List of ghost towns in Nevada
This is a list of ghost towns in Nevada in the United States of America. Most ghost towns in Nevada are former mining boomtowns that were abandoned when the mines closed. Those that weren't set up as mining camps were usually established as locations for mills, or supply points for nearby mining operations. In Clark County settlements along the Colorado River have been submerged underneath the reservoirs of Lake Mead or Lake Mohave.
Conditions
Ghost towns can include sites in various states of disrepair and abandonment. Some sites no longer have any trace of buildings or civilization, and have reverted to empty land. Other sites are unpopulated but still have standing buildings. Still others may support full-time residents, though usually far fewer than at their historical peak, while others may now be museums or historical sites.
For ease of reference, the sites listed have been placed into one of the following general categories.
- Barren site
- Site is no longer in existence
- Site has been destroyed, covered with water, or has reverted to empty land
- May have at most a few difficult-to-find foundations/footings
- Neglected site
- Little more than rubble remains at the site
- Dilapidated, often roofless buildings remain at the site
- Abandoned site
- Buildings or houses still standing, but all or almost all are abandoned
- No population, with the possible exception of a caretaker
- Site no longer in use, except for one or two buildings
- Semi-abandoned site
- Buildings or houses still standing, but most are abandoned
- A few residents may remain
- Historic site
- Buildings or houses still standing
- Site has been converted to a historical site, museum, or tourist attraction
- Still a busy community, but population is smaller than in its peak years
List of ghost towns in Nevada
Town | Image | County | Established | Disestablished | Status | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aurora | ![]() | Mineral | 1860 | Neglected site | |||
Alturas | Clark | 1861 | In El Dorado Canyon (Nevada) near Techatticup Mine in the Colorado Mining District. | ||||
Belleville | Mineral | 1872 | |||||
Belmont | ![]() | Nye | 1865 | Former Nye County courthouse in Belmont is preserved as Belmont Courthouse State Historic Park[1] | |||
Berlin | ![]() | Nye | 1897 | 1911 | Preserved within Berlin–Ichthyosaur State Park[2] | ||
Bermond Station | ![]() | Churchill | 1920 | 1926 | The site was also known as Frenchman or "Frenchy's and later as Bermond Station from 1920—26.[3] | ||
Blair | ![]() | Esmeralda | 1907 | 1920 | The site of the largest stamp mill in Nevada, at the time[3] | ||
Bristol Wells | ![]() | Lincoln | 1872 | 1905 | |||
Broken Hills | ![]() | Mineral | 1913 | 1940 | |||
Bullfrog | ![]() | Nye | |||||
Bullionville | ![]() | Lincoln | 1870 | 1882 | Barren site | A reliable water supply supported milling in town until nearby Pioche built waterworks to supply water to Pioche mills. Afterward, Bullioniville was slowly abandoned.[3] | |
Cactus Springs | Nye | ||||||
Callville | ![]() | Clark | 1864 | 1869 | Submerged under Callville Bay of Lake Mead | Steamboat landing, County seat of Pah-Ute County, Arizona Territory (1865–67), Post office (1867-69) | |
Candelaria | ![]() | Mineral | 1864 | 1939 | The Northern Belle mine produced 15 million dollars in silver during production.[4] | ||
Chafey | ![]() | Pershing | 1908 | 1913 | Was originally called Dun Glen.[3] | ||
Charleston | ![]() | Elko | |||||
Clifton | Lander | 1862 | Semi-abandoned site | Just west of Austin. | |||
Coaldale | ![]() | Esmeralda | 1894 | 1993 | |||
Cobre | ![]() | Elko | |||||
Colorado City | Clark | 1861 | Submerged under Lake Mohave | Steamboat landing near the mouth of El Dorado Canyon (Nevada) in the Colorado Mining District. | |||
Columbus | ![]() | Esmeralda | 1865 | 1881 | |||
