. By the 1940 U.S. Census, only 32 people remained. A handful of hardy residents, including longtime local Anne (or Anna) Rechel—who owned mines and operated a restaurant—stayed into the 1960s. Rechel, often described as Rawhide’s last true resident, continued living and prospecting there until circumstances forced her to leave in the late 1960s; she passed away in 1967, marking the effective end of the town.

Modern Mining and Current Status

Ironically, the district experienced a major revival decades later through large-scale open-pit mining. Starting in the 1980s and peaking with operations by a Kennecott subsidiary and joint ventures from 1989 onward, the Rawhide Mine produced hundreds of thousands of ounces of gold and silver annually until closure around 2002–2005. The original historic townsite was entirely razed and incorporated into the massive pit complex, which has since undergone reclamation. Today, the location is an industrial mining scar with no visible remnants of the 1908 boomtown—only tailings, roads, and the open pit itself remain. The site is inaccessible to casual visitors and serves as a stark illustration of both the impermanence of boomtowns and the long-term economic legacy of Nevada’s mineral wealth.

NEVADA TOWN SWEPT FROM MAP BY CLOUDBURST

Ten-Foot Wall of Water Overwhelms Squattertown, Near Rawhide, in the Night.

SIX REPORTED MISSING

300 Families Rendered Homeless and Property Piled in Tangled Heap by the Flood.

Rawhide, Nev., Aug. 31.  “Squattertown”, a settlement just south of Rawhide, was swept by a ten-foot wall of water, following a cloudburst in the hills to the north tonight, and 130 buildings were partially or completely destroyed.

It is reported that two women and four children are missing, but up to a late hour tonight it was impossible to obtain verification of this report.

The cloudburst occurred on the summit of the low hills to the north of the camp. In a few moments a three-foot wall of water was pouring down the slope, covering the three miles from the summit to Main street with the speed of a railway train. The flood rushed into the street, which lies in a hollow and forms a general drainage canal, and every business house on the east side was flooded to a depth of from one to four feet.

Several structures were torn from their foundations and floated some distance down the street, while the crest of the flood was covered with furniture, animals and debris.

Gathering force as is poured down the channel, the flood swept into and over Squattertown, half a mile further down. The water formed a wall 10 feet high as it crashed into the frame structures, inhabited for the most part by miners and their families, and buildings were overturned and demolished at the first blow.

Darkness had fallen and the worst of devastation went on in the night.

Before the wave had passed 500 persons were homeless and their property piled up a tangled heap in the basin at the foot of National hill.

Several daring rescues were made. Mrs. Hobeloff and her two children clung to the wreckage of their home as it floated down the street and were rescued by Emil Gutt and P. R. Whyteck.

The Fountain Bar, a saloon located in a small frame building was swept from its foundations and carried five blocks down the street to be landed high and dry on a low bank, with its fixtures little disturbed.

Colorado Spring Gazette, Colorado Springs, CO 1 Sept 1909

Streets of Rawhide, Nevada 1908
Streets of Rawhide, Nevada 1908

Legacy

Rawhide’s story is a quintessential tale of Nevada’s mining booms: rapid growth fueled by rich surface discoveries and aggressive promotion, followed by swift collapse when reality set in. Its promotion by figures like George Graham Rice highlighted the era’s speculative excesses, while disasters and marginal ore bodies sealed its fate as a ghost town. Though physically erased by modern mining, Rawhide endures in historical accounts, photographs, and the collective memory of Nevada’s glory days.

Sources: This report is compiled from Nevada ghost-town documentation, including Western Mining History, Forgotten Nevada, Nevada Expeditions, Wikipedia entries, and period newspaper accounts cross-referenced with mining histories. Key references include Stanley W. Paher’s Nevada Ghost Towns & Mining Camps and specialized district reports. For further reading, consult The Story of Rawhide, Mineral County, Nevada or on-site resources from the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology.

Rawhide Town Summary

NameRawhide
LocationMineral County, Nevada
NewspaperRawhide Rustler Jan 16, 1907 – Apr 17, 1909
Rawhide Times Jan 16, 1908
Rawhide News Mar 7 – Aug 1, 1908
Rawhide Press-Times Feb 1, 1908 – Jan 20, 1911
Rawhide Miner (The) Apr 1, 1908

Rawhide Trail Map

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Bonnie Claire Nevada – A Nye County Ghost Town

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Bonnie Claire (sometimes spelled Bonnie Clare) is a historic ghost town in Nye County, Nevada, situated on the edge of Sarcobatus Flat along Nevada State Route 267, approximately 40 miles north of Beatty and near the California border. At an elevation of about 3,980–3,950 feet, the site lies in a remote desert landscape characterized by dry lake beds, sparse vegetation, and proximity to Gold Mountain (roughly six miles northwest). Once a small mining and railroad hub supporting gold and silver operations, Bonnie Claire experienced a brief boom in the early 20th century before fading into abandonment. Today, it consists primarily of decaying mill ruins, scattered building foundations, railroad beds, and a small cemetery, offering a glimpse into Nevada’s mining past.

