Sylvania was one of the first ghost towns I visited in Nevada. It was a great place to start my Nevada travels; multiple buildings remain, making it a fun place to explore. The settlement had a long life span, covering over one hundred years, leaving ruins from rock foundations to wood cabins.

Was Sylvania in Nevada, California or both states? That question was not resolved for forty-three years.

Ghost Towning

It was our first vacation together and Hubby, a Native Nevadan, wanted to see his home state. I purchased the book Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps by Stan Paher and planned a week-long ghost town trip. We stayed in an old miner’s cabin in Gold Point and the purveyor of the town took us on a day trip to several historical sites including Sylvania. We spent a little time exploring the ghost town but I was pregnant and not feeling well so I took only a few photos.

Fast forward 18 years and my son graduated high school. I planned a week-long ghost town trip based in Tybo. Since I had a free weekend, I added on a few days in Tonopah, not sure where I would explore. Two weeks before my trip, Stan Paher, who had since become a friend, invited me to join him for a day exploring Palmetto and Sylvania. For this section of the trip, Stan asked me to ride in his Jeep so we could talk and explore, what an amazing opportunity!

Sylvania Mining District

The Sylvania Mountains straddle the border of Nevada and California. The range has no distinct ridge, rather it is formed of rounded peaks and canyons. In 1869 a prospector named Kincaid discovered lead-silver ore fifty miles southwest of Goldfield and thirty miles east of Bishop, California. The Green Mountain Mining District was formed in 1872 then changed in 1873 to Sylvania Mining District in reference to the sylvanite, a telluride of silver, found in the area.

Sylvania

Mining increased and in 1872 and a small settlement was founded. The structures were log and stone construction and included services, including a general store. The proprietor of the general store may have been Chris Zabriskie, later famous as a Death Valley borax miner. While Sylvania was larger than some mining camps, it never was awarded post office. Nearby Pigeon Springs applied for a post office on July 1, 1899 but it was rescinded on December 12, 1899. Mail service was likely provided in Lida.

Mining was minimally productive in the first few years of Sylvania’s existence. Miners from Mexico primarily worked the area; they built two of their native adobe smelters. Broder and Moffat constructed a 30-ton smelter in 1875 as production greatly increase. The smelter operated for three or four years and by 1880 only small mining operations remained.

Sylvania Silver-Lead Mining Company purchased the mine in 1904. The company attempted to smelt the ore in a primitive on-site furnace with little success. In 1907 the mine was leased and ore was shipped to Pigeon Springs 10-stamp concentrating mill. In 1910 it was reported the company had a large facility including a superintendent’s house, mine office, bunkhouses and a large kitchen, blacksmith shop and other mine buildings. Over $50,000 of ore had been mined and awaiting processing.

The Clair family purchased the Old Sylvania Mine in 1904. The family operated the mine into the 1970s and reportedly made a good living for several years selling gold in Tonopah and San Francisco. The town of Sylvania was occupied on a part-time basis through the 1990s.

The Infamous Von Schmidt Line

When California became a state in 1850, the 120-degree west longitude was its eastern border. On six occasions from 1855 to 1900 surveys attempted to locate the 120-degree longitude, each with different results—this lead to multiple issues, including Aurora, which simultaneously elected both Nevada and California officials.

Starting in 1872 Alexey W. Von Schmidt surveyed the border using whatever markers were available: stones, wood, and iron. A second survey in 1893 showed Von Schmidt’s line was 1,600 to 1,800 feet west of the actual 120 degrees longitude. Had the Von Schmidt Line been correct, the settlement of Sylvania would have been in both Nevada and California.

Sylvania Ruins

Sylvania has a greater variety of ruins than many locations spanning the long duration of the town.

Cabins

Several wood cabins are scattered around Sylvania. While some are older, many date to the mid to later 1900s.

Stone Foundations

Stone foundations from earlier life in Sylvania can be found both in town and around the area.

Mill

The foundations of the smelter can be sitting on a hill above town.

Cemetery

A lone headstone sits next to a garage.

I visited Sylvania the first day of my week-long ghost town trip in June of 2021. It was a privilege to have Stan Paher, author of Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining CampsI as my guide. We started our day at Red Rock Mine, and continued to the Fish Lake Valley Heritage Center and Museum, Dyer, Palmetto, Sylvania, Pigeon Springs, Stewart’s Mill and Medicine Rock ending our trip at Gold Point.

Visited 6-2002, 6-25-2021

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References

• Carlson, Helen S. Nevada Place Names: A Geographical Dictionary. University of Nevada Press, 1974. Page
• The Diggings: Old Sylvania Mine
• Forgotten Nevada: Sylvania District
• Gamett, James and Stan Paher. Nevada Post Offices: An Illustrated History. Nevada Publications, 1983.
• Ghost Towns: Sylvania
• Lincoln, Francis Church. Mining Districts and Mineral Resources of Nevada. Stanley Paher, 1982. Pages 83.
• Mine Listings: Historic Sylvania Mine
• Paher, Stanley. Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps. Nevada Publications, 1970. Page 412.
• Paher, Stanley. Nevada Ghost Towns and Desert Atlas. Nevada Publications, 2009. Pages 156-157.
• Raydunakin: Sylvania, NV
• Sierra College: 1872 Von Schmidt Survey
• USGS: Old Sylvania Mine
• Western Mining History: Old Sylvania Mill
• Western Mining History: Sylvania Mill
• Western Mining History: Sylvania Mining District
• Wikipedia: Old Sylvania Mine
• Wikipedia: Sylvania Mountain Wilderness

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