Como | ![]() | Lyon | 1861 | 1930s | Post office 1879-1881, 1903-1905; Mining town occupied intermittently, activity finally ceasing in the 1930s after the closing of a sawmill.[3] | ||
Cortez | ![]() | Lander | 1863 | 1930 | George Hearst mined at the area in the 1860s. | ||
Crystal Springs | ![]() | Lincoln | |||||
Currant | ![]() | Nye | 1865 | 1871 | |||
Daveytown | Humboldt | 1910 | 1930 | ||||
Deeth | Elko | 1869 | 1915 | A depot and trading center for local ranchers and ranchers from adjacent counties. | |||
Delano | Elko | 1870s | 1927 | The town was the site of a small gold-mining district that saw production from the 1870s to the 1960s. | |||
Delamar | ![]() | Lincoln | 1890 | 1909 | In 1897, Delamar had a population of 3000.[3] | ||
Dixie Valley | ![]() | Churchill | 1861 | ||||
Dun Glen | ![]() | Pershing | 1862 | 1894 | Later became Chafey.[3] | ||
Eagleville | Mineral | ||||||
El Dorado City | Clark | 1863 | 1880s | Barren site | Mining camp in El Dorado Canyon (Nevada) in the Colorado Mining District. Site of the El Dorado Mills. | ||
Etna | Pershing | 1865 | 1872 | ||||
Fairview | ![]() | Churchill | 1905 | 1919 | At its height, Fairview had 27 saloons.[3] | ||
Fish Lake Valley | Esmeralda | ||||||
Flanigan | ![]() | Washoe | 1909 | 1973 | |||
Fort Churchill | ![]() | Lyon | Preserved within Fort Churchill State Historic Park[5] | ||||
Frenchman | ![]() | Churchill | 1906 | 1920 | The site was also known as "Frenchy's and later as Bermond Station from 1920—26[3] | ||
Golconda | ![]() | Humboldt | 1869 | 1908 | Golconda's hot springs were a famous landmark for westbound travelers.[3] | ||
Gold Center | ![]() | Nye | |||||
Gold Point | ![]() | Esmeralda | |||||
Goldfield | ![]() | Esmeralda | |||||
Grantsville | Nye | ||||||
Hamilton | ![]() | White Pine | 1868 | 1931 | Hamilton was originally called Cave City, because early arrivals set up camp in nearby caves.[3] | ||
Hardin City | Humboldt | 1858 | 1866 | Neglected | |||
Hiko | ![]() | Lincoln | 1865 | 1882 | Hiko was a Native American expression meaning "white man's town"[3] | ||
Ione | ![]() | Nye | 1863 | 1930s | At its peak, Ione had 100 houses and a population of 500.[3] | ||
Jacobsville | Lander | Early 1860s | Late 1870s | A Pony Express station and the first seat of Lander County. | |||
Johnnie | Nye | 1890 | 1935 | Water in town was scarce. It was drawn from a spring four miles away, packed in canvas bags, and hauled to town by donkeys.[3] | |||
Johntown | ![]() | Lyon | Early 1850s | 1860s | Barren Site | Considered the first ghost town of Nevada.[6] | |
Jungo | ![]() | Humboldt | 1911 | 1952 | Barren | Post Office from January 1911 until May 1952.[7] | |
Jessup | ![]() | Churchill | 1908 | ||||
Lahontan City | Churchill | 1911 | 1915 | Neglected | Developed to house workers during the construction of Lahontan Dam[8] | ||
Lander | Lander | 1880 | 1921 | ||||
Logan | ![]() | Lincoln | 1865 | 1930 | |||
Louisville | Clark | 1861 | 1862? | In El Dorado Canyon (Nevada) near the Techatticup Mine in the Colorado Mining District. | |||
Lucky Jim Camp | Clark | 1862 | Barren | In El Dorado Canyon (Nevada) near the Techatticup Mine in the Colorado Mining District. | |||
Mazuma | ![]() | Pershing | 1907 | 1912 | Post office: 1907-1912. Site of flash flood that killed at least 8 and destroyed most of the town.[3] | ||
Marietta | Mineral | ||||||
Metropolis | ![]() | Elko | |||||
Midas | ![]() | Elko | 1908 | 1942 | The camp was first called Gold Circle, but when the post office was established in 1907, officials decided that Nevada had too many towns with "gold" in their names, and the town was renamed Midas[3] | ||
Miller's | Esmeralda | ||||||
Miriam | ![]() | Churchill | Non-agency station of the SPRR[9] | ||||
Mountain City | ![]() | Elko | |||||
Nevada City | Churchill | 1916 | 1919 | A coöperative colony | |||
Ocala | ![]() | Churchill | |||||
Osceola | White Pine | ||||||
