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.

Potts

Direction: From Belmont. Continue north on old Nevada 82 for 37 miles. Exit right and follow the road for 1 ½ miles. Exit right and follow this road for 3/4 mile to Potts.

" Potts, a small but prominent ranching settlement, was named for William Potts, who first organized the ranch in the 1870s. The Potts Ranch earned a reputation as one of the best cattle operations in the state. The government granted it a post office and then resined the grant in 1893,but the office opened officially on August 12, 1898. William Potts served as postmaster. The post office continued to operate until October 31, 1941. All the postmasters- Bessie, Mamie, Maude, Irene, and Anna- were members of the Potts family. For a while the Potts Ranch was the site of a ranger station. As its peak, the Potts family also ran the Wilson, the Morgan Creek, and the Butler Ranches. In 1944, not long after the death of George Potts, son of William, in 1942, the family sold all the ranches to Harvey Sewell and O.G. Bates. The Wilson Ranch Became the Potts's headquarters, and the Potts Ranch saw little use.
The ranch complex was abandoned many years ago, but the remains are very interesting. The ranch house still stands and is in fairly good condition. A number of stone dugouts and two other buildings are also left. An old corral is just to the west of the buildings. A rare old slaughter wheel that stood at the corral in the late 1970's has since disappeared. A number of other ranches in the area still use the site. Potts is well worth the trip. When visiting Potts, don't miss Diana's Punch Bowl, a nearby hot spring located just south of Potts."

 

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