Nevada Historical Marker #11
Eureka. “Eureka!” a miner is said to have exclaimed in September 1864 when he discovered rich ore here – and thus the town was named. Eureka soon developed the first important lead-silver deposits in the nation, and during the furious boom of the 1880s, it had 16 smelters, over 100 saloons, a population of 10,000 and a railroad – the colorful Eureka and Palisade – that connected with the transcontinental line 90 miles to the north.Production began to fall off in 1883, and by 1891, the smelters closed, their sites marked by the huge slag piles at both ends of Main Street.
Lincoln Highway, Eureka, NV, United States
Nevada Historical Marker #82
Diamond Valley. The first known explorer of Diamond Valley was Captain John C. Frémont who mapped the area to aid western migration in 1845. Before Frémont, Shoshone and Paiute Indians had gathered nature’s bounty here.Colonel J.H. Simpson mapped a route through the valley in 1859. The Simpson route, through the north end of the valley, immediately became the Pony Express route from 1860-1861. The Overland Telegraph replaced the Pony Express and also crossed the valley.Early freight toll roads were operated across the valley as lead and silver mining camps boomed in the 1860s. Needs of the mining camps gave rise to a limited livestock and dairy industry. In 1957, a large underground lake was tapped to supply water for irrigation.
Eureka/Carlin Rd, Eureka, NV, United States
Nevada Historical Marker #80
Eureka Courthouse. The Eureka County Courthouse, designed by George Costerisa, cost about $38,000 to construct. Built in 1879-80 of locally-fired brick and of sandstone quarried nearby, the Italianate style courthouse remains a fine example of boomtown Victorian opulence. This relic, a scene of many famous trials, reflects the glory days from 1864 to 1890 when Eureka was the first important lead-silver district in the United States.
Lincoln Highway, Eureka, NV, United States
Nevada Historical Marker #170
Eureka Sentinel Building. Constructed in 1879 at a cost of $10,000, the Sentinel Building was designed by architect C.M. Bennett. The Eureka Sentinel was published here from 1879 to 1960. Three generations of the Skillman family, Archibald, Edward, and Willis, edited the newspaper. The last editor, Edward J. Moyle, had been with the Sentinel for over fifty years before he took over the editorial chair in 1944.
North Monroe St, Eureka, NV, United States
Nevada Historical Marker #222
Tannehill Cabin One Of Eureka’s First Houses. The Tannehill brothers built this cabin for a residence in 1864 and lived here about a year before selling their mining interests to a New York company in 1866. The cabin subsequently went through a number of owners, including the firm of Nathan & Harrison, one of the area’s first mercantile establishments in the late 1860s.Fires, floods, and the ravages of time have spared the structure, and local residents take justifiable pride in the fact that they have been able to save it.
Lincoln Highway, Eureka, NV, United States
Nevada Historical Marker #254
Nevada’s Mining Heritage. In 1864, a group of prospectors from Austin, Nevada discovered rock containing a silver-lead mixture on Prospect Peak. Since then, miners have struggled to reach minerals deep within these hillsides of the Eureka Mining District--a vital part of Nevada's mining heritage and future. By 1878, the population of Eureka and nearby Ruby Hill was over 9,000. The Eureka Mining District ranked as Nevada's second richest mineral producer (the Comstock ranked first). Ore veins of silver, lead, and other base materials were rich enough to justify enormous underground mine development and financial risk. Eureka's greatest production was from 1870 to 1890. By 1900, changing market conditions reduced demand for the District's materials. Many of the mines closed. A few smaller mines remained in operation until the 1920s, but it was nothing like the early days. Revival of the Eureka Mining District has recently occurred with the introduction of a mining technology called heap leaching. This method allows for profitable and more efficient processing of rock containing trace amounts of gold. Examples of old and new mining operations can be seen from here. At the base of the hill is the heap-leach pad and rock piles of a modern mining operation. Near the top of the hill is the Fad Shaft, a remnant of earlier mining days.THE FAD SHAFT - This Area's Last Underground Mining OperationProspectors discovered the Fad claim in 1906 but did not start mining until the 1940s. Geological theory suggested that ore existed 2,500 feet below the surface. From the 1940s to the 1960s, sporadic mining occurred at the shaft. Then at 2,465 feet, only 35 feet from their target, they encountered water. Flooding was so great that mining halted. The Fad closed a short time later. Ironically, the Fad Shaft, the last attempt at underground mining in the Eureka District, never produced any ore.Many hills around Eureka still contain rock piles, open shafts, and abandoned mining equipment. During Eureka's heyday, many headframes similar to the Fad dotted these hillsides. Most have since disappeared, leaving only a handful as reminders of the past.MODERN GOLD MININGHeap leaching removes trace amounts of gold from rock that would have been considered worthless in mining days of old. The gold is so small that it can only be seen with a microscope. Gold bearing rock is crushed into pebbles and pled (heaped) onto a thick plastic liner. A weak cyanide mixture dissolves the gold while gravity slowly draws (leaches) the gold-laden solution into collection tanks.Throughout history mining has changed the landscape. Mining's effects have changed as technology has advanced. Reclamation is now standard practice upon mine closure. Whether underground or surface, mining remains an important symbol of Nevada's heritage.
Lincoln Highway, Eureka, NV, United States