Aspen Nevada

Aspen Nevada

Aspen Nevada Overview

Aspen was a district in Churchill County Nevada. 

It was also known as Nigger, or Tucker, Well. I have references that could also be known as Burnt Cabin (which is four miles away) but I am not sure if it is being clumped together or why someone is referencing it as Burnt Cabin but will continue reading old books and newspapers to find the answer.

Also, I have found references that Chalk Wells is also known as Tucker Well and Nigger Well. Time to untangle the past…!

Learn more about Ghost Town in Nevada and Ghost Towns in the Southwest.

Year Established/Founded

1907

Aspen Nevada History

There are resources that indicate Aspen was also located in Nye County, Nevada, and Lander County, Nevada. At this time I do not have the exact coordinates so it’s hard to tell if county lines moved or if the district crossed the county lines.

Located in the area between the north end of Lodi Valley and the south end of the Desatoya Mountains.

Gianella restricted the Aspen District to Churchill County, in the vicinity of Chalk (Nigger or Tucker) Well.

This is the area described by Danner (1992) as the gold camp of Aspen, discovered about 1907.

Stewart and others (1977) placed the district mainly in Lander County but mentioned that the district extends into Churchill County. The Churchill County portion is sometimes included in the Eastgate district.

I found claims as early as March 16, 1907, which I am going to assume is for this mining district but until I confirm, I will leave the references out until then.

The first discoveries were made by Gay Reed, who was born in Montana and moved to multiple states prospecting. I found him owning mines in Idaho (1892), Washington (1895), Kaslo British Columbia Canada (1897),  California (1900), Nevada (1910 [Nye] and 1920 [Washoe] census), and California where he passed away in 1931.

Timeline

• 1907 – Gold was discovered and a camp was established

Mines

Gold and silver.

Post Office

Unknown at this time.

View the list and history of Nevada Post Offices.

Newspaper

Unknown at this time.

The Population of Aspen Nevada

Unknown at this time.

Elevation

Unknown at this time.

GPS Coordinates

Unknown at this time.

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Photos and Videos

Now Developing of Aspen in Nye County

(Special to Gazette).

BOB, Nevada, March 19. A great deal of interest is being evinced in this locality in the development of a new mining district seven miles northeast of here, in Nye county, which has been christened Aspen. The new camp, which is just across the valley from Phonolite, already has a number of residents and three companies have been organized for the development of the gold-bearing ledges.

‘The first discoveries at Aspen were made about eighteen months ago by Gay Reeder, who found a large vein lying between granite and andesite, which pans coarse gold. The Reeder properties were purchased several months ago by Walker and Rope, mining engineers who were then residing in Rawhide. They went quietly to work developing their ground, and now have a number of veins opened up. The principal work has been done on the Standard claim, where an incline shaft is down 90 feet. At this depth the granite hanging wall and the andesite foot are fifty feet apart, and it is claimed that the entire ledge between carries values. At a depth of forty feet Walker and Rope have drifted on the vein for forty-three feet, or the entire distance there is “three feet of free milling ore which averages $33 per ton, of which eighteen inches, half of which is talc, clinging to the hanging wall, and half a hard, blue quartz, will break $73 to the ton. A vertical working shaft has been sunk on the Nye Co. Windbrake No. 5 claim, north of the Standard strike, and Mr. Rope is now buying a hoist for this shaft. The vein was cut 36 feet from the surface and contains a foot and one-half of good ore. Several shallow holes have been sunk on this claim, tracing the vein and in every one good pannings can be secured. Walker and Rope control a number of claims, and have signified their intention of letting leases on a portion of their ground.

West of the Reeder locations and on a parallel vein W. W. Harvey of Tonopah has secured three claims on which there is a good surface showing and has an outfit in and is sinking a working shaft. To the north about one mile Pierson and Christy of Goldfield are developing a fir prospect on what “appears to ho the extension of the Reeder contact.’ Simpkins, Lloyd and MacDonaid also have claims, adjoining the Pierson and Christy holdings.

