Silver Mountain City, California

Norwegian miners struck a rich silver ore vein along Silver Creek in 1861. The site was five miles northeast of Ebbetts Pass at an elevation of 6,411 feet. Soon, the town of Kongsberg or Konigsberg developed. By 1862, the population had exploded to over 1,000. The Konigsberg post office opened in 1863 and closed briefly in 1864. In 1865, the post office changed its name to Silver Mountain City.

In 1864, Silver Mountain City became the first county seat of the newly formed Alpine County. Three thousand people eventually called the mountainous city home. The business included general stores, bakeries, restaurants, hotels, assay offices, and blacksmith shops.

Daniel Davidson constructed one of several mills; near  Silver Mountain City in 1862. Lewis Chalmers, a native of Scotland, purchased the mill and surrounding land for his employer’s investment company in 1870. Chalmers left a wife and seven children at home in Scotland to look after the company’s activities. Upon arrival, he ordered the men to stop working in the mine and build him a beautiful white house, which came to be known as Chalmers’ Mansion.

Chalmers eventually married his housekeeper, Antoinette “Nettie” Laughton, in 1880. He had two more children with Nettie. In 1884, he returned to his homeland to raise capital to save his mine and smelter. He never returned to Silver Mountain City and died in Scotland in 1904.

The mines dried up, and many miners moved to booming Bodie. In 1875, Silver Mountain City lost its position as the seat of Alpine County to Markleeville. Some of the buildings were dismantled or moved to Markleeville. In 1882, a fire destroyed a good portion of the former county seat.

Nettie Chalmers died in 1913. She was buried in a small pioneer cemetery close to the mansion. Also buried at the site are Lewis and Nettie’s young son, Nettie’s son from a previous marriage, and Lewis’s oldest son from his first marriage.

The Fiske Hotel, built in 1863, was one of the structures relocated to Markeeville, where it was renamed the Hot Springs Hotel, and later became the Alpine Hotel. The building still stands and has been a variety of restaurants. It is being remodeled and will open as a brewery.

Nettie Chalmers died in 1913 and was buried in a small pioneer cemetery near the mansion. Also buried at the site is Lewis and Nettie’s young son, Nettie’s son from a previous marriage and Lewis’s oldest son from his first marriage.

Headstones were destroyed or stolen many years ago. Today the graves are marked by bricks from the Chalmers Mansion smelter.

The Silver Mountain City jail was relocated to Markleeville in 1875. Foundation stones remain at the site along with two informational markers.

The jail’s iron cells were laid on a log foundation at the new site. Using the mortise and tenon method, logs were added to complete the exterior. The jail was moved to its present location the Markleeville Museum in 1969.

Silver Mountain City is a great stop combined with hiking to Showshoe Thompson’s Cave, Woodfords, Monitor or soaking at Grover Hot Springs.

Visited 6-2020

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References

• Alpine Chronicle: Silver Mountain City Tour
• Clairitage Press: Silver Mountain City, Finding Your way There
• Ebbetts Pass Adventures: From Markleeville to Silver Creek, Apline County, California
• Dustman, Karen. Ghost of the Sierras: Silver Mountain City. Clairitage Press, 2011.
• Dustman, Karen & Rick. Walking Tour of Historic Markleeveille. Clairitage Press, 2019. Pages 11-13.
• Ghost Towns: Silver Mountain City
• Record Courier: Finding the Ghosts at Silver Mountain City
• Scenic 4: Silver Mountain City
• Sierra Nevada Geotourism: Silver Mountain Jail, Alpine County
• Western Mining History: Silver Mountain, California
• Wikipedia: Silver Mountain City, California

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