The troops arrived in Goldfield on December 6, 1907 and the mine-owners immediately reduced wages and announced that no members of the Western Federation of Miners would thereafter be employed in the mines. The troops remained in Goldfield until March, 1908, with the contest of wills having been won by the mine owners.

From 1903 to 1910, Goldfield was the largest city in Nevada, and in 1907, the county seat was moved to Goldfield from Hawthorne. Soon the city fathers set about to construct a new courthouse, a two story fortress like building that continues to stand today. The large stone structure opened in May, 1908 with a jail added onto the rear of the building.

In 1908, the Goldfield Hotel, designed by Architect George E. Holesworth, and owned by George Wingfield, was opened amidst an array of fanfare. Built over a mine shaft that had gone dry, the structure cost over $300,000. The four story building of stone and brick contained 154 rooms with every modern convenience including telephones, electric lights and steam heat. The lobby was paneled with mahogany and furnished in black leather beneath gold-leaf ceilings and crystal chandeliers. The hotel imported chefs from Europe and boasted one of the first Otis elevators west of the Mississippi River. Considered to be the most luxurious hotel between Chicago and San Francisco, it appealed to society’s upper crust, making owner George Wingfield an even wealthier man.

However, the prosperity was not to last. By 1910, the town’s population had dwindled to about 5,000 and by 1912; gold production had dropped to from its former high of 11 million dollars per year to 5 million dollars.

A year later, on September 13, 1913, Goldfield suffered a devastating blow when heavy rains in the hills to the west caused a rolling wall of water to pour into the city, sweeping away hundreds of buildings and all their contents, including many of the sporting girl's cabins, prospector's homes, and the Moose Hall.