One of my favorite pastimes is ghost town hunting. I have spent years doing this alone. With more than 600 hundred of them in Nevada, the ghosts far outnumber the living towns. Some of them came and went in a single season while others prospered for many decades. I tend to categorize ghost towns into three sections: 1. Picked clean: These are towns where nothing at all remains but for some broken glass, nails and can dumps. Unfortunately, many of the 600 ghost towns fall into this category. These sites have fallen victim not only to time, weather and fire but also to scavengers and souvenir hunters. It is also important to remember, once the town was abandoned, people from a newer town might take the wood since wood was scarce in the desert. 2. Noticeable town sites: These are places where something considerable is left; a few stone foundations and walls. Perhaps an abandoned mine and remnants of other structures, and commonly, a mill site and cemetery. These towns may have been more solidly built and lasted a few decades. Their toughness and/or isolation has helped them to keep their mark on the landscape. 3. Protected: These are town sites that either still have a small population to guard against theft and vandalism or are preserved by the state or a county government agency.

The list below caters to the latter two sections on the list and are well worth the time and effort to get there. I tend to think of these places as dreams in a state of arrested decay. These were the mecca’s where men and their families flocked to for fortune and future. Most left broken-hearted for the next boomtown. Some died there, and a few even found their dreams.

Every ghost town has its own unique story to tell; as does every man, woman and child who ever lived there. You can find bits of their stories in old writings, historical quotes and on tombstones fading in the brush. One must go to the place; those desolate far off reaches of humanity, to begin to comprehend their plight.

 

BELMONT

                                                                                                                           

Located high on the slope of the Toquima Mountains, Belmont began as a silver mining camp and grew quickly. It became the seat for Nye County in 1867. Much of the town was built with stone, which is why there is something left to see today. By 1873 two thousand people lived there. The mines began to close in 1887 and the town went into decline. The county seat was moved to Tonopah in 1905.

Today, stone structures and a few wooden ones remain. A few people live there in RV’s. Belmont’s crowning glory is the courthouse which has not been in service for nearly 115 years, but a lengthy restoration is in progress. Dirty Dicks Bar is the only business still open in town, so you won’t have to leave town thirsty.

From Tonopah take US 6 east for a few miles and turn left onto SR 376. Bear to the right at the Y, and it will take you straight into town. Don’t drive to fast, I nearly hit some antelope crossing the road.

 

 

BERLIN

                                                                                                                             

Active as a Silver milling town in the 1890’s and just after the turn of the century, Berlin is now a part of the Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park. Because of this it is one of the few ghost towns where you can look through windows and still see furniture and old bottles. There is also the shell of the mill, several old cabins and, at times, a friendly park ranger walking around to make sure you don’t get any of those old bottles.

But there is much more to the place; campsites, hiking and dinosaurs! In the 1920’s the skeletal remains of Ichthyosaurs were discovered on the hill behind town. A museum has been built around the ancient critters and is a great educational experience for people of all ages. In close proximity to Berlin are other ghost towns such as, Ione and Grantsville. Overall, the Berlin area is just plain fun.

Conveniently located in the middle of nowhere, take state route 361 south from US 50 at Middlegate in the western part of the state. Just before the sparse community of Gabbs, take 844 east and follow it until after the pavement ends and it will lead you to Berlin at the foot of the Shoshone Mountains.

 

CANDELARIA

 

In the rough and basalt blackened hills of Mineral County lies the remains of Candelaria. Originally named by roving Spanish prospectors in 1863, the town did not spring up until a decade later as a thriving silver town. 1500 residents supported an array of stores, hotels, saloons, livery stables, banks and even a horse racing track. The town further prospered with the arrival of the Carson & Colorado Railroad in 1882. However, drops in mining production, fires and the lure of other boom towns caused a slow decline, fragmented by few brief revivals in the 1890’s

Today, the stone ruins of a bank and general store are prevalent, along with wooden shacks and extensive mill remains. I encourage you to take some time here and walk it thoroughly. I have been here a few times, and every time I find more to explore. There is also a rather well-kept cemetery just to the south of town.

Taking US 95 south between Mina and Coledale junction, look for the Candelaria historical maker and take the road southwest until the pavement ends at which time you will descend into the once thriving mining town.

 

 

FORT CHURCHILL

 


The Indian Wars at Pyramid Lake in 1860 caused a demand for more security, primarily for the emigrant stops, mail routes and wagon trains passing through. Fort Churchill was established with a garrison of 600 men and was maintained through the decade. By 1869 the Central Pacific Railroad was laid, and the natives were not as eager for war. Thus, the fort was abandoned.

Now a state park, you can walk the grounds and enter the remains of various buildings. Most of them are adobe shells. There is a small museum/information center as well. There is camping, and day use available along the Carson River.

A mile or so to the east is Buckland Station, built from material taken from the fort in 1870. This was an important stage stop and the first seat for Churchill County.

This is a pretty area, a kind of oasis with lots of old buildings in the vicinity, so make sure your camera is charged and ready.

 

 

GOLDFIELD

                                                                                                                            

I bet you can’t guess what was mined here! This was no run of the mill camp or town. Beginning at the turn of the century, Goldfield quickly grew into the largest city in Nevada by 1906, with a burgeoning population exceeding 20,000! Even Virgil Earp did a stint as sheriff here. Supported by large hotels, banks, newspapers, stock exchanges and electricity, Goldfield seemed destined to lead Nevada through the 1900’s. Block after block of multiple story buildings dominated the landscape.

However, this prosperous city was short lived; labor wars, diminishing mine deposits, floods and fires reversed the good fortune of the place. As a result, Goldfield was a much smaller place by the 1920’s.

A couple hundred folks still call Goldfield home. A sleepy town with scant remains of a city crumbling around it. The ever impressive and haunted Goldfield Hotel is the largest structure left. Equally notable is the stone school structure. If you tire of the history, there are still a couple of bars and an artistic car forest with all sorts of vehicles protruding from the desert floor.

Goldfield is on US 95, 185 miles north of Las Vegas. Have fun!

 

 

GOLD POINT

                                                                                                                            

The permanent population of Gold Point is one. Herb Robbins is the Sheriff, bartender, Inn keeper, restoration officer and any other title that needs filling on a daily basis. Since the early 1980’s it has been his mission to purchase and restore as many of the buildings in Gold Point as possible. I have never had the pleasure to meet Herb, although I have been to Gold Point twice and am in admiration of the work he has done there.

The name of this town has been changed in accordance of what was being mined at the time. Initially, the town was founded as Lime Point in 1868 because of the large lime deposits found. When high grade hornsilver was discovered nearly forty years later the name changed to, that’s right, Hornsilver. This name stuck all the way until about 1930 when gold deposits started to be mined, and the present name ensued. But, at the outset of World War II gold mining ceased, and the town quickly became a ghost.

In its heyday the town had over 200 houses and businesses sprawled over the slope of the town site. Luckily, we had Herb to save a few of these relics along main street. You can once again have a beer or more and spend the night in a miner’s cabin at the inn.

Take US 95 south of Goldfield to Lida junction and proceed southwest on SR 266. At the Y bear to the left and follow it a few miles to the town’s main street.

 

 

HAMILTON

                                                                                                                            

There are no paved roads, cute bars, people or comfort of any kind at Hamilton. Situated above 8,000 feet in the White Pine Mountains, the isolation and extreme climate has had little to offer human beings of the past but for misery and hardship. Despite these odds, Hamilton grew and became a business center and seat for the new county of White Pine in 1869. A population of over 6,000 soon swelled.

The silver mines may have played out, but sweeping fires in the summer, and extreme crippling winters also took a toll on this brave attempt. The county seat was lost to Ely in 1887, but sporadic mining remained for a time.

Hamilton is only accessible in the summer months. From US 50 at a point 36 miles west of Ely take local dirt roads into the White Pine Mountains for 11 miles. Once there you will find crumbling remnants of stone structures, including the withering corner of the Withington Hotel. There are also a few standing wooden structures, a single brick arch of the Wells Fargo building and several hollowed-out shells of various kinds struggling to stand. The cemetery is perhaps the strongest testimony to Hamilton, with far too many graves of children.

