Goldfield, Nevada - Queen of the Mining Camps

Goldfield, Nevada

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By 1918, the mines produced only 1 ½ million dollars in ore, with half that amount in the next year. By 1920, the town was called home to only about 1,500 residents and for the next three years, only a cumulative $150,000 in ore was produced by the area mines.

But Goldfield's misfortunes were not yet complete. On July 6, 1923, a moonshine still exploded across the street from the Goldfield Hotel early in the morning hours. With raging winds, the fire blazed for 13 hours before it was brought under control. Spreading down Main Street, the inferno took out many of the town’s businesses, destroying 27 blocks of homes and buildings in its path. The town never recovered.

This headframe continues to stand in Goldfield.

April, 2005, Kathy Weiser.

At about this same time the Goldfield Hotel began a gradual decline and by the 1930s, when the town supported fewer than 1,000 souls, it had become little more than a flop house for cowboys and undiscriminating travelers. During World War II, it was used to quarter soldiers and afterwards closed its doors forever. Over the years, the hotel has changed hands numerous times, most recently in 2003. Though there are plans to renovate and reopen the old hotel, as of this writing, it continues to stand lonely and deserted.

In just a few more years the last of five railroads that had once hauled millions of dollars in ore from Goldfield -- the Tonopah & Goldfield, discontinued operations in 1947.

From 1903 to 1940, Goldfield's mines produced more than $86 million dollars. As late as 1997, a few of the Goldfield mines were still producing.

This abandoned rail car speaks of Goldfield's

prosperous railroading days. April, 2005, Kathy Weiser.

Today, though Goldfield is called home to less than 500 residents and is all but a ghost town, it still retains the title as the Esmeralda County Seat. The courthouse has been in continuous use by the county since the building opened in 1908. Built of native sandstone resembling a castle, it was one of the most elaborate in the state at the time it was built. Inside one of the courtrooms you will find original Tiffany lamps. Behind the courthouse, the original jail also continues to stand, containing three levels of metal cells; two levels of which still house inmates in 18 cells.

More buildings in Goldfield offer glimpses of its more prosperous past. The Santa Fe Saloon built in 1905 continues to operate at the entrance to the mining fields. Across the highway from the Goldfield Hotel is the Mozart Saloon, which continues to serve breakfast, lunch and drinks next to its antique bar.

Across from the County Courthouse is Goldfield's old High School. Though long closed, it displays a classic example of early 20th century architecture. Across the street in another direction is the former Tex Rickard home, one time owner of the famous Northern Saloon that masterminded the famous Nelson-Gans prize fight in 1906. The quaint Victorian home was built in 1905 and continues to stand at the corner of Crook and Franklin Streets. Tex Rickard went on to become a major boxing promoter and ultimately gained fame as the man who built the original Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Goldfield old high school.

The Goldfield Hotel continues to be the centerpiece of the town and when it opened in 1908 it was the most luxurious hotel in the state. Though it now stands dark and empty, it’s an impressive building symbolizing Goldfield’s former glory. The old hotel is also considered to be one of the most haunted buildings in the United States. For more on the Goldfield Hotel, its history and hauntings, click HERE.

Outside of Goldfield you can see massive metal and wooden head frames dotting the barren foothills north of town.

Goldfield today has a population of just a little more than 400 people, and exists mainly to serve as county seat for Esmeralda County.

Goldfield is about 25 miles south of Tonopah, Nevada on Route 95.

Tex Rickard's former home, April, 2005, Kathy Weiser.

Also See:

The Haunted Goldfield Hotel

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