San Antone Nevada
San Antone Nevada Overview
San Antone was a mining district in Nye County, Nevada, and San Antonio was a stage stop north of the mining district that serviced the line between Belmont and Middlegate.
Also known as San Antonio, Liberty, Royston, Cimarron, Potomac, and San Lorenzo. May also have been known as Bradleys, Indian Springs,
Learn more about Ghost Town in Nevada and Ghost Towns in the Southwest.
Year Established/Founded
1863
San Antone Nevada History
According to Paher, San Antonio was Nevada’s most famous stage station, a twenty-room two-story structure of adobe and brick, rose from the sage about 1865 to accommodate north-south travelers to Silver Peak, Gold Mountain, Death Valley, and east-west travelers to Belmont.
Though the Liberty Mine and the mill shut down by 1868, “San Antone remained open, and early in this century it was a noted landmark and station for individuals headed for the Tonopah and Goldfield bonanzas.
With the arrival of the railroad at Tonopah, this stage station had outlived its usefulness and probably became a mere dwelling.
Crumbling walls surrounded by thick sagebrush and two gaunt poplars are left at San Antonio; rubble remains at Indian Spring; and extensive old mine workings can be found in the San Antonio mountains.
Timeline
- 1863 – The San Antone District was discovered by Robles, Fisk, and others and several resource states that on October 1863 Mexicans had discovered gold in the west flank of the San Antonio mountains 15 miles to the south
- November 18, 1863 – We learn that a new district, called the San Antonio, has been formed at the lower end of Smoky Valley. Some very rich ledges are said to have been discovered. A town site and a number of ranches have been already located. The new district is about 130 miles south of Austin. [Gold Hill Daily News – Wednesday, November 18, 1863 – page 3)
- December 23, 1863 – A party consisting of five or six persons left this place yesterday for San Antonio District. This is the second trip of some of them, but they go this time well prepared with provisions, horses, __, and they intend thoroughly prospecting the district. Some of them expect to remain in that section during the winter, but the others will return in a few weeks. We hope that each one of the boys makes a strike a ledge that will make him his pile. [Gold Hill Daily News – Wednesday, December 23, 1863 – Page 1]
- 1864 – 200 miners were working the Liberty and other mines and a camp called Potomac rose near San Lorenzo Spring, Arrastras treated local ore, but high grade was hauled to the mill at Washington, almost 100 miles north.
- 1865 – Returns of $600 a ton prompted the building of a 10-stamp Pioneer mill at San Antone station or Indian Springs, 5-12 miles to the north.
- 1866 – The mill only ran for a year and then was torn down and moved elsewhere
- 1867 – A four-stamp mill was erected but only operated for a year
- May 14, 1873 – The San Antonia post office opens
- January 25, 1888 – The San Antonia post office closes
- 1896 – New strikes discovered
- April 8, 1896 – The San Antonio post office opens
- July 14, 1906 – The San Antonio post office closes
- 1910 – The stage station closes
Mines
Molybdenum, copper, silver, gold, and lead.
At the time, the Liberty Mine which was the most important mine in the district was discovered.
Railroads
Unknown at this time.
Click here to view the railroads in Nevada.
Post Office
Post Offices
- San Antonia – May 14, 1873 to January 25, 1888
- San Antonio – April 8, 1896 to July 14, 1906
Postmasters
- John G Mitchell 14 May 1873 San Antonia
- Charles Court 22 Apr 1878 San Antonio
- John P Courter 3 May 1880 San Antonio
- Charles Court 15 Mar 1886 San Antonio
- Ferdinand Wilke 25 Jan 1888 San Antonio
- Elsie M Court 8 Apr 1896 San Antonio (or McCourt)
- Annie E Pendery 22 Nov 1899 San Antonio
View the list and history of Nevada Post Offices and Nye County, Nevada Postmasters.
Newspaper
None
Learn more about Nevada Newspapers
The Population of San Antone Nevada
Unknown at this time.
Elevation
- San Antone Mining District – 6,582′
- San Antonio – 5,404′
Location
From Tingley:
Located in a low range of mountains that lie across the south end of Smoky Valley. The original district name was San Antonio; San Antone was derived from the name of a stage station to the north. San Antone includes the camps of Liberty, on the west side of range, and Cimmaron, at the north end of range. The western section of the original district is now the separate Royston district.
From USGS:
30 miles southwest of Belmont, 0.6 miles east of San Antonio Ranch
GPS Coordinates
San Antonio Ranch – 38° 27′ 39.76″ N, 117° 17′ 37.32″ W
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Photos and Videos
References Used
Click here to view our list of History of the Southwest – Books and Online Resources to learn more about our amazing area!
- Tingley, Joseph V., Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Report 47 – Mining Districts of Nevada, page 198
- Lincoln, Francis Church, Mining Districts and Mineral Resources of Nevada, page 182
- Paher, Stanley (1970), Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps, Howell-North Books
- United States Geological Survey – San Antonio
- Newspapers.com
- NBMG Digital Library
San Antone Nevada