Potosi, Nevada facts for kids
Potosi, also known as Potosi Camp, was once a mining town in Clark County, Nevada. In the 1870s, it was even called Crystal City! Today, it's a ghost town, meaning it's mostly abandoned. Potosi is located high up, at about 5,705 feet (1,739 meters) above sea level.
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A Look Back: Potosi's Mining Story
Potosi is home to what might be Nevada's oldest "lode mine." A lode mine digs into veins of valuable minerals found in rock. People first found lead here in 1847. But it wasn't until 1856 that Mormon miners from Las Vegas Springs started digging for lead.
They stopped mining in 1857. This was after they had dug up about 9,000 pounds of lead. It was too hard to "smelt" the ore, which means melting it to get the pure metal out.
Silver Mining Begins
The mine stayed quiet until 1861. Then, a group called the Colorado Mining Company started mining silver at Potosi. They built a big smelter near Potosi Spring. This helped them process the silver ore.
Potosi became a busy mining camp. About 100 people lived there during this time. But silver mining stopped in 1863.
Zinc Mining and the Railroad
Years later, in 1905, something important happened. The Salt Lake and San Pedro Railroad was built through Clark County. This made it much easier to transport minerals.
Because of the railroad, mining for zinc became possible at Potosi. From 1906 to 1928, zinc was a main product from the Potosi Mine.
Potosi Today
If you visit the site of Potosi today, you won't see many old buildings or ruins. It looks like an empty, quiet place. This is common for many ghost towns that were once busy mining camps.
