Pigeon Spring Mill is visible from Highway 266, east of Palmetto. A few travelers stop and visit the mill, but many don’t realize the ghost town of Pigeon Spring is several miles past the ranch down a beautiful valley.

Green Mountain Mining District

Pigeon Spring was named for the rock dove found at the spring situated at the north end of Sylvania Mountains. In 1870, A prospector named Kincaid discovered gold east of Pigeon Spring in the Green Mountains. The Green Mountain Mining District was organized in 1872 and the name was changed to Sylvania Mining District the following year.

Mining in the Sylvania district was minimally productive for the first several years. Miners were primarily from Mexico and built two of their native adobe smelters. By 1875 mining production had increased greatly and a 30-ton smelter was built by partners named Broder and Moffat. The smelter operated for three or four years, and by 1880 only small mining operations remained.

Due to the proximity to mines and of equal importance, adequate water which is required in the milling process, a 10-stamp mill was erected at Pigeon Springs in 1890. A small settlement grew a few miles from the noisy stamp mill and contained houses, a general store and a roadhouse. The new town applied for a post office on July 1, 1899, but their application was denied on December 12, 1899.

A leasing company took over Sylvania Mine in 1907 and hauled their ore to the mill at Pigeon Springs. However, mining declined and the stamp mill was abandoned in 1908. Most of the settlements moved to new locations, but with abundant water from the springs, ranchers raised cattle.

Ruins

Pigeon Springs Mill

Pigeon Springs mill sits off Nevada Highway 266, three miles east of Palmetto. The partially intact stamp mill sits atop rock mill foundations.

Pigeon Springs Settlement

The remains of the town are located at the spring, which still runs with cool crystal-clear water. Multiple cottonwood trees mark the location. You can find foundations, dugouts, and cellars along the hill behind the trees.

Pigeon Springs was the first day of my week-long ghost town trip in June of 2021. I was privileged that my guide for the day was Stan Paher, author of Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps. We started our day at the Red Rock Mine and continued to the Fish Lake Valley Heritage Center and Museum, Dyer, Palmetto, Sylvania, Pigeon Springs, Stewart’s Mill and Medicine Rock, ending our trip at Gold Point.

Visited 6-5-2021

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References

• The Adventure Portal: In search of Nevada Ghost Towns
• Carlson, Helen S. Nevada Place Names: A Geographical Dictionary. University of Nevada Press, 1974. Page 189.
• Forgotten Nevada: Sylvania District
• Gamett, James and Stan Paher. Nevada Post Offices: An Illustrated History. Nevada Publications, 1983. Page 106.
• Lincoln, Francis Church. Mining Districts and Mineral Resources of Nevada. Stanley Paher, 1982. Pages 76-77, 79, 83.
• Paher, Stanley. Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps. Nevada Publications, 1970. Page 410-413
• Paher, Stanley. Nevada Ghost Towns and Desert Atlas. Nevada Publications, 2009. Pages 156-157.
• Wikipedia: Sylvania Mountain Wilderness

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