NEVADA GHOST TOWNS & BEYOND

Markleeville Cave lies off Highway 89 between Markleeville and Silver Mountain City. I have driven past for years and never noticed the cave just off the road. I was on the way home from the ghost towns of Monitor when I noticed an old road leading into the woods. Road construction was difficult and costly and historic roads always had a purpose. Being me, I had to investigate. Edel ... VIEW POST

Golden Gate Mill, bunkhouse and double ore bin were a one-of-a-kind treasures in Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. The 113-year-old structures were stabilized by Bureau of Land Management and the National Park Service in 2005. Golden Gate was was the sole remaining stamp mill on public lands in the region. On the morning of August 29, 2020 lightning strikes caused a fire in nearby ... VIEW POST

Author's note: It is not my intent to convince the reader to believe - or disbelieve - the stories that follow. These are merely some of the tales one hears in these parts. Take them for what you will. Genoa Lying at the eastern base of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, the site of Genoa became an important way point for the 49ers. By 1850, Mormons built a stockade, corrals and opened ... VIEW POST

Silver was discovered in the narrow canyon of Monitor Creek in 1857. Substantial mining and community development did not occur until the early 1860s. Monitor was named after the Civil War ship, USS Monitor. The Monitor was the first ironclad warship and launched on January 30, 1862. It sank during a storm on December 31, 1862 off the coast of North Carolina. Sixteen of the forty-nine ... VIEW POST

Fletcher Station was built in the 1860s by H.D. Fletcher. During the Aurora and Bodie mining boom the station served as an important way station or "switching station" where teamsters and stagecoaches could trade out for fresh horses. The Fletchers also raised and sold fresh produce, frogs and fish from their ponds. Fletcher was located on the crossroads of two major routes. The Carson to ... VIEW POST