11/13/2023 0 Comments Jim butler days tonopah nv“Jim” Butler found silver ore in Tonopah and he and his wife, also a prospector, staked their claims. The discovery of the Comstock Lode in the 1850’s put Nevada on the map but as the mines played out, the region slid into a period of depopulation and depression. There are many other historical mining sites along or close to either highway route. Tonopah is located 206 miles northwest of Las Vegas and 237 south east of Reno. Other historic mining camps and almost-ghost towns in the area include Manhattan and Carvers. The all-day field trip held during the conference enabled the participants to visit the modern Round Mountain Gold Mine and the old mining camp of Belmont with its sturdy courthouse and old mill. In recent years many mines have gone underground to produce gold from deeper ore bodies. First, open pit mines opened to tap the new ore discoveries. Nevada has experienced a modern gold mining boom, starting with the discovery of the Carlin Trend gold deposits in the early 1960’s. The basin and range country of Nevada offers many other forms of outdoor tourism in the high desert valleys and along the higher ridges of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. With a sturdy pair of hiking boots and with or without a four wheel drive car, the Nevada landscape provides countless historical mining sites worth exploring. Walking tours in Tonopah and Goldfield provided opportunities to see the history first-hand. The conference attendees visited the Tonopah Mining Park and the Central Nevada Museum where the local mining history has been preserved. Although much has been lost, many remnants of the glory days remain to be seen. The number of substantial buildings remaining in both Tonopah and Goldfield demonstrates that many expected the boom to last longer than it did. The full program was packed with speakers who made presentations on a variety of mining history topics ranging from Central Nevada and California’s Death Valley to Kazakhstan. The conference sessions were held in the Tonopah Convention Center. In 2000, Tonopah was celebrating its Centennial. Tonopah and nearby Goldfield were part of the Central Nevada precious metals rush that started in 1900. The 11th Annual Conference of the Mining History Association was held in Tonopah, Nevada, June 1-4, 2000.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |