Wilsons Nevada
Wilsons Nevada Overview
Wilson started out as a post office town and several years later became a mining district in Nye County, Nevada.
Also known as Old Wilson, Wilsons Camp, and Trappmans. For now, we are going to treat Wilsons and Trappman as two separate districts.
Learn more about Ghost Town in Nevada and Ghost Towns in the Southwest.
Year Established/Founded
May 1904
Wilsons Nevada History
Searching old newspapers I cannot find any reference to Wilson’s or Wilson’s Camp. The references I can find are near Carson City and nowhere Nye County but we will continue to comb through documents to see what we can find.
What I can find is that Issac Judson Wilson and his family settled in the area from Eureka County and he was known as a wealthy man. After a year of the post office being opened, it closed and didn’t become reestablished.
Later, in May 1904, ore was discovered and a mining camp was formed.
Timeline
- 18 Jul 1898 – The post office was established as Wilson
- August 31, 1899 – The post office closed
- May 1904 – Ore was discovered and the camp of Wilsons was established
Mines
Gold and silver
Geology: Tertiary rhyolite country rock is cut by quartz veins containing silver and gold with trace amounts of copper. Assays of $110 to $180 per ton in gold and silver have been reported.
Development: The workings include a 425-foot adit and a 300-foot shaft with 40 feet of laterals on. the 100-foot level, 175 feet on the 200-foot level, and 350 feet on the 300-foot level.
Railroads
Unknown at this time.
Post Office
The post office in Wilson, Nevada was open from July 18, 1898 – August 31, 1899, and below are the postmasters that we are aware of.
- Isaac Judson Wilson 18 Jul 1898 Wilson
View the list and history of Nevada Post Offices.
Newspaper
None
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The Population of Wilsons Nevada
Unknown at this time.
Elevation
6,723′
Location
One reference states that the district is located at the north end of the Trappman Hills and the USGS indicates that the location is at the current day Monitor Ranch and another reference indicates it is part of the Nellis Bombing and Gunnery Range.
Ball (1906, 1907) described two separate districts in the Trappman Hills -Trappmans Camp in the central part and Wilsons Camp on the north end of the hills.
Hill (1912) combined both areas into a large Trappmans district.
Kral (1951) and Cornwall (1972) also combined both areas into one district but used the name Wilsons for the area.
The Geological Reconnaissance of the Southwest states:
Three mining camps are situated in Pahute Mesa – Trappmans Camp, Wilsons Camp, and Gold Crater.
- Trappmans Camp lies 34 miles southeast of Goldfield. The veins were discovered by Hermann Trappman and John Gabbard in June 1904, and at the time of the writer’s visit a year later five men were opening up the veins, the chief development being a shaft 50 feet deep.
- Wilsons Camp is 2 miles north of Trappmans Camp and was discovered in May 1904.
- The mining camp of Gold Crater is situated 10 miles east of the summit of Stonewall Mountain.
GPS Coordinates
39° 9′ 15.75″ N, 116° 41′ 38.28″ W
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Photos and Videos
None at this time.
References Used
- Tingley, Joseph V., Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Report 47 – Mining Districts of Nevada, page 253
- United States Geological Survey – Wilson Nevada