In 1869, Mr. Keane of Pine Grove discovered gold in a rocky mountainous area several miles miles to the southeast of Pine Grove.
In 1870 the Rockland Mill was constructed and Rockland had a population of 100-150. Rockland had multiple stores, a hotel, post office, an express office and of course the obligatory multiple saloons.
“The fire was kindled by the hand of a
—Daily State Register, May 31, 1871
malicious and villainous incendiary.”
In the spring of 1871 Mr. Keane and the Rockland Mine were having cash flow issues. The miners did not receive their pay and became understandably disgruntled. Mr. Keane left the area in an effort to raise funds. On Sunday, May 28 at 3:30 in the morning an irate miner set fire to the mill and burnt it down. The miner was convicted of arson and sent to the state prison in Carson City.
Rockland had multiple ups and downs over 60 years and the mill changed hands several times. Rockland was very active during WWI . In 1934 mining operations closed. In total, about $1 Million were mined from Rockland.
The remains of Rockland are in a centralized location in a rocky, steep and forested area. The skeleton of a former building stands watch over the mill remains. Large foundation remains of a mill spread down the mountain. A collapsed house sits at the entrance to Rockland.
On the far side of the mill is an open mine pit and there are some un-fenced mine pits and tunnels so be alert.
Thirteen years separated our visits to Rockland. It is not in a state of “Arrested Decay” like Bodie. Rockland is a true ghost town and time will continue to see further decline. Below is the same structure 13 years apart.
There is a variety of metal, wood and concrete debris around Rockland.
We combined our visit to Rockland with nearby Pine Grove. We had a great day out with friends Robin and Aaron, exploring and end enjoying the company while still “social distancing”. We were all pretty worn out after the Pine Grove cemetery locating fiasco so we didn’t explore the area as much as I would have liked. On our next trip with friends we made a small detour to Cambridge.
Visits 11-22-2020, 4-2020 and 9-2007
References
- Broman, Mickey. Nevada Ghost Town Trails. Gem Guides Book Company, 1987. Pages 26-28.
- Forgotten Nevada: Rockland
- Ghost Towns: Rockland
- Lincoln, Francis Church. Mining Districts and Mineral Resources of Nevada. Stanley Paher, 1982. Pages 148.
- Massey et al. Nevada Trails: Western Region. APC Publishing, 2016. Pages 239-243.
- Only in Your State: Most People Have Long Forgotten About This Vacant Ghost Town In Rural Nevada
- Paher, Stanley. Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps. Nevada Publications, 1970. Page 85.
- University Nevada Libraries:
- Western Mining History: Rockland Mine
- Wikipedia: Rockland, Nevada
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