Hawthorne ghost town trip

Travelers often overlook Hawthorne as a destination. They arrive in town, gas up their vehicles, fill their stomachs and continue their journey with barely a glance at the historic town. Many don’t realize that in every direction from Hawthorne is a variety of ghost towns and historical sites to explore.

Ghost Towning

Although it was a stormy weekend, I had a great mini ghost town trip to Hawthorne. I started by meeting Larry, a friend and co-host on Radio Goldfield. He showed me some hidden gems at Elbow, Fletcher and 9-mile. Many of the roads were flooded, so he showed me detours.

I helped one group of people from California who tried to follow Google the back way into Bodie, which is closed and dangerous right now. I hit a lot of rain and lightning.

Austin from Nevada Expeditions met me in Hawthorne and we explored Saturday and Sunday.

Elbow Jakes

Elbow is situated at the southern tip of Pine Grove Hills on the East Walker River. The river makes a broad ninety-degree turn which resembles an elbow when viewed from above. Stage stations were important locations where travelers could rest, have a meal and obtain supplies. Stage travel for passengers and light freight continued in some areas of Nevada into the 1900s when automobiles became more available. You can learn more about Elbow Jakes at the link above.

Nine-Mile Ranch

Nine Mile House, or Station, was an 1860s stage stop on the Carson to Aurora road. It is most known for Mark Twain staying at the station to care for an ill friend.

Sadly, a 5.7 magnitude earthquake in 2016 severely damaged the main house. I first visited Nine-Mile in 2003; a family lived in the house. I hope they repair the historic station before it is too late.

Nine-Mile Cemetery

I didn’t realize Nine-Mile had a cemetery. Four to five people are buried here, but only two headstones remain.

Fletcher Station

H.D. Fletcher built his station in the 1860s. During the Aurora and Bodie mining boom the station served as an important way station or “switching station” where teamsters and stagecoaches could trade out for fresh horses. The Fletchers also raised and sold fresh produce, frogs and fish from their ponds. You can learn more about Fletcher at the link above.

Lucky Boy

Two workmen were repairing road washouts between Bodie and Hawthorne and discovered a ledge of promising ore containing silver and lead. Despite primitive conditions, these “lucky boys” periodically worked the claim for two years but forfeited their discovery to a store in Hawthorne to discharge their debts. You can learn more about Lucky Boy at the link above.

Cory Canyon Cabin

Coryville started in 1883 but the town lasted only a few years. We tried to get to the townsite, but the roads were washed out. We found this cabin in Cory Canyon.

Mount Cory Mining Company built a mill in Corry Canyon in 1884. It ceased operations in 1887 and was taken down in 1890.

Thorne

Thorne was a station stop on the Carson & Colorado railroad in 1881. It was the shipping center for the Lucky Boy Mine and a town developed with several saloons. Thorne was a shipping center for the Naval Ammunition Depot during WWII, with 5,000 cars per month.

A reader said the barn was for the Hawthorne/Bodie bus line, which used Maxwell motor coaches.

Hawthorne

Esmerelda County Courthouse

The beautiful courthouse in Hawthorne served as the county seat for Esmerelda County and later Mineral County. It was built in 1883 when Esmerelda County moved from Aurora to Hawthorne. The county seat was moved to Goldfield in 1907. With the creation of Mineral County in 1911, the courthouse became the only one in Nevada to serve two counties. The courthouse remained in use until 1969.

Sixth Street School

The first school on this site opened in 1886, six years after the founding of Hawthorne. It was a two-room wood schoolhouse and was used for fifty years. The art deco school replaced the previous building in 1936.

Cactus Theater

The one-screen theater was built in a Quonset hut in the 1940s. The theater was open until 1997. While known for showing Disney Movies later in life, the Cactus Theater’s best showing was as the second Nevada theater to screen the pornographic movie “Deep Throat.”

The Cactus closed in 1997. It reopened as the Cinadrome but had its final showing in 2012.

Desert Theater

The 316-seat Desert Theater opened in the early 1940s and operated until 1957. Mrs. Elizabeth Bearden owned both theaters. She also owned the Mineralite Drive-In Theater and held the lease on the Babbitt Theater. The Desert Theater closed sometime in the late 1960s.

Mineral County School District Administrative Office

Located adjacent to the courthouse is the school administrative office. It was built as a schoolhouse in 1918.

Pamlico

Gold was mined at Pamlico in the 1870s and 1880s. In the 1920s, a 20-stamp mill was built. It operated for a decade before it was taken apart and moved.

La Panta

As with neighboring Pamlico, La Panta was an active gold mine in the 1870s and 1880s. The remaining building was constructed with wood crates from Hawthorne Naval Ammunition Depot.

Garfield Mill

Prospectors discovered silver in 1882, and Garfield was a good producer for five years. The town grew enough that a post office opened in 1883 but closed the following year. In 1890, a company from England erected a 10-stamp mill. Garfield Mill produced well in the 1920s, and lessors worked it through the 1930s.

New Boston

The Wasson Consolidated Mining Company constructed a 15-stamp mill for processing ore from local mines. They named the settlement New Boston in honor of their hometown. The town grew to include stores, stables, restaurants and two saloons. A post office was awarded in April 1879 but operated for less than two months.

In 1881, the Carson & Colorado Railroad arrived a mile down the slope from New Boston. A station by the same name was established. In 1884, a fire destroyed the mill.

Black Beauty Mine

New Boston Graves

Outside of New Boston are two lonely graves. One has a wood headstone that has fallen. I have not found any record of who was buried here.

Borus

Our final stop was planned to be Acme, but we ended up at Borus. Borus was a station on the Nevada and California Railroad. A mill was active in 1910, processing ore from a mine on Mabel Mountain.

Great end to the trip

The famous Scorros Burger Hut closed, known for the best burger in the state. I had tacos last year at the new restaurant, La Casita, but decided to see if the burgers lived up to the Burger Hut. I had a bacon cheeseburger- it was delicious and a great way to end the trip!

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