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.

 

Mineral City (Lane City) (Robinson Canyon)

DIRECTIONS: From Ely, take U.S. 50 west for 3 miles to Mineral City.

"Indian John, a local Indian, took a prospecting party led by Thomas Robinson to silver-bearing ore in November 1867. The Robinson Mining District was organized on March 16, 1868. Within a year, more than 1,200 mining claims had been filed. The most promising mines of the district were the Old England (located December 27, 1867, assayed $185 per ton), Elijah (March 6, 1868, $40 per ton), Springfield (June 1, 1869, $81 per ton) and City of London. A small rush to the area developed, and by 1870 more than 250 people were living in the district. The Mineral City post office opened on August 9 (Henry Hilp, postmaster), and the town began to look quite attractive. By the end of 1870, Mineral City had become the milling center for most of the surrounding districts. The 10-stamp Mineral City Mill had begun production in November 1869, and in early 1870 the Cummings Company built a large smelting furnace. Mineral City reached its peak in 1872-73 with close to 600 residents. The town's businesses included six saloons, four boardinghouses, and several mercantile stores.

The Canton Mining Company, with G. M. Odgen as superintendent, moved into the district. The company controlled 41 ledges, ran a large furnace and smelting works, and employed 60. The best of the Canton mines included the Minora, Blackstone, Yellowstone, New York, Springfield, El Dorado, Randolph, Hayes Extension, and Aultman. In August 1873 the old Piermont Mill was moved here by the Watson Mining Company and put into production. Sagging ore values, however, brought Mineral City's rapid growth to a grinding halt, and by 1874, the population had dropped to 200. Nevertheless, many of the businesses were still able to operate. The Hilp brothers, Henry and Fred, opened a mercantile store that year, and other active businesses included a hotel/ restaurant (owned by Fanny Yates), three saloons (all run by Sam Jones), a saloon/hotel (Mace Storer), and a men's furnishing store. In late 1874 Tom Harrigan, Abe Travis, Billy Boyce, and B. F. Miller discovered a new ore pocket in the Elijah Mine and brought some short-lived attention back to the Robinson District. The ore showed 80 ounces of silver per ton and was processed at the Canton Company's smelter. The district continued to fade, however, and by 1880 all of the mines were idle.

A few mines (the Ontario, Arthur, Great Western, West Aultman, and Roadside) were reopened in 1886, but it wasn't until 1896 that Mineral City experienced a big revival. Charles D. Lane, a wealthy Eastern businessman, bought the Chainman Mine and many undeveloped claims. He spent $168,000 to reopen the 10-stamp mill at the Chainman Mine and constructed a power plant and water ditch. Much of the ore, however, was smelted by the Canton smelter. It is interesting that future president William McKinley invested $80,000 in the Robinson District. The Canton Company, based in McKinley's home state of Ohio, helped pay for the favorite son's election in 1896.

In 1900 the Chainman Mine was sold to New York and Pennsylvania capitalists for $150,000. Lane's 10-stamp mill closed in 1901, but a new $100,000, 100-ton cyanide mill was put into operation in March 1902. The new mill, however, was worthless because ore from the district had high levels of copper sulfides, which negated the cyanide process. In 1906 the Chainman, Joana, and other local mines were consolidated into the Chainman Consolidated Copper Company, but the revival was already folding, and by 1910 the district's mines and mills were silent. The post office, which had reopened in 1902, closed for good on July 31, 1911. Because the nearby mines at Kimberly and Ruth have been active through the years, a number of people have continued to live here. Wood and rock buildings, including the school, remain, although only a couple of them were built before the turn of the century."

 

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