Long Team in front of the Bonnie Claire Mine, Nevada
Long Team in front of the Bonnie Claire Mine, Nevada

Early Settlement and Mining Origins (1880s–1905)

Gold mining began in the region in the 1880s on the south side of Gold Mountain. Ore from mines such as the Rattlesnake was hauled by mule teams to a five-stamp mill constructed by Guy Thorpe at a site known as Thorp’s Wells (or Thorp’s Well; also briefly called Montana Station). This mill processed ore for about two decades and supported a modest camp. A small stage station developed at Thorp, serving overland traffic between emerging mining districts like Goldfield and Bullfrog.

In 1904, the Bonnie Clare Bullfrog Mining & Milling Company acquired the original mill and constructed a new facility—the Bonnie Clare Mill—near the stage station to handle ore from across the district. A small camp formed around the mill, and a post office opened on June 15, 1905, under the name Thorp. These developments laid the foundation for growth, though activity remained limited until railroads arrived.

Boom Period and Railroad Era (1906–1910s)

The town’s peak began in September 1906 when the Bullfrog-Goldfield Railroad reached Thorp, establishing a station initially called Montana Station. Residents disliked the name and platted a new townsite in October 1906, officially renaming it Bonnie Clare. The Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad arrived in spring 1907, constructing an impressive two-story depot. These rail connections transformed Bonnie Clare into a supply and milling center.

At its height, the town featured a railroad depot, mercantile stores, saloons, and a population estimated at around 100–250 residents. It served as a junction and siding for ore shipments and supplies. The post office name officially changed to Bonnie Clare on July 13, 1909. A brief 1910 renovation of the mill by the New Bonnie Clare Mining Company and further milling efforts (such as the 1913 Jumbo Extraction Company mill at Thorp’s Well, later operated by the Quigley Reduction Company) provided temporary support, but ore supplies from nearby mines dwindled.

Decline and Transition (1910s–1930s)

Mining activity declined sharply by 1909–1914 as local gold and silver deposits played out. Railroad consolidation in 1914 (merging operations of the Bullfrog-Goldfield and Las Vegas & Tonopah lines) reduced service, with only limited freight continuing. The railroads ultimately ceased operations around 1928, and tracks were later salvaged. The post office closed on December 31, 1931, when only two residents remained.

In the 1920s, Bonnie Claire experienced a modest revival as a supply point for the construction of Scotty’s Castle (Death Valley Ranch) in Death Valley, about 20 miles to the southwest. Building materials were unloaded here and transported onward.

Later Revivals and Final Operations (1940s–1950s)

Sporadic activity occurred between 1940 and 1954, including minor mining and a short-lived cyanide mill in 1940. In December 1951, George Lippincott of the Sun Battery and Nic-Silver Battery Companies (later associated with the Lippincott Lead Company) constructed a lead mill and smelter at the site of the old Bonnie Clare Mill. It processed lead-silver ore trucked from Death Valley mines (such as the Lead King Mine in the Panamint Range), operating at up to 100 tons per day starting in February 1952. The facility included a diesel power plant, worker quarters, and related infrastructure but lasted only a few years until the ore was depleted. A brief reopening was reported in 1955, after which the site was fully abandoned.

Additional infrastructure from this era included temporary use by highway reconstruction crews in 1951 and a Civil Aeronautics Authority airport (Scotty’s Intermediate Field/Bonnie Claire Airport) built circa 1943 nearby, which was later abandoned.

Current Status and Legacy

Bonnie Claire has remained a ghost town since the mid-1950s, with visible ruins including stone and concrete mill foundations, a leaning steel-frame structure, tailing piles, metal tanks, crucibles, and scattered residential remnants (such as the Huson House and stone buildings). A small cemetery contains graves from the early 20th century. The site is easily accessible via a short unpaved spur off NV-267 and attracts occasional visitors, historians, and off-road enthusiasts. In 2005, Tonogold Resources announced plans for the “Bonnie Claire Gold Tailings Project” to rework historic mill tailings, though large-scale revival did not materialize.

The town’s story exemplifies the boom-and-bust cycle of Nevada’s desert mining camps: rapid growth fueled by railroads and mineral strikes, followed by swift decline once resources and transportation waned. Its ruins stand as a testament to the Gold Mountain mining district and the interconnected rail networks that once linked remote Nevada outposts. Coordinates for the site are approximately 37°13’37.7″N 117°07’15.6″W.

