Nevada is an important center of gold production in the U.S.
Gold mining has been a vital part of Nevada's economy since the 19th century. According to the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, the first recorded discovery was in 1849, when a group of Mormons found placer gold in a stream connected to the Carson River. Subsequently, gold was discovered and mined throughout Nevada, most notably in the regions surrounding Carlin, Goldfield, El Dorado and Poeville. As of 2010, Nevada produced around 80 percent of all gold mined in the United States, and new deposits continue to be found.
Carlin
Carlin, located in Eureka County, is the largest center for gold mining in Nevada. It is home to the Carlin Trend, a five-mile-by-40-mile area that yields more gold than any other mining region in the United States, according to the Ironwood Gold Corp. website. Small amounts of gold were discovered in Carlin during the 1870s, and placer gold deposits were found in 1907. However, it was only upon the 1961 discovery by the Newmont Mining Corporation of an extensive gold deposit that major mining operations began. New deposits are still being found in the Carlin Trend. For example, in 2005, Barrick Gold discovered the South Arturo deposit, which contains approximately 13 million ounces of gold.
Goldfield
Goldfield, in southern Nevada near the Columbia Mountains, was an important mining center during the gold boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. According to the University of Nevada's research on the "boomtown years" in southern Nevada, float gold was discovered near the base of the Columbia Mountains in 1902, and in 1904, the Goldfield mining camp was inundated with prospectors. Businesses and railroad stations opened, and by 1906, Goldfield was a thriving town with a population of 30,000. The Goldfield discovery made way for the economic development of southern and central Nevada. Due to a series of setbacks, including labor disputes, floods and fires, the Goldfield mines ceased operation in the 1920s.
El Dorado
There is a pervasive myth that Spanish explorers discovered gold in the El Dorado Canyon around 1775. As the University of Nevada at Las Vegas chronicles, however, the first recorded discovery of gold in El Dorado, located in Clark County, was in 1861, when trapper Johnny Moss found ore in the Opal Mountains. By 1862, the Southwest Mining Company and the El Dorado Mining Company were established in the area, and in 1863 the Techatticup Mine was opened. Other major mining centers in Clark County included the Keystone Gold Mine in Goodsprings, opened in 1892; and the town of Searchlight, in which gold was discovered by the Paiute Indians in 1870 and mined by American settlers beginning in the 1890s.
Poeville
Located near Reno, the town of Poeville was established in 1863 due to the discovery of large deposits of precious metals, including gold. Major area mines included the Golden Fleece Mine and the Massalond Ledge. The guide book "Nevada Trails Western Region" shows how the Poeville area was mining 13 veins of ore and shipping out extensive quantities of gold by 1868. Production peaked in 1873 and 1874, but by the end of the 19th century, the town of Poeville had ceased to exist.
Tags: 19th century, Carlin Trend, center gold, Clark County, Columbia Mountains, first recorded, first recorded discovery
