Silverado Mine

The drive through Sweetwater is a beautiful alternative route from Carson Valley to Bridgeport. Breathtaking views line the road, but once you leave the pavement, there is a wealth of history to explore. Miners worked Silverado from the 1860s to 1950s, and the ruins of the mill greet visitors. Newspapers provide rich information about the mill, injuries and death, and even poetry.

Mt. Patterson Mining District

Miners were drawn to the Sweetwater Range in the 1860s to harvest trees for use in the mines and towns of Aurora and Pine Grove. They explored the area, but prospecting was limited until the 1880s, when the Patterson Mining District was formed. Between 1880 and 1884, $500,000, $13M in 2021 value, was produced in the district. By 1888 only one mine remained active. Prospecting and limited mining resumed between 1900 and the 1950s.

Half a dozen mining towns sprung up in the Sweetwater Range, including Belfort, Mone Cristo, Star City, and Clinton, the largest and longest-lasting town. Sweetwater was the major supply center in the area; in the 1860s, it was a station stop on the Carson to Aurora stage. The small town of fifty soules had a store that served local miners, and a post office opened on January 26, 1870.

Silverado Mine

Miners first worked the Silverado Mine in Silverado Canyon in the 1860s. It was a major producer of high-grade silver. The mine included a 10-stamp steam-powered mill and mules transported ore.

In 1891, A.P. Sayer discovered a rich strike running from Silverado Canyon. Sayer was well respected in Patterson Mining District, and the Mono Hearld and Bridgeport Chronicle Union reports, “there is no one in the district more deserving as he has done much hard work in it.”

By 1909, ten men worked the Silverado Mine. There was excitement that ladies who had been attending the Nevada State University (now UNR) returned, and there was anticipation that there would be “some gay times on the creek this summer.”

The mine went through multiple cycles of activity and inactivity into the 1950s. In 1917, thirty men worked at Silverado. Owners added a 50-ton mill. Shipping was through Hudson on the Nevada Copper Belt Railway.

Accidents at Silverado

Unfortunately, as with many mines, injuries and even death were all too familiar. Chester Keeley suffered burns when an acetylene pipe burst. Ed Andrews injured his back moving heavy machinery.

In 1936, Sheldon Wright, an assayer, was killed when a timber caught a flywheel, fracturing his skill. Dr. John Larkin McGuire after being stuck by an ore cart.

Avalanche at Silverado

An avalanche destroyed much of Silverado in 1961, including the boarding house and stable.

Silverado Poet

When you think about miners, the last thing you might imagine is a gift for prose. Yet Tom Burke was a budding poet. In his spare time at Silverado, he wrote in rhyme about returning from the comfort of town to search for gold.

Take me back to old Red Canyon, to renew my search for gold,

Where the nights are fresh and breezy and the water’s always cold.

Where the cats play with the pack-rats, where ther’s rattlesnakes and ticks

Take me back to Old Red Canyon where the miners make gold bricks.

Tired of city’s charm and splendor, tired of feathers in my bed,

Of suacers with the teacups and butter on my bread.

Tired of fancy shirts and collars, tired of following fashion’s swing,

Take me back to Old Red Canyon, where Levi Strauss is King.

Tom Burke, Silverado Mine, Sweetater, Nevada Mono Herald and Bridgeport Chronicle Union, January 5, 1918

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References

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References

• California Bureau of Mines. Mines of Alpine, Inyo and Mono Counties, California. 1917.
• Los Angeles Times, December 11, 1950
• Mason Valley News, March 24, 1961
• Mono Herald and Bridgeport Chronicle-Union, January 31, 1891
• Mono Herald and Bridgeport Chronicle-Union, June 12, 1909
• Yerington Times, August 25, 1917
• Mono Herald and Bridgeport Chronicle Union, January 5, 1918
• Herald and Bridgeport Chronicle Union January 30, 1941
• Reno Gazette-Journal April 12, 1883
• Reno Gazette-Journal, July 15, 1938
• Reno Gazette-Journal August 13, 1942
• The Salt Lake Tribune, June 5, 1936
• Western Mining History: Silverado Mine
• Yerington Times, November 17, 1926
• Yerington Times, December 29, 1926

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