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.

Copper Canyon (Copper) (Natomas)

DIRECTIONS: From Battle Mountain, head south on Nevada 376 for 12 miles. Exit right and follow for 3 miles. At fork, bear right and follow for 3 miles to Copper Canyon.

"Initial discoveries in the Copper Canyon district took place during 1871. An English company gained control of the main mines and shipped some 40,000 tons of ore to Swansea, Wales. Although the ore was valuable, shipping costs drove the company out of the district in the late 1870s. It wasn't until the Glasgow and Western Mining Company bought all the copper mines in 1897 that Copper Canyon began to reach its peak. Of the several mines brought into production, the Virgin and Lake Superior mines were the most important. A camp of 50 grew at Copper Canyon. On May 3, 1906, a post office named Copper, with Donald McDonald as postmaster, opened at the camp. While the post office closed later the same year, on November 15, the camp continued to prosper. In 1909 substantial placer deposits were located at the mouth of Copper Canyon and a new camp, called Natomas, sprang up there.

In 1916, the Copper Canyon Mining Company acquired most of the claims in the Copper Canyon and nearby Copper Basin districts. The company, which incorporated on November 4 in Delaware, controlled the Copper Canyon Group, 19 claims covering 160 acres. The three major veins were the Virgin, the Superior, and the Eckes. While Copper Canyon Mining was the largest company in the district, several others were also active during the 1910s and 1920s. The Toulon Arsenic Company owned the Irish Rose Mine and shipped its ore to a 150-ton concentrator in Toulon (Pershing County). The company was active for a few years but left the district during the mid-1920s. The Iron Canyon Gold Mining Company worked the Buzzard Mine and produced $80,000 before leaving. The Dahl Placers, located at Natomas, were also important producers. James Dahl controlled 25 claims, and from 1910 to 1919 $485,000 in gold was removed.

By the end of the 1920s, the Copper Canyon Mining Company was the only active company. From 1916 to 1940 the company produced over $1.6 million. The property was leased to the International Silver and Refining Company in 1940. The company built a 350-ton mill, but it was never a success. The mill closed in 1944 and the company left the district soon after. During the 1940s, three other companies (Barium Products Limited, London Extension Manufacturing Company, and California and Nevada Barite Company) worked the district without much success. The Natomas Gold Dredging Company was organized in August 1949. The company brought in a huge dredge that had been working in Manhattan (Nye County) and had favorable returns for a couple of years. The Copper Canyon Mining Company became the sole operator in the district until 1957 when it too folded. The mines were abandoned until 1967, when the Duval Corporation began operations. Now known as the Battle Mountain Gold Company, the company is still very active in the district and has had impressive gold production. Today, mill ruins are all that's left of the original settlement. Virtually all of the old wooden buildings were removed during recent mining expansion."

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