Dun Glen, Nevada facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dun Glen (Chafey)
Ghost Town
Dun Glen (Chafey) Location in Nevada
Country	United States
State	Nevada
County	Pershing

Dun Glen (later called Chafey) is a ghost town in Pershing County, Nevada, United States. It is about 9 miles northeast of Mill City. A ghost town is a place where people once lived and worked, but now it is mostly empty.

Dun Glen was started in 1862 after silver was found there. This mining camp quickly grew into one of the biggest towns in northern Nevada. But by 1880, the mining slowed down, and the town became empty.

In 1908, more silver was discovered nearby. People came back to the area, and the settlement was renamed Chafey. However, when mining stopped again in 1913, Chafey also became a ghost town.

Dun Glen: A Mining Town's Beginning

Dun Glen began in 1862 when people found silver in the ground. The town was named after Angus Dun, one of the first people to settle there. By 1863, this mining camp had grown into an important business center. About 250 people lived there, making it the second-largest business area in northern Nevada.

At first, people spelled the name in different ways, like Dunn Glen or Dunglen. But the official post office, which opened on July 18, 1865, was called Dun Glen. This post office stayed open until April 7, 1894.

Protecting the Miners

In 1863, the Sierra Mining district was created about 10 miles northeast of Mill City. Dun Glen became the main town for this district. Between 1863 and 1866, a small army group was stationed at Camp Dun Glen. This was done to protect the miners from Native American tribes during the early part of the Snake War.

Dun Glen was one of the largest towns in northern Nevada during the 1860s. By the 1870s, it had three stamping mills. These mills used heavy machines to crush rocks and get out the valuable metals.

Decline of Dun Glen

By 1880, the amount of mining had gone down a lot. The town's population also dropped to only 50 people. The few people left mostly worked in cattle ranching nearby.

Between 1880 and 1890, Chinese miners tried to find gold in the area. They used a method called "drift mining" in the gold-rich gravels. But they did not have much success because of the high water level in the ground. By 1894, Dun Glen was almost completely empty.

Chafey: A New Silver Boom

In 1908, silver was discovered again in the area. This led to the creation of a new, larger town called Chafey. About 1,000 people moved there, making it even bigger than Dun Glen had been.

Chafey was named after E. S. Chafey, who owned the Chafey Mine. The Chafey post office opened on August 4, 1908. It stayed open until March 4, 1911, when its name was changed back to Dun Glen.

On April 15, 1913, the post office closed for good. Mail service was then moved to Mill City. This happened because mining operations stopped completely. Once again, the population left, and the town became empty.

What's Left Today

Today, not much is left of the old towns of Dun Glen and Chafey. You can still see some old stone foundations of buildings. There are also foundations from the old mills that crushed the ore. These ruins are a reminder of the towns that once thrived there.

Images for kids

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  Dun Glen, Nevada, around 1880.

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  The town of Chafey, 1908.