Marietta, Nevada facts for kids

Marietta, Nevada, was once a small town in Mineral County, Nevada. Today, it is a ghost town, meaning it's mostly abandoned with only ruins left.

Marietta was important for mining a mineral called borax and also salt. These minerals were used in different industries.

History of Marietta

The story of Marietta began with a famous prospector named F.M. "Borax" Smith. He found a lot of borax in a place nearby called Teel's Marsh. This discovery helped him start his successful borax business.

Before Smith arrived, people had already been mining salt in the area. This salt was used to process ore (rock with valuable minerals) from other mining towns like Virginia City, Aurora, NV, and Bodie, CA. There's a story that camels were used to carry the salt to Virginia City, but most salt was actually moved by teams of mules.

F.M. Smith started seriously collecting and processing borax and salt from Teel's Marsh in 1872.

Marietta Becomes a Town

Marietta officially became a town in 1877. Soon, hundreds of people lived there. Many workers, including Chinese people, helped with the mining and processing.

The town grew quickly and had many businesses. There were 13 saloons, a post office, and several stores, including one owned by 'Borax' Smith himself. Many buildings were made of stone and adobe.

Marietta was a challenging place to live. Because it was so isolated, it faced difficulties. For example, stagecoaches traveling to and from Marietta were sometimes robbed. In one year, stagecoaches were reportedly robbed 30 times.

Mining Success and Decline

Even with the challenges, mining borax and salt was very profitable. Some gold and silver were also mined nearby. Marietta continued to thrive for about 20 years.

However, in the 1890s, the demand for borax and salt grew in southern California. F.M. Smith found much larger borax deposits in the Death Valley, California area. Once he set up his new operations there, he closed his business in Marietta.

Without this main source of income, Marietta quickly became a ghost town. Most people had left by the early 1900s.

Later Activities in Marietta

Marietta saw a brief return of activity in the 1930s when people mined silver and gold nearby. But this didn't last long.

Later, in the 1950s and 60s, small amounts of uranium ore were found. However, there wasn't enough for large-scale mining.

In the last 20 years, companies have explored the area for minerals. Some newer industrial buildings in Marietta are from this activity. A few people still live there as caretakers. One company, The Great Western Mining Corporation, explores for gold, silver, and uranium nearby.

If you visit Marietta, be careful not to go onto private property while exploring the old ruins.

Wild Burro Range

Since 1991, the area around Marietta has been a federally managed Wild Burro Range. This range, which covers about 68,000 acres (275 square kilometers), is home to about 85 wild burros. You can often see small groups of these burros roaming among the old ruins of Marietta.

Location of Marietta

Marietta is located at 38°14′36″N 118°20′19″W. It sits at an elevation of 4,947 feet (1,508 meters) above sea level.