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.

 

A Short History of White Pine County

"White Pine County was created out of Lander County on April 1, 1869, as a result of the "White Pine Rush" to Hamilton and famed Treasure Hill. Thousands came from all over the West and made Hamilton one of the largest towns in the West. The rush faded during the 1870s, but new discoveries at Cherry Creek and Ward kept White Pine County high on Nevada's production lists.

The Pony Express had numerous stations in White Pine County. The Indians resented this intrusion and burned some of the stations. A fort was established at Schellbourne until problems subsided. With the many scattered mining camps, freight and stage lines crisscrossed the county.

Many towns developed, prospered, and died. Each achieved a small bit of prominence before disappearing. In the early 1900s, however, copper took over. The huge open pits at and around Ruth were among the largest in the country. For many years the copper mines were the lifeline of White Pine County. The Nevada Northern Railway was completed in 1906 and served the mines and people of White Pine until it recently closed. The low prices of copper and expensive repairs required at the McGill Smelter forced the smelter to close. More than $1 billion had been produced by White Pine County mines.

But White Pine has rebounded from adversity. Microscopic gold has proved to be a new bonanza here, as well as in other counties in Nevada. Current operations at Alligator Ridge, Bald Mountain, Green Springs, Robinson District, Ward, and Taylor are producing over a million ounces of gold a year. Mining has returned to stay in White Pine County.

In addition, White Pine County contains the country's newest national park, Great Basin National Park. Also near the park are the fantastic Lehman Caves, with spectacular formations and rugged beauty that attract visitors from all over the West. At the East Ely Depot, Ely offers the "ghost train" a ride up the canyon to Ruth that turns back the clock to a bygone era. The surge in the tourist trade has been a boon to Ely and White Pine County.

With the mining revival, new industries moving in, and a new state prison, White Pine County has fought its way back from hard times and is looking toward new horizons and prosperous years ahead."

 

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