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.

Bannock (Limelite)

DIRECTIONS: From Battle Mountain, head south on Nevada 305 for 12 miles. Then exit right again and follow for 2 miles to Bannock.

"Alex Walker and Sherman Wilhelm discovered a rich gold ledge in Philadelphia Canyon during the summer of 1909. A small rush to the area developed that August. Walker named the district Limelite and a townsite was soon laid out. Among the more prosperous mines in the district were the Pussin' Ken (original ore assayed at $180,000 per ton, first 300 pounds brought $2,400), Reno ($200 per ton), and Washoe ($80 per ton). Soon after Walker and Wilhelm made their discoveries, valuable placer deposits were also discovered, adding to the excitement in the district. Wilhelm bought Walker's Limelite Mine and the adjoining claims for $22,000 and formed the Nevada Omaha Mining and Milling Company. One of the investors in the company was A. C. Mohler, vice president of the Union Pacific Railroad. Wilhelm had a lot of problems with claim jumpers. Once a man kicked down claim markers on his property, and after the man was caught, Wilhelm forced him to strip to his underwear and then sent him on his way!

By the time a post office opened on November 5, with Parker Liddell as postmaster, quite a few businesses had become established. Bannock (named for the Bannock Indians) had a population of almost 200. The first business to open was the Mayer Saloon, run by C. A. Mayer. Mayer also owned the Philadelphia Club and co-owned the Mayer-Reber Mining, Leasing, and Development Company, which bought and sold mines and leases in the district. Another partnership, Thomas and Manns, owned the Northern Café and Bar and the Mint Saloon. Bannock also had a two-story hotel and a small red-light district during its peak in 1909-10. Water for the camp was originally brought from Galena Creek and sold in Bannock for two bits a bucket. Later, the Bannock Water Works was organized and pumped water from Galena Creek to a concrete tank at the Reno Mine. The town folded, however, before operations actually began. Bannock died a quick death. One week the ore was there. The next, the pockets had been emptied. By summer 1910 the camp was almost completely abandoned. The post office closed on July 15, making Bannock's ghostdom permanent. Occasional efforts were made until the 1930s to mine the placers, but nothing substantial was ever found. Today only the placer dumps mark the site."

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