Austin Nevada
Austin Nevada Overview
Austin sprang into being after William Talcott discovered silver at this spot in 1862.
Just a year later, Austin became the Lander County seat and was home to thousands of residents.
Nevada State Historical Category
Mining
Nevada State Historical Marker Type
Stone marker
Nevada Historical Marker Number
Austin Nevada is Nevada Historical Marker #8.
Click here to view the complete list of Nevada State Historical Markers.
County
GPS Coordinates
39.498340, -117.079546
Nevada Historical Marker Transcription
Austin sprang into being after William Talcott discovered silver at this spot on May 2, 1862. Talcott came from Jacobsville, a stage stop six miles to the west on the Reese River. He was hauling wood out of Pony Canyon, directly below, when he made the strike that set off the famous “Rush to Reese.”
A town called Clifton flourished briefly in Pony Canyon but fast growing Austin soon took over and became the Lander County seat in 1863. Before the mines began to fail in the 1880s Austin was a substantial city of several thousand people. From Austin, prospectors fanned out to open many other important mining camps in the Great Basin.
CENTENNIAL MARKER No. 8
STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE
References Used
Austin Nevada