Tuscarora
Elko County, Elko County, Nevada
Marker Inscription
Tuscarora. This colorful historic camp originated with an 1867 discovery of placer gold by John and Steve Beard. In 1871, W.O. Weed discovered the rich Mount Blitzen silver lodes, two miles northeast of the Beard claims. These and other mines made up the Tuscarora Mining District, which experienced its boom between 1872 and 1884 and ultimately produced between $10 million and $40 million. At its peak, Tuscarora boasted a population of over 3,000, which included several hundred Chinese. The Chinese mostly conducted placer mining at the Beard discovery site, later called Old Town while the main camp developed at the present location of Tuscarora, platted in 1871. Toll roads, crowded with stage coaches and long strings of heavy freight wagons, serviced the camp from railheads at Elko, Carlin, Battle Mountain and Winnemucca. Tuscarora residents shifted their work between mining gold and silver, and ranching in Independence Valley.By 1895, Tuscarora’s production had diminished greatly from its boom days to below $50,000 annually. The camp struggled until 1917, when most of the mining equipment was sold for scrap. This ended operations at Tuscarora until 1987, when Fischer-Watt and Horizon re-opened the Dexter Mine.
Erected by Northeastern Nevada Historical Society
The Story
Tuscarora sprang to life in 1867 when John and Steve Beard found placer gold, then boomed after W.O. Weed struck the rich Mount Blitzen silver lodes in 1871. Through its heyday from 1872 to 1884 the district produced tens of millions of dollars and swelled to over 3,000 people, including several hundred Chinese who worked the older placer diggings. Freight wagons and stagecoaches crowded the toll roads linking it to distant railheads. Production dwindled after 1895, and the camp limped on until 1917, with a modern mine reopening in 1987.
Why it matters
Tuscarora captures the boom-and-bust rhythm of Nevada silver and the vital, often-overlooked role of Chinese laborers in building the mining West.
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Related people
- · John Beard
- · Steve Beard
- · W.O. Weed
Themes & tags
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