Pony Meadows lies several miles to the northeast of Como at the base of Rawe Peak. Fort Churchill soldiers utilized the meadows for summer grazing from 1860 to 1869. Some say this is how Pony Meadows earned its name. Others claim it was named after “Pony” Crownshield.
“Pony” is no longer a colt. He is fully the allotted three score years and ten. He got his name from riding the pony express in early days and has been known by no other name since. He is a most affable and entertaining old prospector and to him we owe much of the data we gathered concerning Como.
August 27, 1895 Daily Territorial Enterprise
Paramour, a Como miner, worked old mine tailings above Pony Meadows. The ore was shipped to his mill in Como for processing. In June of 1928 David Meiklejohn and Harry Delk made a strike above Pony Meadows at the opening of a tunnel. The adit is reported to extend 600 feet into the mountainside.
Considerable Highgrade On Footwall; District Mined in Former Years
June 26, 1928 Reno Evening Gazette
A mill was constructed in 1929. The first carload from Pony Meadows Mine was shipped to the Selby smelter on June 11, 1929. It was expected to exceed $100 of gold per ton of ore. Two years later a 300 ton cyanide plant was constructed.
The machinery consists of stamps, secondary grinding and Kraut flotation cells and the capacity will be about twenty tons daily.
November 5, 1929 Reno Evening Gazette
The processing method was the same as at Como and Chemung. The plant and mill operated briefly but never turned a profit.
One of the earlier miners in Pony Meadows fenced off access to the springs. Apparently someone found this unneighborly :
His headless body was found one day, and how he met his death and who were the perpetrators of the crime has always remained a mystery.
June 26, 1928 Reno Evening Gazette
If any ghost town deserves a good ghost story, Pony Meadows should be at the top of the list!
This is “Como Bert’s Cabin”. I haven’t been able to find any information on Bert beyond pictures of his cabin. It is isolated and adjacent to Pony Meadows. The cabin seems to be more modern and shows signs of habitation within the last few years. Abandoned, gates and fences in the area were down and dilapidated and the cabin is falling into ruin.
You’re Being Watched, No Warning Shot
Pony Meadows is listed as “past producer”. But some mining activity is recent, including an open pit mine and this shaft.
We did not enter the tunnel. Please stay out and stay alive.
Visited 8-2-2020
References
- Forgotten Nevada: Como
- Ghost Towns: Como Nevada
- Nation, Nyle. The Pine Nut Chronicle: The History and Adventures of Mining in Douglas County Nevada. Pine Nut Press, 2000. Pages 42.
- Massey et al. Nevada Trails: Western Region. APC Publishing, 2016. Pages 214-220.
- Lincoln, Francis Church. Mining Districts and Mineral Resources of Nevada. Stanley Paher, 1982. Pages 129-130.
- Paher, Stanley. Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps. Nevada Publications, 1970. Page 71-75.
- Western Mining History: Pony Meadows Mines
- Wikipedia: Como, Nevada
Keith Davis says
I have been up to the old Como mine a few times, but I did’nt know any thing about it until now. Thank you for educating me.
Tami says
Welcome!
Dave Campbell says
My wife and I went up to como mine yesterday 5/8/23, we made it with our ford r-150, just went slow a lot of wash outs and rocks, is their a better way to get there? Could we go in from wabuska? Thanks Dave
Tami says
I was wondering how the road was. This winter, there were a lot of recoveries around Como. Did you go to Como Bert’s Cabin and Pony Meadows Mill?
I have taken Como Road through to Smith Valley. It follows the old stage lines. It is a really, really long road.
As far as I know, the route through Dayton is the easiest.
Carl Linville says
Hi Tami,
Do you know where Chief Truckee is buried? We found interesting area by Rawe Peak that looks like a possible old Indian camp.
Tami says
Only that he was buried around Palmyra, so in the Como area.
I heard there was a wood camp in the hills, I wonder if that is what you found.