Lucky Jim Camp facts for kids
Lucky Jim Camp, also known as Lucky Camp, was once a mining settlement in Clark County, Nevada. It started way back in 1862, when this area was part of the New Mexico Territory.
This old camp was located in El Dorado Canyon, which was a busy mining area called the Colorado Mining District in the 1860s. You would find it on the north side of the canyon, just south of the Techatticup Mine. It sat at an elevation of 2,444 feet, right above where January Wash meets El Dorado Canyon.
What Was Lucky Jim Camp?
Lucky Jim Camp was a place where miners lived and worked. It was a temporary settlement that grew around the search for valuable minerals. Many mining camps like this popped up quickly when gold or silver was discovered, and then often disappeared just as fast when the mines ran out.
History of Lucky Jim Camp
It's a mystery how Lucky Jim Camp got its name! No one knows for sure why it was called "Lucky Jim."
During the American Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865, the miners at Lucky Jim Camp had strong feelings. They supported the Confederate side in the war. Interestingly, just a mile up the canyon, there was another camp called Buster Falls. The miners there supported the Union side. It must have been quite a time with two camps so close, each with different loyalties!
Later, in late 1863, a new town called El Dorado City was built not far from Lucky Jim Camp. El Dorado City had a special machine called a stamp mill, which was used to crush rocks and get the valuable minerals out. It's possible that El Dorado City became more important than Lucky Jim Camp, especially after the Civil War ended and the mines in the area became less active for a while.
What Remains Today?
If you look at satellite pictures of where Lucky Jim Camp used to be, you won't see much. The site looks empty, with no signs of the old buildings or ruins that once stood there. It's truly a ghost town site, meaning almost nothing is left of the original settlement.
