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.

McCoy (Wildhorse)

DIRECTIONS: From Battle Mountain, head south on Nevada 305 for 22 miles. Exit right and follow for 10.5 miles to McCoy.

"McCoy took its name from James H. McCoy, who made the original gold discoveries in 1914. Only a few claims were staked and activity was limited. In 1918 the Quicksilver Mines Company worked the Ruby group. The company produced 78 flasks of mercury before leaving the district on 1925. It wasn't until 1928, after new gold deposits were discovered, that McCoy began to boom. Among these new gold mines were the Big Four, Gold Dome, Gold Pirate, Hancock (Mickey), and McCoy. The McCoy-Nevada Gold Mines Company, with H. D. Brown as president and James McCoy as vide president, controlled eleven claims in McCoy. The company was renamed the Nevada Gold Dome Mining Company in 1929 and in 1930 built a 20-ton amalgamation mill. The mill was constructed by Buckmaster, Mahoney, and Quick of Modesto, California.

A camp of about 75 people formed at McCoy during this boom. Boardinghouses were built and a store opened. A school opened in 1929 and operated until 1940. In 1930, another company, the McCoy Consolidated Mines Company, entered the district. Its president, Charles Krengle, leased claims from Nevada Gold Dome in September. The gold deposits, however, went dry. By the end of 1931, virtually all mining activity had ceased in McCoy and the population dropped to a dozen during the rest of the decade. A small revival took place between 1938 and 1941. The Nevada United Gold Mining Company reopened the Dome Mine in December 1938, but only minor production occurred before the company folded in 1940. Nevada United Gold added $39,000 to the revival's production figures. The Wildhorse Quicksilver Mining Company produced 883 flasks of mercury between 1938 and 1941, making it the largest producer during those years. After mining activity ceased in 1941, McCoy was abandoned very quickly. The total production for the district was $95,000, with the bulk coming from the 1938 revival. Echo Bay Mining Company is currently operating an open-pit gold mine at McCoy."

Return to: Ghost Town & Mining Camp Map