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.

Ruby Hill

DIRECTIONS: Located 2.3 miles southwest of Eureka.

"Ruby Hill's rich mines were first discovered in 1869 by Owen Farrel, M. G. Clough, and Alonzo Monroe. The true discoverer, however, was an Indian who led them to the strike site. The men located two rich mines, which they named the Buckeye and the Champion. By the early 1870s, a camp began to form around the mines. As more mines were discovered, the camp continued to grow. A post office, with Josiah W. Jones as postmaster, opened on September 23, 1873. By that time several large mining corporations were working the Ruby Hill District. Eureka Consolidated owned the Buckeye, Mammoth, and Sentinel mines. Richmond Consolidated ran the Richmond, Tip Top, Lookout, and Victoria mines. K & K Consolidated and Jackson Consolidated also were active. In 1875 the Ruby Hill Railroad, known as the "3 x 3" because it was three miles long and three feet wide, was completed. The railroad's availability allowed easy transportation of ore to the smelters in nearby Eureka and also aided the rapid expansion of mining in Ruby Hill. In fact, the Ruby Hill Railroad had the first locomotive in Eureka. The Eureka and Palisade construction was still stalled in Alpha. While designed mainly as a conveyance for ore, the railroad was such a convenience to the people that a small passenger coach was built and attached to the end of the normal load of six 10-ton ore cars. The railroad continued to be called the Ruby Hill, even though the Eureka and Palisade bought the line when its own line was completed to Eureka.

Ruby Hill was the scene of many heated mining disputes. The first, over the Lookout Mine, took place in 1872 and involved Eureka Consolidated and Richmond Consolidated. At one point, Richmond Consolidated placed armed guards around the mine. A compromise was reached in June 1873, before actual violence broke out. Richmond agreed to pay $85,000 to Eureka Consolidated in exchange for full possession of the mine. Part of the compromise was that Richmond Consolidated would agree to stay within the boundaries of the claim area, both above and below ground. In 1877 the company broke that agreement by following an ore shoot from the Lookout Mine to the Potts Chamber, a rich silver deposit. Four years of litigation followed, and finally Eureka Consolidated prevailed. Richmond was forced to pay $2 million to Eureka for ore removed. In the late 1880s, Richmond Consolidated became embroiled in more litigation. The company accused the owners of the Albion Mine of trespassing. The owners of the mine lost the case, and in 1894 they were forced to close the mine and its 100-ton smelter.

By 1878 Ruby Hill had reached its peak population of 2,500. Two newspapers served the town during its boom years. The Ruby Hill Mining Report, run by Mark Musgrove, former owner of the Belleville Times, began publication on October 17, 1878. The paper, however, was overshadowed by the popular Eureka Sentinel and folded in the spring of 1879. Another newspaper, the Ruby Hill Mining News, began publication on April 24, 1880. The owner, John Anderson, ran the publication until December 1884.

By the middle of the 1880s, mine production began to fall off and Ruby Hill declined. By 1885, only 700 residents remained. Although major mining companies still controlled the claims, activity dropped off. The post office closed on November 30, 1901. A revival took place in 1906 when the Richmond and Eureka companies combined to form the Richmond-Eureka Consolidated Mining Company and built a large smelter at a cost of $200,000. However, a thunderstorm washed out the Eureka-Nevada Railroad in1910, ending the revival and emptying Ruby Hill. The mines were operated periodically by leaseholders, but no substantial production was ever recorded. The total production figures for the Ruby Hill District are nevertheless very impressive: Eureka Consolidated, $19.2 million; Richmond Consolidated, $15.2 million; Richmond-Eureka Consolidated, $4 million; K & K Consolidated, $2 million; Ruby Dunderberg Mining Company, $1.6 million; and Jackson Consolidated Mine, $1.1 million. Today, exploration is taking place on Ruby Hill, and plans are in the works to begin production once again. Several buildings still remain in Ruby Hill. Only two, however, predate the 1906 revival. Mining memorabilia and smelter remains are scattered all around and make for interesting exploration. Ruby Hill is a fascinating place to visit, and the short trip from Eureka is well worth the time. (Private property, ask permission)."

 

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