Tuscarora Nevada
Tuscarora Nevada Overview
Mines that made up the Tuscarora Mining District experienced their boom between 1872 and 1884.
The population reached over 3,000, including several hundred Chinese.
Tuscarora residents shifted their work between mining gold and silver and ranching in Independence Valley.
Category
- Chinese
- Mining
- Ranching/Farming
Marker Type
Blue marker
Nevada Historical Marker Number
Tuscarora Nevada is Nevada Historical Marker #48.
Click here to view the full list of Nevada State Historical Markers.
County
GPS Coordinates
41.281007, -116.113917
Nevada Historical Marker Transcription
This colorful historic camp originated with an 1867 discovery of placer gold by John and Steve Beard. In 1871, W.O. Weed discovered the rich Mount Blitzen silver lodes, two miles northeast of the Beard claims. These and other mines made up the Tuscarora Mining District, which experienced its boom between 1872 and 1884 and ultimately produced between $10 million and $40 million.
At its peak, Tuscarora boasted a population of over 3,000, which included several hundred Chinese. The Chinese mostly conducted placer mining at the Beard discovery site, later called Old Town while the main camp developed at the present location of Tuscarora, platted in 1871. Toll roads, crowded with stage coaches and long strings of heavy freight wagons, serviced the camp from railheads at Elko, Carlin, Battle Mountain and Winnemucca. Tuscarora residents shifted their work between mining gold and silver, and ranching in Independence Valley.
By 1895, Tuscarora’s production had diminished greatly from its boom days to below $50,000 annually. The camp struggled until 1917, when most of the mining equipment was sold for scrap. This ended operations at Tuscarora until 1987, when Fischer-Watt and Horizon re-opened the Dexter Mine.
STATE HISTORICAL MARKER No. 48
STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE
NORTHEASTERN NEVADA HISTORICAL SOCIETY