 Issue #083 - Nevada Ghost Towns The wide—open spaces of Nevada are scattered with the crumbling remains of long abandoned ghost towns which sprung up around gold and silver mines in the 1800’s. At least 1,700 documented sites of abandoned and still—active mines can be found on maps of Nevada. My newsletter on Nevada Ghost towns has details on twelve of the most photogenic ghost towns in the mountains of central Nevada and the southern deserts. Tips on when to travel and the best time of day for the best light are included with photographs of the mines and the miners’ shacks plus the remains of old store fronts and saloons. The town of Belmont, Nevada, forty—five miles north of Tonopah, became the largest city in southern Nevada and was the county seat of Nye County in 1867, attracting a population of almost two—thousand people before the mines shut down in the late 1880s. Many ruins remain from the 1800s. There is a block—long row of businesses on both sides of the main street. Only two still have standing facades. The others have standing stone walls interspersed with more recently—built cottages. An old fire engine, some farm equipment, and rusty mining machinery has been parked along the main street. At the top of the main street is a large, restored building now called the Belmont Monitor Inn and Steakhouse. It’s now a bed and breakfast establishment. The building originally housed the Combination Silver Mining Company offices. Next door is a saloon with an old buggy parked out in front.
Comments are closed.
|