 

 

 

MARIETTA

                                                                                                                             

Ten miles down. Why down instead of up to a boom turned bust? Because the town of Marietta was not made from gold, silver, copper, or any other of the metals found high in the hills. This town was founded on borax, and borax is found down in salt marshes; Teel marsh to be exact. Beginning in the mid 1870’s, Marietta prospered for 20 years, shipping out the precious salt for refinery in San Francisco. No school or church is mentioned, however, thirteen saloons graced main street. Stages were robbed at least 30 times on that 10-mile road in.

Remaining today are the original stage station, the walls of the Smith store, the collapsed post office and mill remains. If this is not enough for you, the site sits on the Marietta Wild Burro Range. The burro’s are friendly enough and may even let you take a selfie with them.

From US 95, a few miles south of Mina, turn southwest on SR 360 for six miles. The dirt road to Mina is on the right and marked.
NOTE: Only a few hundred yards past the Marietta turn, on the opposite side of SR360, you’ll find the ghost town of Bellville. Might as well get them both in one shot!

 

 

RHYOLITE

 

The term “ghost town,” is an extreme understatement when it comes to Rhyolite. It is more of a ghost city, with its large two and three story remains looming from a draw in the Bullfrog Hills. Gold was discovered here in 1904, and the latest rush was on. A great city sprung in the next few years and a population of 6,000 resided here with modern amenities. Telephones, Ice plants, electric street lights, parks, competing newspapers, an opera house, water companies and, of course, the railroad, are a few of the luxuries.

The financial panic of 1907 hit Rhyolite swift and hard, and the many mines, which were not yet operating in the black, quickly folded. Only a few hundred hopeful residents hung on by 1910, and by 1920 not a soul was left. Unfortunately, work crews came in the 20’s and 30’s and hauled off much of the city to build up Beatty and Las Vegas.

From Beatty drive five miles west on SR374. The turn for Rhyolite is on the right. The road is paved the whole way. Roam the haunting remains of the Cooke Bank building, the Porter store and the school. Tom Kelly’s bottle house and the Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad Depot is worthy of a close look as well.

I encourage you to take the time to walk block after block of ruins. Near the back is the jail, mill ruins, a cabin and a mysterious grave!

 

 

UNIONVILLE

                                                                                                                            

In his book, ‘Roughing It,’ Mark Twain wrote this description; “Unionville consisted of eleven cabins and a liberty pole. Six of the cabins were strung along one side of the deep canyon, and the other five faced them. The rest of the landscape was made up of bleak mountain walls that rose so high into the sky from both sides of the canyon that the village was left, as it were, far down in the bottom of a crevice.”

Indeed, when Mr. Twain, then a prospector name Samuel Clemens, first laid eyes on Unionville in late 1861, the description would have been accurate. However, after his short stay in the humble silver mining camp, things changed.

Only two years later Unionville had a population of 1000, was the Humboldt county seat and boasted ten stores, nine saloons, several hotels and a host of other businesses including drug stores, breweries, watchmakers and a newspaper. The town extended two miles.

Unionville is only a partial ghost with a few dozen current residents. The road through the town is strewn with standing cabins, stone ruins and a fenced off schoolhouse. For you Mark Twain fans, there is a small park with an E. Clampus Vitus sign. Behind the sign at the base of the hill are stone ruins of the early structures, including that of Mark Twain.

From I-80, between Lovelock and Winnemucca, take the Mill City exit onto SR400 south for 13 miles until reaching the road west into Unionville.

 

A note from the author

Please remember when travelling in these remote locations to be prepared. Bring food and plenty of water. Camping gear and a first aid kit is a good idea. Also, many old ghost towns still have open mining tunnels. Stay out and stay alive! These old mines often have bad air, water, cave ins, packrats and poisonous chemicals. I also ask that you do your part in preserving these historic sites by taking only pictures and leaving only footprints.