Columbus
Esmeralda County, Esmeralda County, Nevada
Marker Inscription
Columbus. The remnants of Columbus are located on the edge of the Columbus salt marsh, five miles to the southwest.The town was initially settled in 1865, when a quartz mill was erected at the site. This was a favorable location for a mill, because it was the only spot for several miles around where water was in sufficient quantity for operation.The full importance of Columbus was not recognized until 1871, when William Troop discovered borax in the locality. Shortly thereafter, four borax companies were actively engaged in working the deposits on the marsh.Columbus probably enjoyed its most prosperous time in about 1875, when the population was reported to have reached 1,000. That year, the town had many kinds of business establishments, including a post office and a newspaper, The Borax Miner.In 1881, about 100 people were left after the borax operations had practically ceased. All mining and milling stopped entirely shortly after that time.
Erected by Nevada State Historic Preservation Office
The Story
Columbus took root on the edge of a salt marsh in 1865, when a quartz mill rose at the only spot for miles with water enough to run it. Its real fortune arrived in 1871, when William Troop discovered borax on the marsh and four companies rushed in to work the deposits. At its 1875 peak the town held around 1,000 people, a post office, and a newspaper aptly named The Borax Miner — but once the borax played out, Columbus faded, all but abandoned by the early 1880s.
Why it matters
Columbus was one of the West's early borax-mining centers, part of the mineral rush that built and then emptied countless Nevada towns.
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Related people
- · William Troop
Themes & tags
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