Midas, Nevada facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Midas, Nevada
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_in_Midas,_Nevada.jpg)
Main Street in Midas
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 Midas, Nevada
Location in Nevada
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| Country | United States |
| State | Nevada |
| County | Elko |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
Midas is a small community in Elko County, Nevada. It's called an unincorporated community because it doesn't have its own local government.
Over the years, the number of people living in Midas has changed a lot. It often appears on lists of ghost towns online. However, Midas has never been completely empty. You can still meet people there, especially at the Ghost Town Saloon, which is the only business left. Midas was once one of the biggest gold mining towns in Elko County during the 1900s, along with a town called Jarbidge.
Contents
The Story of Midas: A Gold Rush Town
The history of Midas began in June 1907. A man named James McDuffy found gold at the bottom of the Owyhee Bluffs in Elko County, Nevada. Because of this discovery, two towns quickly grew nearby: Gold Circle and Summit.
From Gold Circle to Midas
A post office opened in Gold Circle in 1907. It stayed open until 1942. By 1908, many people moved to Gold Circle to start mining for gold. The population grew to over 1,000 people by April of that year.
In 1909, the town of Summit closed down. The government then changed the name of Gold Circle to Midas. This new name was inspired by King Midas, a figure from Greek mythology.
Mining Challenges and Solutions
Even though there was a lot of gold in the area, miners faced a big problem. They didn't have enough stamp mills. These mills are machines that crush rocks to get the gold out. Because of this, miners could only send the very best gold ore to mills far away from Midas.
This problem caused many people to leave. By the end of 1909, only 250 residents remained. To fix this, several mining companies built six new stamp mills in Midas. Together, these mills could process 119 tonnes of gold.
A Second Gold Boom
With these new mills and more improvements in the years that followed, Midas experienced a second gold mining boom. This period of growth lasted from 1916 to 1921.
See also
In Spanish: Midas (Nevada) para niños
