Nevada Historical Marker #97
Manhattan “The Pine Tree Camp”. The Manhattan Mining District northeast of here was first organized in 1867. The place name persisted in local use and was adopted in 1905, when John Humphrey found gold at the foot of April Fool Hill near the old stage route. A typical boom followed. A post office opened late in 1905 and the camp soon had a telegraph, and telephones, utilities, and businesses. Transport was to Tonopah and the railroad at Sodaville.The 1906 earthquake halted mining investment. As a result, most of the productive work here was done by lessees. The gold strikes were in ore and placer deposits, and by 1909, there were thirteen mines and sixteen placers. Some of the operations were the big four: Litigation Hill Merger, Stray Dog, September Fraction, and White Caps. Hydraulic placering started in 1909. In 1938, dredging began and continued for thirteen years. Over $10,000,000 was produced.
NV-376, Manhattan, NV, United States
Nevada Historical Marker #138
Belmont. Belmont sits at an elevation of 7,400 feet. A spring flowing year round made this a gathering site of the Shoshone Indians for rabbit drives and celebrations.In 1865, silver ore discoveries led to the development of an attractive tree-shaded mercantile community. East Belmont became the mining and milling center. A wide range of nationalities worked the mines, operated businesses, and provided services. At its height, Belmont had schools, churches, a post office, and a newspaper, as well as a Chinatown, a red-light district, and a racetrack. The town was the Nye County seat from 1867 to 1905, and a courthouse survives from this period.Belmont had a reputation as a rowdy town. Incidents of saloon brawls, vigilante actions, shootings, hangings, and feuds made the town notorious. Well known Nevadans such as Jack Longstreet, Tasker Oddie, Jim Butler, and Andrew Maute all participated in local early history.Silver production totaling four million dollars was from high grade but shallow ore. By 1890, most mines ceased to be profitable and were forced to shut down. Belmont’s population dwindled as most residents left for new discoveries in nearby mining towns.
Belmont Courthouse State Historic Site, Manhattan, NV, United States