Bonnie Claire Trail Map

Columbus Nevada – Esmeralda County Ghost Town

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Columbus was a short-lived mining boomtown and ghost town in Esmeralda County, Nevada, situated on the edge of the Columbus Salt Marsh (approximate coordinates 38°06′37″N 118°01′09″W). Its remnants lie roughly five miles southwest of the original site marker area along what is now accessible via dirt roads off U.S. Route 95 in a remote desert region between Hawthorne and Tonopah. The town’s history exemplifies the classic Nevada mining cycle of rapid discovery, prosperity, and abandonment driven by silver, gold, and especially borax extraction. It is officially recognized by Nevada Historical Marker No. 20.

Downtown Columbus, Nevada, late 1870's.
Downtown Columbus, Nevada, late 1870’s.

Early Discovery and Founding (1863–1866)

Spanish prospectors first discovered silver in the region in 1863, sparking initial interest in the Candelaria Mining District to the north. American settlers formally established the Columbus mining camp in 1865. The location proved ideal for milling because it was the only spot for miles with sufficient water to operate machinery. A quartz (stamp) mill was erected on site in 1865, and another was relocated from the nearby town of Aurora in 1866. By the end of 1866, the settlement had grown to approximately 200 residents and functioned primarily as an early milling center for gold and silver ores from surrounding mines. Three mills with a combined 28 stamps eventually processed ore from the Candelaria district.

Columbus, Nevada 1870s - Stanley W. Paher, Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps, (1970), Howell North, p 427, Mrs. Estelle Funke Collection
Columbus, Nevada 1870s – Stanley W. Paher, Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps, (1970), Howell North, p 427, Mrs. Estelle Funke Collection

Borax Boom and Industrial Growth (1871–1875)

The town’s fortunes expanded dramatically in 1871 when William Troop discovered rich borax deposits in the alkali flat (Columbus Salt Marsh) immediately south of the camp. Salt had already been noted as abundant in the same marsh, but borax became the dominant resource. By 1873, four borax companies operated in the area, with the prominent Pacific Borax Company beginning large-scale work in September 1872 and constructing facilities about five miles south of town. Borax processing plants ran continuously day and night for eight months each year.

Infrastructure and amenities quickly developed to support the boom. Columbus gained a post office (which operated from April 2, 1866, to February 15, 1871, then reopened April 5, 1871, until its final closure on March 2, 1899), an adobe school, an iron foundry, multiple stores, and the weekly newspaper The Borax Miner. Stagecoach lines connected the town to Fish Lake Valley, Lida, and Candelaria, while freight teams hauled silver ore and borax 125 miles north to the nearest railroad depot at Wadsworth. By summer 1875, 28 freight teams were active on this route.

Peak Prosperity (circa 1875)

Columbus reached its zenith around 1875. Official state records report a peak population of about 1,000 residents, though other contemporary accounts describe several hundred. The town served as a vital regional hub for ore processing and borax shipping, with bustling commercial activity and even recreational developments such as a horse-racing track and grandstand built by the Columbus Jockey Club on the nearby flat. It was one of the few places in the isolated desert with reliable water, making it a logical center for milling and transport.

Decline and Transition to Ghost Town (1875–1890s)

The boom proved unsustainable. In 1875, the Pacific Borax Company constructed a larger and more efficient plant at Fish Lake Valley, approximately 30 miles south, shifting operations away from Columbus. Borax production declined sharply, and most mining and milling activities ceased by the mid-1880s. Population dropped to roughly 100 by 1881, with only a dozen businesses remaining. Minor revival attempts included a soap factory in 1881 and later horse racing, but these could not reverse the downturn. Sporadic mining continued into the early 20th century, including operations at nearby Calmville (with its own short-lived post office from 1893–1895). In the 1950s, an unsuccessful flotation mill and a cyanide plant operated briefly east of the townsite, leaving additional foundations and tanks, but the core settlement never recovered. The post office closed permanently in 1899, and Columbus became a true ghost town.

Legacy and Current Status

Today, Columbus exists only as scattered ruins—foundations, mill remnants, and debris—on the edge of the salt marsh. It stands as a classic example of Nevada’s 19th-century boom-and-bust mining history, tied to the broader silver rushes and the unique borax industry that later fueled operations at places like Death Valley. The site is marked by Nevada Historical Marker No. 20 and is occasionally visited by historians, off-road enthusiasts, and ghost-town explorers. No permanent population remains, and the area is remote, requiring four-wheel-drive access.

Columbus’s story highlights how resource-dependent towns in the American West rose and fell with mineral prices, technological shifts, and competition from newer deposits. Its brief but intense prosperity contributed to the economic development of Esmeralda County and the early infrastructure of central Nevada.

Town Summary

NameColumbus
LocationEsmeralda County, Nevada
Latitude, Longitude38.110278, -118.019167
Population1000
Elevation4560
NewspaperBorax Miner Oct 18, 1873; Feb 20, 1875 – Sept 15, 1877
(missing: Aug 14, Sept 11, Dec 24, 1875; May 27, Sept 23, Dec 9, 1876; Feb 10, Mar 17, Apr 1, 21, 28, May 5, 1877)
Post Office

Columbus Trail Map

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