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.

 

Kimberly (Pilot Knob) (West Camp)

DIRECTIONS: Located 1 mile from Ruth.

"Pilot Knob was the site of the Ely Mining District's first copper properties. Discoveries were made in 1877 and ore shipped to Ward, but no major development took place until after the turn of the century. Joseph Giroux and W. A. Clark bought the Pilot Knob claims in 1900 and employed 50 men. In 1902 the Giroux Mill and Reduction Plant was completed, and serious production began. By 1903, Giroux and Clark had organized the Giroux Consolidated Copper Mining Company, which controlled the Alpha, Taylor, Old Glory, and Pilot Knob claims. These were the best prospects in the district. By 1905 the company town of Kimberly, named for millionaire mine owner Peter C. Kimberly, had a population of close to 100, a post office (Erle Morton, postmaster), saloons, boardinghouses, and numerous residences. A big boost to Kimberly came when the Nevada Northern Railway was completed in September 1906, which not only allowed easier access to the camp but also provided a much cheaper mode of ore transportation.

By 1907 Kimberly had grown enough to warrant the formation of the Kimberly School District. In December disaster struck when the Alpha shaft partially collapsed at the 1,050-foot level, and two miners were killed. Three others escaped, but many days passed before they were finally freed. Kimberly continued to grow, as production in the district increased drastically. By 1910 the camp had grown to 200 and had its own newspaper, the Kimberly News. On August 27, 1911, the problem-plagued Alpha Mine was once again the scene of tragedy. A major fire ruined the headframe and most of the shaft workings. Before the fire was brought under control, several Kimberly miners had perished.

In 1916, the Consolidated Copper Mines Company (Charles Boynton, president) gained control of the Kimberly District. The company bought the Giroux Consolidated Mine Company, Copper Mines Company, Butte and Ely Copper Company, Chainman Consolidated Copper Company, and New Ely Central Copper Company. A 500-ton flotation mill, named the Giroux, was built in 1916. By the 1920s, Kimberly was an impressive company town, with a population of 500, a new school, a hospital, a Nevada Northern depot, and many other businesses. The Depression slowed production, and the decline continued until 1958 when the Kennecott Corporation bought the Kimberly townsite. The following year, mill and town were dismantled to make room for the Trippi-Veteran open-pit operation. Today only a large hole and mine dumps show that Kimberly ever existed."

 

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