The values in Aspen are found both in the talc and quartz,.,the better values generally in the quartz. The ore is free milling and the gold is generally coarse, carrying but a few ounces in silver.

The town of Aspen is pleasantly-situated in a gulch, close to the mines, and is but four miles from Burnt Cabin summit on the Cloverdale and Fairview road. The camp is more conveniently reached ”from Luning, from where auto service has been established” to Bob. The roads are good and a car can be driven dircctly to the mines. ” 

W. L. Rope, of the camp of Aspen, arrived in Fallon Tuesday and will leave next Monday for San Francisco, to attend to business matters in connection with his Aspen enterprises.

RAINBOW GROUP LOOKING GOOD

The Rainbow group in southeastern Churchill county, owned by Wes Watson, is attracting considerable attention because of the large bodies of low grade ore contained within the claim, it is stated by the Fallon Eagle.

The property is located between Mud Springs and “the Nigger’s well,” The ledge is said to be thirty feet between walls of milling ore with a streak which gives forty dollars in gold.

A good supply of water has been found by sinking a well less than fifty feet and it is from this source that considerable of the water used at the San Rafael has been secured. Quartz Mountain is said to be only eight miles away in a direct line. and at a lower altitude

The Independence group at Aspen, about five miles east of Quartz Mountain was recently reported on favorably- by an engineer, it is stated by Silverino Penelas, the owner.

The vein, which follows an igneous dike, has been traced for a distance of a mile, showing shipping values in places and milling ore in most, of the shafts and surface trenches, Mr. Penelas said last week. The- best ore has been found at the two extremes of the holdings in shafts fifty and fifty-five feet deep, respectively. In the south shaft four feet of ore is reported to average $25 a ton with hunches running as high as $100. In the north shaft the ore is better, though the vein is smaller. According to report shipments were made from this point years ago which carries the rate of $1300 a ton. it is stated. In the center of the property there is a vein forty feet wide which carries some values, six feet of the cropping showing free gold.

Mr. Penelas owns the Midnight group, adjoining the Argentum, at Quartz Mountain, where there is a good galena showing and is also developing several properties at Dn-luth, in the Phonolite district. He has been operating in the Phonolite and neighboring districts for eighteen years, and during that period has brought some of his properties to a point where they could be turned into producers, with the expenditure of money sufficient for equipment, etc., he reports.

The following article concerning the gold-bearing petrified logs found in Churchill county, and mentioned several times in this paper has been written by Walter S. Palmer, director of the Nevada state analytical laboratory and head ‘ of the metallurgy department of the Mackay School of Mines. By WALTER S. PALMER

A very interesting occurrence of gold was recently discovered in the Aspen district of Churchill county, Nev., by Edward and Frank Nugent, Clayton Kroh and William Johnson. The occurrence consists of gold deposited in petrified wood, which in turn is buried in a volcanic tuff.

The Aspen district is in the extreme southeastern corner of Churchill county at the eastern end of the Broken Hills range and northwest of the Bruner or Phono-lite district in northern Nye county. The Broken Hills range is a group of low hills lying between the Fair-view and Ellsworth ranges in Churchill and Nye counties and consist chiefly of volcanic tuffs, basalt, andesite and obsidian.

The gold bearing petrified wood is found one quarter mile southwest of the camp known as, Nigger or Tucker Wells, in the northern part of the Aspen district. In this part of the district the formation is chiefly volcanic tuff cut by dikes of andesite and overlain by basalt, in certain parts. There are some zones that are highly silicified due to hot water action.

The petrified wood has been found at present over an area of about five hundred yards square but only a small part of this area contains logs carrying gold. The logs are found practically at the surface and are in all positions from upright to prone.

References Used

• Tingley, Joseph V., Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Report 47 – Mining Districts of Nevada, page 21
• Newspapers.com

Aspen Nevada