September 28, 2015

Although Nevada is officially known as “the Silver State”, and probably would even not be a state if it weren’t for the discovery of silver in the 1800’s, Nevada also produced a substantial amount of gold. The entire state is littered with dozens of old ghost towns, remnants of the the great mining boom that transformed the Territory into the nation’s 36th state. One of those small, lesser known towns was Pine Grove.

Gold was discovered in the area 1866, and by the 1870’s the town had become a bustling community of over 600 people, five saloons, three hotels, a wells fargo agent, two doctor’s offices, and a barber shop. Pine Grove’s two principle mines, the Wilson Mine and the Wheeler mine, proved to be very profitable and by 1893 would produce over $8 million in gold bullion. The town would continue to be occupied until the early 1930’s.

Fortunately, Pine Grove is located only about 30 miles outside of Carson City. So, with a destination and a thirst for some history, I grabbed my camera and headed out into the west.

Here’s what the once quite profitable mining town looks like today: