Orizaba Ghost Town

Orizaba is a ghost town in Northern Nye County, Nevada, outside of Gabbs. The Orizaba mining claims were one of the region’s largest producers and most developed mines. The claims changed hands multiple times, including a tenacious miner working the mine since he was a child. Orizaba has significant ruins, including the smelter end headframe, rock building and shops.

Orizaba Mining District

In 1909 Ed Workman discovered gold and silver deposits on the eastern slope of the Royston Hills midway between Gabbs and Tonopah. The area became known as the Republic Mining District but is also referred to as the Cloverdale or Orizaba Mining Districts.

Six additional mining claims containing silver, gold, copper and lead deposits were established by 1911. The claims covered 120 acres. Diamondfield Black Butte Reorganized Mining Company of Goldfield obtained ownership of Orizaba. In 1915 the claims were sold to Orizaba Mining and Development Company, but Diamondfield retained a financial interest in the company.

By 1918 Orizaba had expanded to include 180 acres and nine mine claims. Orizaba was the largest and most developed mine in the region. Ore was taken 40 miles south to Millers for processing via wagon and later truck. A settlement below the Orizaba Mine developed but it was never classified as a town or had a post office.

The Orizaba mine

The Orizaba mine consisted of a 145′ incline shaft with 65 and 85 feet levels. Processing slowed in 1918 due to water seepage of 1000 gallons per day. Lower levels of the mine were closed as pumps couldn’t keep up with the flooded tunnels.

Orizaba was sold multiple times over the years. In total, 1,500 tons of rich ore were mined with an additional 1,200 tons of low grade ore processed on site. The value of the district’s total production was $128,000. With inflation this would be over $2 million in 2020.

Commercial mining ended 1940s. Norman Combs, a local miner, began work at Orizaba in 1926 at age 12. He worked the claim until the 1970s when he was too old to descend into the shaft.

Orizaba ghost town

Today, the ghost town of Orizaba lies in three sections. The upper section contains the mine, headframe, mechanical building and boiler. Headframes are structures that support machinery above the mine shaft entrance. A cable, or wire rope as it was called, was lowered into the shaft. Everything going into and out of the mine was moved by the headframe which supported a sheave wheel.

Orizaba’s older mine

Orizaba originally utilized a boiler to provide steam power for the hoist. One large and a smaller boiler sit next to the headframe. Soot remains as evidence of the many fires that powered the mine.

Boilers were labor and time intensive and required a supply of firewood which was scarce around Orizaba. Later, tractor and car engines powered the mine.

Orizaba’s Settlement

The middle section of Orizabada contains a wood cabin, collapsed cabin, mine shaft and what appears to be a root cellar.

The lower, and likely oldest section of Orizaba contains a rock cabin, tin cabin and a collapsed stick-built cabin.

The tin cabin has both galvanized and ungalvanized tin. It is split into two sections and appears to have been remodeled.

A third structure was standing until a few years ago. It had a rock foundation with timber construction. It appears to have been a cabin.

Newer Orizaba

A newer and seemingly more active mine is above Orizaba. The sheave wheel and its relationship to the headframe can be clearly seen.

I visited Orizaba ghost town and Fairplay Mining District with fellow explorers Rob and Nana.

Visited 9-5-2020

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References

• Diggins: Orizaba
• Ghost Towns: Orizaba
• Ghost Towns and Mines: Orizaba, NV 2020
• Hall, Shawn. Preserving Glory Days, Ghost Towns and Mining Camps of Nye County, Nevada. University of Nevada Press, 1981. Pages 44-45.
• Lincoln, Francis Church: Mining Districts and Mineral Resources of Nevada. Stanley Paher, 1982. Pages 167.
• Mine Listings: Orizaba
• Nevada Expeditions: Orizaba
• Western Mining History:  Orizaba

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