Johnnie Nevada
Johnnie Nevada Overview
Johnnie was a mining district in Nye County, Nevada.
The district was also known as Montgomery, Mount Sterling, and Timber Mountain.
Learn more about Ghost Town in Nevada and Ghost Towns in the Southwest.
Year Established/Founded
1905
Johnnie Nevada History
This mining district is going to take us a while to research because of the fun “legend” that goes with it… the Lost Breyfogle Mine. The Breyfogle family came to the West in search of gold and supposedly Charles found the mother of all lodes but couldn’t recall where he found it. Some say that Johnnie is that mine.
From NBMG document:
The earliest recorded discovery in the district is thought to have been made around 1890 by the Montgomery party from Indian Springs, and additional load discoveries were made about 1903. The prominently outcropping quartz veins in the district were alleged to have been noted as early as 1860 by Mormon pioneers, but the inaccessibility of the area made prospecting difficult if not impossible. The district was originally named Montgomery, but between 1900-1910, gradually it became known as the Johnnie district, possibly alluding to the Indian known as Indian Johnnie who led the first recorded prospecting party to the area. The town of Johnnie was inhabited from 1905 to the 1930’s with its heyday around 1907, after which the population shifted to the Johnnie Mine. The district was reported active in 1905, with several mines and stamp mills in operation until the 1920’s. The district’s greatest period of recorded production was prior to 1920 with the district yielding up to that time well over a million dollars in both lode and placer gold.
While much lode ore was produced, the area is also known for its placer gold. Placer gold was discovered in 1921 by Walter Dryer and resulted in a second short boom for the district. Placer operations were again in effect in 1935 below the Johnnie and Congress Mines and in 1949 and the early 1960’s, below the Johnnie and Overfield Mines.
Timeline
- 1890 – Possible discovery made by Montgomery party
- 1898 – New investors bought the two largest mines in the district, the Johnnie and the Congress mines, and the district was revived
- 1903 – Additional lode discoveries
- May 1905 – The Johnnie post office opened
- December 1914 – The Johnnie post office closed
- April 1916 – The Johnnie post office opened
- November 1935 – The Johnnie post office closed
- 1935 – About 20 men worked the placers in the District. Most of these were itinerant placer miners who worked only a few weeks or at most several months.
- November 1935 – Six dry washers were working in the gulches below the Congress mine.
- September 1937 – The Johnnie Mine post office
- June 1942 – The Johnnie Mine post office closed
Mines
Gold, silver, and lead.
The amount of placer gold probably did not exceed $20,000.
Railroads
Unknown at this time.
Click here to view the railroads in Nevada.
Post Office
- Johnnie May 1905 – December 1914
- Johnnie April April 1916 – November 1935
- Johnnie Mine September 1937 – June 1942
View the list and history of Nevada Post Offices and Nye County, Nevada Postmasters.
Newspaper
None
Learn more about Nevada Newspapers
The Population of Johnnie Nevada
- 1907 – The town had a population of 300
- The 1930s – Less than 10 residents
Elevation
3,000′ – 4,000′
Location
From Tingley:
The Johnnie district extends from the north flank of Mount Sterling, on the northwest end of the Spring Mountains, southwest to the southwestern tip of Mount Montgomery. It includes Mt. Schader, the town of Johnnie, and a small area on the northeast side of Mount Sterling sometimes considered to be the separate Mount Sterling district. Wheeler (1872) included the Johnnie area in his large Timber Mountain district which also included the Charleston district.
GPS Coordinates
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Photos and Videos
The photos below are screenshots are poor quality but they are examples of dry washing.
References Used
Click here to view our list of History of the Southwest – Books and Online Resources to learn more about our amazing area!
- Newspapers.com
- Tingley, Joseph V., Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Report 47 – Mining Districts of Nevada, page 126
- Mineral Resources of Nye County
- Wikipedia – Johnnie Nevada
John Weisser
Saturday 1st of November 2025
Montgomery located the Chispa mine on January 11, 1891 and the Johney (original spelling) was located the next month by Isaac Mackey of Hiko. There was no Indian Johnie involved. In 1904 to townsite of Johnnie was platted to conform to the name of the Johnnie mine (which has 3 miles of tunnels). The Chispa was most likely the Lost Breyfogle. If you have any questions I may be able to help as I have over 2,000 articles on the Johnnie area. Enclosed is the birth announcement of Johnnie from the L. A. Times.
December 1904 THE TOWN OF JOHNNIE. The town of "Johnnie" has been established in one of the great, new mining districts of Nevada. Application has been made for a post office to bear the town's name and all the other necessary steps are being taken to place Johnnie properly and permanently on the map. The incident adds a brighter burnish to the reputation of the western miner for the peculiar ingenuity be has always displayed la selecting names for both townsites and mine locations. The whole mining country of the West is spotted with towns bearing highly original and unique appellations, as California will especially testify, but the fertile brain that evolved the name of Johnnie for a town must henceforth stand foremost in our admiration and affection. Commonest of all names is Johnnie, yet ever is it the most homelike and the friendliest. We meet a boy on the street, or out in the green lanes of the country, or anywhere on the highways or byways of life, and if we do not know him we take a chance by calling him "Johnnie." Half of the time we are right about it, too, for there never yet was a good father who could resist the temptation to call at least one of his boys Johnnie. If he didn't do so to please himself be would be compelled to it for the mother's sake, because Johnnie is a name beloved of all mothers. Of course, the parson will make the name John at the christening, but immediately afterward it changes to Johnnie, and there l sticks until the boy has grown to be a man and the world has shackled him with its grim and solemn formalities. But the man himself will love his old name best, and if he has a dollar to lend it will be easier for whoever comes to him and calls him Johnnie to get that dollar than it will be for anyone else to get it. It is the best-known and the best-loved of all the names of childhood. If there is any doubt on this score, let a vote be taken and the result will convince the world. Hail, then, this new town of Johnnie. May it have luck and prosper forever. May its corporate limits extend until they cover half of Nevada and lap over into the adjoining States. May the rains soothe it and the suns warm it each in turn and season; may the wolf never snarl at its happy doors or the ghosts of sorrow linger in its shadows.
Photo is of the Crown Point, bordering the Jonnie on the south. I did active mining there 25 years ago. The owner, Charles Overfield, was a good friend of mine. Enclosed is a photo of the 200ft incline shaft.
Happy Trails John Weisser nvhistorynut@gmail.com
(sorry site will not let me post a photo)