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Tuscarora Nevada

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

Elko County, Nevada

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

References Used

Tuscarora Nevada