Sutro, Nevada facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sutro, Nevada
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 Sutro, Nevada
Location in Nevada
Sutro, Nevada
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Nevada |
| County | Lyon |
| Elevation | 4,478 ft (1,365 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
| GNIS feature ID | 856145 |
Sutro, Nevada is a ghost town located in Lyon County, Nevada. It is found near the famous Sutro Tunnel. A ghost town is a place where most people have left, leaving behind empty buildings.
The Story of Sutro
Sutro was started by a man named Adolph Sutro. He was an immigrant from Prussia, which is now part of Germany. Adolph came to the United States in 1850.
While in San Francisco, he heard exciting news about a gold rush. This gold rush was happening in Washoe County, Nevada. He decided to go explore the area around the Comstock Lode. This was a very rich mining area.
Adolph built mills and ovens to help get gold and silver from the ore. Ore is rock that contains valuable metals.
Building the Sutro Tunnel
In 1860, Adolph Sutro had a big idea. He dreamed of building a huge tunnel. This tunnel would help drain water and bring fresh air to the mines at the Comstock Lode.
A terrible fire happened on April 7, 1869. Forty-five miners died because they couldn't breathe. This sad event showed how important Adolph's tunnel idea was.
Construction on the tunnel began soon after, on October 19, 1869. The main part of the tunnel was finished in 1878.
Life in Sutro Town
While the tunnel was being built, the town of Sutro grew. It was a "company town," meaning it was built for the workers. The town was located at the lower end of the tunnel.
At one point, Sutro was home to 600 to 800 people! It had many things a town needs. There was a church for people to worship. A weekly newspaper kept everyone updated on local news. The town even had its own post office. The post office was open from March 1872 until October 1920.
Sutro is so important that it has a special sign. It is Nevada Historical Marker number 85.
Preserving History
Today, a group called "Friends of Sutro Tunnel" is working hard. They want to save this important part of Nevada's mining past. Their goal is to fix up the Sutro Tunnel Site.
They want to keep the site's history safe. They also want to make it safe for visitors to explore. The first part of their project is happening now. They are cleaning up the site and protecting the old buildings. This stops them from falling apart even more.
