Please remember to exercise caution when exploring Nevada's Ghost Towns & Mining Camps. Open shafts, drifts going into mountainsides, and old buildings, are all DANGEROUS. Be aware of your surroundings, and let someone know where you are, especially if your plans change.

Goldville (Leeville) (Lynn District)

DIRECTIONS: From Carlin (Elko County), follow Maggie Creek Road north for 17 miles to Goldville.

"The Goldville District was discovered in April 1907, by Joseph Lynn and William Barney. The two men's big find was the Lynn Big Six Mine. During the mine's first year of operation, it shipped $21,000 worth of ore to Salt Lake City. This success spawned a small rush to the new district. The Lynn Big Six was the only mine of any size in the district, however; all of the other ore found in the area occurred in placer deposits. By the end of 1908 these placer deposits had been exhausted, and the 20 or so prospectors living in Goldville had left.

But that was not the end of Goldville. In 1912 the Lynn Big Six Mining Company, with Henry Hanker as president, reopened the Lynn Big Six Mine, and the company was soon shipping ore to Salt Lake City at a price of $150 a ton. The mine itself was 200 feet deep, with substantial drifts at the 100-foot and 200-foot levels. A small camp soon reformed, and a post office opened on July 22,1913, with William Barney, one of the original founders, as postmaster. Though the post office closed on August 31, 1917, the Lynn Big Six Mining Company was still quite active. In 1917 the company built an amalgamating mill, originally with a 10-ton capacity but later increased to 25 tons. The company continued to expand, and by 1922 it had twelve claims and controlled 220 acres. Besides the Lynn Big Six Mine, the company had developed a new 800-foot tunnel mine named the Gold Dollar Mine. The capacity of the mill was enlarged to 50 tons in 1919 and to 100 tons in 1921. The value of ore from the mines was very inconsistent, however, ranging from $2 to $300 per ton. Total production from the Goldville District from1909 to 1921 was $100,000.

The company continued to expand, although the work force remained at about 15. By 1925 the company had staked 36 claims covering 420 acres. While the Lynn Big Six had been expanded only to the 300-foot level, the Gold Dollar was extended to more than 2,000 feet. However, the company gave up the district in May 1926, after producing $225,000. The district was quiet until 1937, when the property was taken over by the Beaver Crown Consolidated Mining Company, with R. M. Holt as president. This company dug three new tunnel mines: Talbot (1,400 feet), Mill (800 feet), and Bull Moose (700 feet). Ore values, however, were quite poor, and by 1939 the company folded. Today remains are scant, with the only ruins of recognizable origin being the mill foundations. Mining activity in the area has increased recently, though, especially in the nearby Maggie Creek District. The Newmont Gold Company has had control of the district's claims since the 1960s, and the Lynn District is the core of a series of immense open-pit mines. Microscopic gold is now the main product, and Newmont's operations have been consistently producing more than one million ounces of gold per year. With ore deposits believed sufficient for twenty years, the Lynn District will be active for a long time to come. The gold mines in the district are among the top five gold producers in the country and are an economic mainstay of Eureka and Elko counties. Tours of the mining and milling complexes, available by contacting Newmont in Elko, are well worth the time."

 

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