Welcome to Mineral County
Mineral County's population has been estimated at about 5,000 and includes residents of Hawthorne, Luning, Mina, Schurz (Walker River Paiute Indian Reservation) and Walker Lake, as well as residents living outside township limits.
Mineral County is home to beautiful Walker Lake, a desert terminal water body treasured by the residents of the County. In pre-historic times, Walker Lake was a part of the vast Lake Lahontan, which over time receded leaving the present body of water. Also located within the County's boundaries are Mount Grant; and the Wassuk, Gillis, Excelsior and White Mountain ranges located on federal public lands, including the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest.
Mineral County offers locals and tourists many recreational activities such as hunting, fishing, boating and water skiing on Walker Lake, off-highway vehicle treks through the surrounding desert and mountains, ghost town touring, rock hounding and golfing. Annual events which bring in a large number of visitors are the Armed Forces Day celebration held on the third weekend of May and the Walker Lake Loon Festival.
YESTERDAY ~
Mineral County attained regional prominence in 1860 when gold was discovered in Aurora, subsequently leading to formation of the Esmeralda Mining District. The district was immediately claimed by both California and the Territory of Utah, prior to the establishment of Nevada Territory. California created the new County of Mono because it believed the discovery site was within that State. When Nevada Territory was formed, the county of Esmeralda was formed.
Both Mono and Esmeralda counties made Aurora their respective county seats. This caused considerable confusion and much hilarity as the people voted in two elections on the same day and found themselves governed by two groups of county officers. The federal surveyors tasked with locating the true boundary line, reached Aurora about 2 years later, determining that Aurora was firmly in Nevada Territory.
In 1861, Samuel Clemens, also known as the celebrated American author Mark Twain, arrived in the flourishing town of Aurora to work as a miner. His experiences were later described in his book, Roughing It. It is well worth the read!
Aurora's big mining boom lasted about 3 to 5 years; its gradual decline caused by legal disputes among several of the large mining companies. This circumstance led to other mineral discoveries as miners sought work elsewhere. By 1865, the Columbus Mining District was formed in the desert southeast of Aurora. This district included the mines at what would become the town of Candelaria and the milling town of Belleville. A little further west, between Belleville and Whiskey Flat, the little town of Marietta and nearby Teels Marsh saw a brief period of mining activity until about the mid to late 1870s.
In 1880, construction of the southern extension of the Virginia and Truckee Railroad, later called the Carson and Colorado Railroad, began in earnest. Its route was from Mound House between Carson City and Dayton, running southeasterly to Walker Lake. It was determined that somewhere in the vicinity of the lake the new railroad town of Hawthorne would be located and, by March of 1881, the final selection of land at the south end of the lake was made.
As Aurora continued to decline in population, the new town of Hawthorne grew. With the main hub of traffic into and out of the county occurring at the latter point, a push was made in 1883 to move the Esmeralda County seat from Aurora to Hawthorne. The residents of Aurora opposed this move for economical reasons and it took an act of the State Legislature to approve the move to Hawthorne.
In 1905, when the Southern Pacific Railroad purchased the narrow gauge line of the Carson and Colorado, the railroad realigned its route, removing the rails into Hawthorne and moving its railroad station 7 miles from the county seat. This new station was dubbed "Thorne."
In the early part of the 20th century several new mining booms occurred, including Rawhide, Tonopah (Nye County) and Goldfield. Goldfield's boom was so large that those who flocked to it decided early on that the county seat should be moved there. In 1907, Goldfield became the third county seat of Esmeralda County. This change was devastating to Hawthorne and resentments grew over time. After much discussion among the prominent business and mining men of the northern part of Esmeralda County, it was decided a new county would better serve the residents near Hawthorne. On February 10, 1911, through another act of the State Legislature, the present Mineral County was created. Naturally, with its previous large court house that had been sitting vacant for 4 years, Hawthorne again became the county seat. At the time, the population was estimated at approximately 1,500 people residents.
Mineral County was appropriately named as many minerals have been mined within its boundaries, such as gold, silver, copper, mercury, iron, borax, limestone, gypsum, and uranium to name a few. Mineral County has seen many ghost towns boom and bust, including Aurora, Candelaria, Rawhide, Dutch Creek and Lucky Boy. Each of these old camps has a tale to tell and stories abound about lost treasures still to be found. The old site of Aurora is one of the County's locations on the National Register of Historic Places.
In 1928, the U.S. Navy selected the area at the south end of Walker Lake for its new ammunition depot and construction began in 1929. During peace time, the new depot added only slightly to the population of the county, but during World War II, the base brought a population explosion to Hawthorne. The Navy built the now-gone town of Babbitt for housing both military and civilian employees.
Although the county's population has increased and decreased according to the mining industries, economics and military campaigns, many families and retirees from other areas continue to make Mineral County their home. Their lives have become a part of the County's history in the process.....
Information provided by Sue Silver and Georgana Mayne, Mineral County Museum.