Dun Glen & the not-so-final, final resting place

The ghost town of Dun Glen was one of the largest towns in Northern Nevada. In addition to mining, the town was a regional supply center. Conflict is a way of life, and Dun Glen had its share, including thefts, fights and hostilities with Native Americans.
Sadly, Dun Glen will be remembered for a conflict between modern mining and history… leaving a family’s final resting place less than final.

Dun Glen

Dun Glen was established in 1862 following the discovery of silver. D.P. Crook was among the first settlers, but the town was named in honor of Agnus Dun or Dunn. The town was also known as Dunn Glen, Dunglen, and Derbys Dun Glen.

The settlement became one of the largest towns in northern Nevada, with a population of two hundred and fifty. Dun Glen was the region’s business and supply center and had stores, saloons, hotels, a post office, a school, a meeting hall, and outhouses described as “very airy.”

A post office opened on July 18, 1865.

Dun Glen had routine stage service to Unionville and Mill City, where travelers could connect with the Central Pacific Railroad.

The Sierra Mining District

The Sierra Mining District was organized in 1863. By 1870, it had three stamp mills, and the Sierra District was one of the most productive districts in Nevada. An estimated $4 million was extracted in gold and silver. Many of the miners in the district were from China.

Newspapers across Nevada were filled with articles about the Dun Glen Mines.

Drama at Dun Glen

While mining was the focus of Dun Glen, town life held its share of drama.

Mr. Hamblyn’s “accident”

Poor Mr. Hamblyn broke his leg after he wisely tried to avoid a wrestling match with a large man. The instigator kicked Mr. Hamblyn, resulting in a compound fracture; ouch!

Honest Miner, accused of theft, gets the last laugh

“Honest Miner,” Johnny Coon, was accused of theft before he even woke for the day. A stranger at the boarding house accused Coon of stealing $180. Officer Pryor was called out and searched the accused. Not finding the money on Mr. Coon, he turned and searched the stranger. Finding the money, Mr. Coon then started proceedings against the stranger.

The wind is always news in Nevada

One thing you can count on in Nevada is talking about the wind. C.H. Stoddard departed his Dun Glen mine on a fine morning, hitting a localized wind storm three miles out of Winnemucca.

A “ludicrous mistake”

Mr. Moore believed tramps had pillaged his cabin, so he grabbed his shotgun and searched for the despoilers. Spotting a rider, he pulled his firearm and called for the man to stop. The unsuspecting Mr. Lewis, thinking Moore was a highwayman, fled, “putting spurs to his horse, galloped out of range.” After clarifying each others identities, the two met halfway and had a good laugh over their ludicrous mistake. I hope Moore at least bought Lewis a drink.

Camp Dun Glen

In 1863, residents of Dun Glen requested military protection against Native Americans. A small garrison, Company B, 2nd Cavalry Volunteers, under the command of Colonel Edward McGarry of Camp Union, near Sacramento, was established six miles from Mill City.

Protection was again requested in June 1865, and troops reoccupied the campsite. The garrison was commanded by 1st Lieutenant R.A. Osmer and briefly by Captain George D. Conrad.

Camp Dun Glen also served troops protecting the region. The Cavalry scouted the region, focusing their efforts on the overland routes.

Scalper & Savior

Former Wells-Fargo detective and military scout Thacker served at Camp Dun Glen as a scout under Captain Conrad. In 1909, Thacker recounted the story of a battle with Native Americans.

After Thacker located the Paiute Camp, soldiers set out coming on the camp at the morning meal. Twenty Paiutes were killed, with not a soldier injured.

Captian Thacker on that occasion secured four Indian scalps which he added to his beltand in a way made the Indians fear him more than they ever had before.

Reno Gazette-Journal, January 5, 1909

While Thacker “hated an Indian more than poison,” he would not allow children to be killed. He saved the children by bringing them to his ranch in Dun Glen. Thank you to Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining History for connecting this event to Black Rock Tom and raids on settlers around Dun Glen.

Camp Dun Glen was abandoned in August 1866.

The end of Dun Glen, Part I

Mining declined by 1880, and Dun Glen’s population diminished to fifty residents, but the town continued to serve ranches. The post office closed on September 23, 1887, reopening on March 13, 1888. Mail delivery continued until April 7, 1894, when service transferred to Mill City.

Chafey

In 1908, additional silver deposits were discovered around Dun Glen. The reborn town was named after E. S. Chafey, owner of the Chafey Mine.

