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Blair Nevada

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Ghost Towns in Esmeralda County Nevada » Blair Nevada

Blair Nevada

Blair Nevada Overview

The remnants of stone buildings and mill foundations are the only survivors of the once-thriving, but short-lived mining town.

The Pittsburgh-Silver Peak Gold Mining Company built a 100-stamp mill here in 1907 as well as a railroad to the Tonopah & Goldfield main line.

The town included a post office, a mercantile store, Patty Flannery’s Saloon and Hotel, the Elite Hotel, and other structures. The miners would dine at the Elite Hotel for $42 a month for three meals a day (equivalent to $1,300 in today’s dollars).

During the ten years in operation, the company produced over seven million dollars.

The ghost town is recognized as a Nevada State Marker.

Year Established/Founded

1906

Timeline

  • September 1906 – The new company secretly surveyed a new townsite in the district
  • November 1906 – The weekly Press began publication and a post office was established
  • November 8, 1906 – The post office opened
  • 1907 – The Pittsburgh-Silver Peak Gold Mining Company built a 100-stamp mill west of Blair as well as a railroad to the Tonopah & Goldfield main line
  • 1910 – The company absorbed the Silverpeak-Valcada and other mines and enlarged its mill
  • December 8, 1916 – The post office closed
  • October 1915 – Mill machinery was dismantled and moved to California once the low-grade ore could no longer be worked for a profit

Post Office

November 8, 1906 – December 8, 1916

Silverpeak served the needs once the post office closed.

View the list and history of Nevada Post Offices.

Newspaper

Press was established in 1906.

Elevation

4,616′

Nevada Historical Marker Category

  • Mining
  • Railroad

Nevada Historical Marker Type

Blue marker

Nevada Historical Marker Number

Blair Nevada is Nevada Historical Marker #174.

Click here to view the complete list of Nevada State Historical Markers.

County

Eureka County, Nevada

GPS Coordinates

37° 47′ 34.75″ N, 117° 38′ 57.34″ W

Nevada Historical Marker Transcription

The Pittsburgh-Silver Peak Gold Mining Company bought the major mines in the area in 1906.  Land speculators at nearby Silver Peak bought up the land.  As a result, the mining company surveyed a new townsite north of Silver Peak and named it Blair.  The company built a 100-stamp mill in 1907.  The company also constructed the 17 ½ mile Silver Peak railroad from Blair Junction to the Tonopah & Goldfield main line.

By 1920, Blair was all but deserted.  The remnants of stone buildings and mill foundations are the only survivors of the once thriving, but short-lived, mining town.

STATE HISTORICAL MARKER No.  174

STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE

HAROLD C. HENDERSEN

References Used

Blair Nevada