Palisade | Eureka | 1868 | 1910 | ||||
Palmetto | ![]() | Esmeralda | 1866 | 1920s | Miners named the town after local Joshua trees, which they thought were related to the Palmetto tree. | ||
Parran | ![]() | Churchill | 1910 | A telegraph station and post office. PO closed 1913[10] | |||
Pine Grove | ![]() | Lyon | 1866 | 1918 | Several buildings remain.[4] | ||
Pioneer | ![]() | Nye | 1908 | Post office 1909–1931 | |||
Poeville | Washoe | 1864 | 1880 | Post office 1874–1878 | |||
Potosi | Clark | ||||||
Quartz Mountain | Nye | ||||||
Ragtown | Churchill | 1854 | Leeteville may be the same location | ||||
Rawhide | ![]() | Mineral | 1907 | Devastating fire in 1908, $1 million in property damage and thousands left homeless.[3] | |||
Rochester | ![]() | Pershing | 1912 | 1942 | |||
Rhyolite | ![]() | Nye | 1904 | Post office closed 1913 | |||
Rio Tinto | Elko | 1932 | 1948 | A few houses and the school remain. | |||
Rioville | Clark | 1869 | 1906 | Site is now under Lake Mead. | Originally Junction City, Rioville had a post office from 1881 to 1906. | ||
Ruby Hill | Eureka | 1873 | 1910 | ||||
Ruth | ![]() | White Pine | |||||
Salt Wells | Churchill | 2007 | Site of a borax plant, bar, gas station and former brothel /> | ||||
San Juan | Clark | 1860s | The camp was abandoned just weeks after being established.[3] | ||||
Scossa | Pershing | 1931 | 1937 | One of the last important mining camps in Nevada.[3] | |||
Seven Troughs | ![]() | Pershing | 1907 | 1918 | |||
Silver Canyon | Lincoln | ||||||
Simonsville | Clark | 1865 | 1870s | Barren | Originally called Mill Point, located west of the south end of Overton Airport and east of the Muddy River. | ||
Sprucemont | ![]() | Elko | |||||
Saint Joseph | Clark | 1865 | 1868 | Barren | Site located west of the north end of Overton Airport and east of the Muddy River. It burned down in 1868. Town name and population moved to what is now Logandale, Nevada. | ||
St. Thomas | Clark | Submerged beneath Lake Mead. Ruins became visible when water level of Lake Mead were lowered. | |||||
Star City | Pershing | ||||||
Stillwater | ![]() | Churchill | 1862 | ||||
Sulphur | Humboldt | Neglected | |||||
Tempiute | Lincoln | 1868 | 1957 | In the 1950s, the Lincoln mine was one of the primary producers of tungsten in the U.S.[3] | |||
Tenabo | ![]() | Lander | 1907 | 1930s | |||
Treasure Hill | White Pine | The town was also called Treasure City.[3] | |||||
Tybo | Nye | ||||||
Unionville | ![]() | Pershing | |||||
Ute | Clark | Railroad siding and site of a silica mill in the 1940s. | |||||
Vernon | Pershing | ||||||
Vya | Washoe | ||||||
White Cloud City | ![]() | Churchill | Also known as Coppereid | ||||
White Plains | ![]() | Churchill | 1879 | 1909 | "No vegetation meets the eye when gazing on the vast expanse of dirty white alkali"[11] | ||
Wonder | ![]() | Churchill | 1906 | Post office closed 1920 |
References
- Belmont Courthouse State Historic Park Archived 2012-02-15 at the Wayback Machine
- Berlin–Ichthyosaur State Park
- Paher, Stanley W (1970). Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps. 69: Howell North.CS1 maint: location (link)
- "Candelaria". Western mining history. Retrieved 18 September 2018.
- Fort Churchill State Historic Park
- "Johntown, the first ghost town in Nevada". Sparks Tribune. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
- "Jungo Post Office (historical)". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1991-09-01. Retrieved 2016-01-03.
- Lahontan City
- Carlson, Helen S. (1985). Nevada place names : a geographical dictionary. Reno: University of Nevada Press. p. 169. ISBN 087417094X.
- Carlson, Helen S. (1985). Nevada place names : a geographical dictionary. Reno: University of Nevada Press. p. 187. ISBN 087417094X.
- Carlson, Helen S. (1985). Nevada place names : a geographical dictionary. Reno: University of Nevada Press. p. 245. ISBN 087417094X.