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.

Canyon City (Big Creek) (Lander City)
(Watertown) (Mineral City) (Montrose) (Middletown)

DIRECTIONS: From Austin, take U.S. 50 west for 2.5 miles. Then take Nevada 2 south for 6.4 miles. Exit left onto Nevada 306 and follow for 4.5 miles. Exit left, sharp, and follow for 3 miles. Exit right and follow for 5 miles to Big Creek Campground (Canyon City).

"Prospectors from Austin located several claims along Big Creek during the early months of 1863. Small villages were established and later consolidated into one town, Canyon City. The settlement expanded rapidly. A telegraph line was constructed from Austin to Lander City, located at the mouth of Big Creek Canyon. A post office opened on August 19, with William Logan as postmaster, and Canyon City continued to boom. The Mining and Scientific Press reported that Canyon City "would appear to be the most promising mining settlement in the Central Nevada region." By the end of the year, Canyon City boasted a hotel, two restaurants, three saloons, a butcher shop, a notary public, and a recorder's office. Only a year later, the town's population was nearing 1,600. Artemus Ward, famous lecturer and humorist, visited the town in late 1864 and spoke in the Young America Saloon, which wasn't exactly a choice spot. The saloon had a dirt floor and a sagebrush roof, but, despite these conditions, Ward's speech was a huge success. Two large mills were also in operation by 1864: the Eureka (10 stamps) and the Parrott (16 stamps, later enlarged to 20), also known as the Pioneer. There were numerous mines in the district, but by far the most valuable was the Bray-Beulah. The most prominent mining companies were the Gold Point Gold and Silver Mining Company, Monarch Gold and Silver Mining Company, Phuebus Gold and Silver Mining Company, Olympic Gold and Silver Mining Company, Seely Gold and Silver Mining Company, Eureka Mill and Mining Company, and Astor Ledge and Company. The ore in the district was laced with copper, which made refining difficult. Furnaces were constructed, but none ever operated successfully. By the end of 1864, four additional crushing mills, including the 10-stamp Phelps and the 5-stamp Lippett, had been completed and were in full production.

By 1865, Big Creek Canyon was crowded with stone cabins, and residents supported almost twenty stores, a school, a justice court, and express and telegraph offices. The Eureka Mill was improved in November and began processing ore from the Whitlatch Mine, including one shipment valued at $1,800. However, the mines all started to go dry in early 1866, and Canyon City began a quick slide to the bottom. The Eureka Mill was dismantled and moved in June to the Philadelphia District (Nye County). By the beginning of 1867, all mines had closed. Only the Parrott Mill was still in operation, processing ore from Austin, but in September it closed too, signaling the end of mining activity in Big Creek Canyon. The town quickly emptied and by the time the post office closed on October 14, the area was virtually abandoned. Production from the Big Creek Mines from 1863 to 1867 totaled just over $500,000.

During the 1880s, only ranches operated in the canyon. Sam Markwell owned the Hogan Ranch and grew alfalfa (which sold for 1.25 cents per pound), apples, and other crops. The population of the entire district had shrunk to 26 by 1881. It wasn't until 1890, when the Pine Mine was discovered, that mining activity returned to the canyon. In 1891 Joseph Bray relocated the Bray-Beulah Mine and renamed it the Bray Antimony Mine. The ore form Bray's mine, for no reason this author could find, was shipped to Swansea, Wales, for a short while. In July 1892, Simon Bray, Jefferson Hull, James Williams, Joseph Bray, William Falvey, and James McLaughlin consolidated their holdings and formed the Big Creek Mining Company. By October four mines were in operation. One of these was the Androval Mine, located on the side of the mountain. The ore was brought down from the mine via a 1,300-foot rope tramway. Production was never large and only scant monetary gains were realized.

The mines operated until 1898, when the district was once again abandoned. In 1907, the Antimony King Mine was discovered, and it operated off and on until 1922. The Bray Mine was reopened in 1916 and shipped small amounts of ore but closed in 1918. Once the Bray Mine closed, only the Antimony King Mine was active. The mine was bought by the Nichols-Laying Chemical Company of San Francisco in 1922, then sold to J. G. Phelps Stokes of Austin. In 1936 the Big Creek Mining and Milling Company acquired the property, which consisted of four mines: the Mammoth, Mountain View, Confidence, and Commodore. The company also owned the Hard Luck-Pradier Mine, which produced 400 tons of antimony ore before it closed in 1958. The Antimony King was much more valuable, producing 1,120 tons of ore in 1957 alone. Unfortunately, that output emptied the ore pocket, and all mines closed for good in 1958.

Ruins of Big Creek's settlements are scattered throughout the canyon. Stone and brick remains mark the site of Canyon City and Lander City. A new mine has recently been started, so beware of ore trucks. A trip to Big Creek is well worth the time."

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