Gold Point, Nevada facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gold Point, Nevada
Ghost town
Gold Point Historical Marker
Gold Point, Nevada Location in Nevada Show map of Nevada Gold Point, Nevada Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Nevada
County	Esmeralda
Settled	1868
Population  (2010)
• Total	7
• Estimate  (2018)	7
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)

Gold Point, Nevada is a ghost town in Esmeralda County, Nevada. A ghost town is a place where most people have left. This community got its name from the gold mining that happened there. Gold Point is at the very end of Nevada State Route 774. Today, only about seven people live there.

History of Gold Point

The area around Gold Point was first settled in the 1880s. Ranchers and a few miners came to live there. A small camp called Lime Point started nearby. It was named after a type of rock called limestone.

Silver and Gold Discoveries

In the early 1900s, new gold and silver were found. This led to big mining towns like Tonopah and Goldfield, Nevada. Many prospectors came back to Lime Point. In 1902, silver was found there. The old camp was then called Hornsilver. This is another name for a silver mineral.

It was hard to find water in the area. Miners had to send the silver ore to a town called Lida to be processed. This was very expensive. The nearest big supply town was far away. Because of high costs, the settlement was left empty within a year.

In 1905, a company called Great Western Mine started working. They found a lot of silver. This brought many miners back to the camp. Besides silver, they also found small amounts of gold. By 1908, the tent homes became wooden buildings. The camp grew into a town.

Town Life and Challenges

In May 1908, a newspaper called the Hornsilver Herald began. A post office opened the next week. People started a business group. Many businesses opened, including 13 saloons. The town wanted a railroad, but it never happened. The closest train station was 15 miles away.

As more ore was found deep underground, the town grew. Its population reached about 1,000 people. There were over 225 wooden buildings, tents, and shacks.

The town's first leaders did not find the long-lasting boom they hoped for. This mining success also ended quickly. In 1909, many lawsuits stopped mining. These problems, plus high costs, stopped the town's growth. Most businesses closed, and people moved away again.

Gold Point's Revival

Hornsilver was not completely empty yet. Mining started again in 1915. In 1922, Charles Stoneham bought the Great Western mine. He owned the New York Giants baseball team.

In 1927, a miner named J.W. Dunfee found something even better: gold. Within a few years, more gold was mined than silver. The town's name was changed to Gold Point. This was Gold Point's most successful time. This happened when the rest of America was in a tough economic period.

When World War II started, the government closed all gold mines. They were not seen as important for the war. Mining in Gold Point stopped. Most residents left or went to war.

After the war, mining started again, but on a smaller scale. It continued until the 1960s. A dynamite blast caused a cave-in at the Dunfee Shaft. Fixing it would cost too much money. So, the mine closed for good. This was the last major mining in Gold Point.

Gold Point Today

Today, Gold Point is like a living history lesson. About 50 buildings are still standing. These include the home of former Senator Harry Wiley. The old post office is now a museum. The Post Office Museum is open on most weekends.

Every year, there is a Chili Cook-Off on Memorial Day Weekend. There are prizes, food, games, and live music. For a few days, the town's population grows to 400 people. But usually, only seven people live there.

Gold Point is home to the High Desert Drifters Western Historical Society. This club performs old Western shows. They even have gunfights in the town square. You can visit Gold Point all year round. There are places for RVs to park and get electricity.

Nearby, you can find beautiful nature spots. There are waterfalls and watering holes. Wild horses and burros often visit these spots. You can also see ancient Indian rock carvings. There are fossils and petrified wood. From a place called Big Molly, you can see Death Valley National Park.

Population Data

Images for kids

• 

  An abandoned building and car in Gold Point, October 2009

• 

  Buildings in the center of Gold Point in 2009

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  Town buildings showing how isolated Gold Point is

Neighboring Cities and Towns

• Goldfield
• Dyer
• Silver Peak

See also

In Spanish: Gold Point (Nevada) para niños