Continuing with our ghost town visits, we explored Gold Point, Nevada.
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| Town Sign |
Originally a silver mining camp in the early 1860s and founded as Lime Point, Gold Point was once quite the happening boomtown that consisted of 125 dwellings, a post office, bakery, hotels, cafes, a store and numerous saloons. Silver was the strike that brought people here first. There was so much silver all you had to do was shovel it right up off the ground. This type of super-gene enrichment was known as hornsilver.
The first thing we saw as we drove up to the town was a truck that looks like Maynard from the Pixar movie, Cars. Mostly faded green, a hook and crane in the back, the worn tires ragged and flat.
Walking around the town brought a feeling of stepping back in time to the lawless days of claim jumpers and cattle rustlers.
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| Nan walking in the middle of the street. |
As we pass by the saloon there was the faint echo of an old-time western music from inside but as I circled the building, there were no other signs of life. It does not seem completely abandoned if you look at 27 mail boxes, but on the day, we visited we saw no one.
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| Saloon |
Miners continued to eke out a living until 1927, then the town experienced a new boom. Gold was discovered in Hornsilver's biggest mine.
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| County of Esmeralda Fire Truck. |
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| House of Rude - Information & Tickets |
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| The Gallows. Oh, and a bathtub. |
The residents changed the name of the town to Gold Point in 1932. Times were hard in those depression years and the residents changed the name in a desperate attempt to attract investors. Mining continued until World War II when the government banned all mining except for those minerals needed for the war effort. After the war, some folks drafted back, but the town was completely abandoned in the 1960s after a bad dynamite charge caused a disastrous cave-in.
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| Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain) wrote about his time as a miner in the Esmeralda District in his book "Roughing it." |
The buildings lay deserted for a decade until a man named Herb Robbins and a few of his friends began to purchase the buildings, one by one, in the 1970s. He and his friends continued to repair roofs and lovingly refurbish interiors.
Some of the cabins are now part of a bed and breakfast. Profits from the B&B help to pay for the restoration and preservation of many of the buildings.
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| Cabins |
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| Gold Point was named Hornsilver until the 1930s. |
The Gold Point Ghost Town, B&B website says, "When you visit Gold Point you may not see anyone, but rest assured they are watching you." Sounds kind of creepy, but basically, it's just a neighborhood watch program. Today, they boast a population of 6 full residents and 6 part time residents. Neighbors looking out for each others are why Gold Point is so well preserved and safe.
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| Mines at Gold Point, NV |
I think the town's apparent abandonment is part of the charm in visiting. We took many photos and left only our footprints.
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| Gaffers & Sattler |
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| Prospector |
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| Ol' Yeller |
Gold Point is north of Beatty, about 7 miles off Highway 95 on Highway 266.
We hope you enjoy visiting a ghost town heritage with us. Safe travels!
