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.

 

Minerva

DIRECTIONS: Located 1.5 miles below Shoshone.

"Initial discoveries at Minerva were made in 1884 by Orsen Hudson, who opened the first tungsten mines in the district. The Minerva Mining District was formed the following year in September. The three main mines were the Mammoth, the Mooney and Hudson, and the Blue Belle. Heavy mining activity, however, did not begin until 1916, when the Minerva Tungsten Corporation became active. The company controlled seventeen claims, covering 340 acres and containing more than 3,000 feet of workings. A 150-ton concentrator was built, and a 3.5-mile water pipeline to the mill was constructed. The company also developed a camp for the mill's 50 employees. Close to 200 men were employed in the mines and the mill combined. The main producer for the Minerva Corporation was the Chief Mine, located just north of the mill. Activity was suspended in 1918 and the concentrating mill dismantled in 1923. Minerva had a revival beginning in 1936 when the Tungsten Metals Corporation reopened the mines and built a 200-ton mill. Soon the camp had a population of 60. The main producers during the revival were the Hilltop, Tungsten Queen, Everit, Oriole, Chief, and Silver Belle mines. The company abandoned the district in 1940 after it produced $1.7 million. Intermittent activity went on until 1962, but nothing substantial came of it. Today a couple of people still live in the few buildings left. Extensive mine dumps and wooden rubble abound at the site."

 

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