MINING CAMPS IN ELKO COUNTY

Abandoned Mining Camps in the Mountains of Nevada

November 24, 2003

Mining played a major role in the development of the state of Nevada, and evidence of this activity abounds throughout most of the state. The mountains of the Great Basin were rich in valuable minerals, especially silver and gold. Abandoned mines and mining camps are found in almost all of the mountain ranges in the state. The photographs here were taken at two different camps, located a few miles apart, in Elko County, some distance south of Wells.

In some ways, these are very typical mining camps. The usual array of buildings, from bunkhouses to machine rooms, are present. What is unusual is the state of preservation. Many intact buildings, and even some intact machinery remain. The remoteness of the location has probably assisted in its preservation; it is a long distance from major population centers, and the roads in the area are difficult, making it inaccessible to most prospective vandals. Hopefully, access will remain difficult so that the sites will be preserved for future generations.

Both camps, judging from the style of the buildings and the items found therein, were probably last occupied in the 1950's-1960's, but the sites could have been established long before. The first site, located on a sunny slope on the west side of the range, consists of a small collection of empty buildings. The second is located in a shady canyon. It, too, consists of a small collection of buildings, but much of the mining machinery is still present and in excellent condition. Often this material is hauled away when the site is abandoned - either moved to a new site or sold as scrap metal.

The buildings tell their own stories. Sitting derelict for many decades, their roofs are full of holes, some of the walls are sagging, and bits and pieces have fallen down the hillside, but most are still standing. They have weathered many hard winters, and they will survive through many more. Machinery, in years past assisting in hauling and processing huge quantities of ore from the mines, now sits idle, slowly rusting away. Why was this place abandoned? Perhaps the collapse in the metals market after World War II doomed it, as it did many other sites. Or perhaps the ore finally played out. The same story played out at countless sites throughout the Great Basin region: prospectors staked a claim, began working it, and sold out to larger interests with the resources to fully exploit the claim. The camp went through boom and bust cycles, possibly even becoming a full-fledged town, only to disappear in a few years. Fire, an ever-present threat, destroyed many mining camps and towns, but if there was still good ore to be found, the site was quickly rebuilt. The World Wars created boom cycles, but the bust that followed World War II was essentially permanent. Most of these places were abandoned, never to be reoccupied, soon afterwards. I do not know the exact story of these two particular mining camps, but I am certain that it followed the same basic course of events. Additional note added on January 7, 2008: I have received word from friends who have since visited this site that some of the buildings have degraded significantly. Hopefully, I can go there soon and get updated photographs. Perhaps the harsh winters in the area have taken their toll.

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All photos added on February 1, 2004


Examples of buildings in the western site


Me sitting in the window of one of the western buildings


A large metal building in the canyon site viewed through the trees


Mining machinery in the large building


A precariously balanced building on a hillside in the canyon

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