Chafey surpassed Dun Glen, with a population of one thousand, four times the size. Chafey was awarded a post office on August 4, 1908. It operated for three years before the name was changed back to Dun Glen on March 4, 1911.

While Chafey was a bigger town, it was shorter-lived. Mining ended in 1913, and the town once again declined. The post office closed for the final time on April 15, 1913.

And the mining goes on

Dun Glen continued to be mined sporadically into modern times with active periods in the 1930s, 1940s, 1980s, and 2003.

Dun Glen Cemetery

Sadly, sometimes history and modern mining collide.

I see the sign

I struggled to decide which town to research next. Nothing seemed to jump out, and I spent an inordinate amount of time staying blankly at my monitor or scrolling aimlessly through Facebook.

I was trying to finish the travel update for my Winnemucca trip and was not really into it. I worked in a ghost town at a time. Much like McKinney Tanks from my Tonopah trip, a story jumped at me. It might as well have had neon signs saying, “write this.”

The Dun Glen Cemetery is a distance from the ghost town. Trying to photograph the cemetery with the impending storm, a modern sign kept getting in my way. I tried to shoot around it, but it sat right behind the large headstone.

Please allow our family to rest in peace.

Dun Glen Cemetery

I visit a lot of cemeteries. Not every ghost town has a cemetery or a cemetery that can be located. But any town with a substantial population has one. I have never seen a sign like this and thought there might be a story.

The tale and journey of the Nelson family’s graves are a sad reflection on the mining industry. In 2003, a mining company received permission to relocate the grave of thirteen-year-old Mary A. Nelson so they could mine the land. When the company exhumed the grave, three additional burials were discovered: Mary’s parents, Eliza and John Nelson, and an unknown person.

Instead of reinterring the family, the company placed the remains in makeshift coffins. For two years, the coffins were left unsheltered above ground.

Bureaucratic issues and allegations of illegal disposition of the graves delayed relocating the cemetery. The Nelson family and unknown remains, possibly Vance Nelson, were reinterred in October 2005.

Sadly the tale is not over. In 2014, Mary’s headstone was intentionally damaged, likely in an attempt to steal it.

A new memorial for Jimmy Garst was paced inside the cemetery fence. It appears Jimmy was a “neighboring landowner,” and his family may have leased the Dun Glen mines. From his Facebook account, he appears to have an interest in mining. His last post was in 2019.

Once the largest town in the region, Dun Glen was an active and vital town with its share of drama. Dun Glen survived several mining declines but eventually succumbed to becoming another Nevada Ghost Town. Mining continued into modern times, causing its share of drama which took years to resolve. At last, the Nelson family is in their final resting place, together for eternity.

Want more ghost towns?

For information on more than five hundred ghost towns in Nevada & California, visit the Nevada Ghost Towns Map or a list of Nevada ghost towns.

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References

• American History and Geneology Project: Chafey Camp, Nevada
• Angel, Myron. History of Nevada. Thompson and West, 1881. Page 57.
• Carlson, Helen S. Nevada Place Names: A Geographical Dictionary. University of Nevada Press, 1974. Page 102.
• The Diggins: Dun Glen Gold Mine
• Find a Grave: Dun Glen Cemetery
• Gamett, James and Stan Paher.  Nevada Post Offices: An Illustrated History.  Nevada Publications, 1983  Page 50, 58.
• Investors Hub: Mining Company Research Board
• Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology: Scanned Mining District Files
• Nevada Expeditions: Dun Glen
• Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining History: Dun Glen
• Nevada Magazine: The rise and fall of Reno’s Chinatown
• Nevada State Journal: Mines around Dun Glen are shipping ore. July 9, 1934.
• OHV Nevada: The Dirt: Dun Glen
• Paher, Stanley.  Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps.  Nevada Publications, 1970.
• Paher, Stanley.  Nevada Ghost Towns and Desert Atlas.  Nevada Publications, 2009.  Page 35.
• Reno Gazette-Journal: Thacker and Richardson tell of early Indians. January 5, 1909.
• Reno Gazette-Journal: Suit over three richest claims in Chafey. January 6, 1909.
• Roberts, Robert B. Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States. Macmillan Publishing, 1988. Page 491.
• Shamberger, Hugh A. Rochester: Early History, Development, Water Supply. USGS, 1973. Page 2.
• Tonopah Daily Bonanza: Big suit is on over rich Chafey Claims. January 8, 1909.
• USGS: Dun Glen
• USGS: Dun Glen Mine Project
• Weekly Independent: Silver State 16th
• Wikipedia: Dun Glen, Nevada

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