Why Nevada has so many ghost towns

We lost. Okay, so we should be close. We've been driving for about 4 hours. It's I mean, it's a ghost town that's not even labeled on here, so hopefully we're not too far off. Nevada is home to more than 600 ghost towns, which means that there are more ghost towns than even populated towns in this state. But finding them ain't easy, right? Trying to get some satellite connection. Oh, it ain't working. >> Unfortunately, there are a lot of places that were once mining towns, became ghost towns, and are now maybe a name on a map. >> What is a ghost town? I'm not even certain I know the answer to that question. On this journey, we're going to try and find some of these unmarked ghost towns and see what remains of the Wild West. But our final destination is more than just empty buildings. There are people like my husband and me. We live here full-time and this is our only home. So, what draws people to living in ghost towns and what can these towns tell us about the real Nevada? Now, before we get any further, I just want to mention that this video is presented by Travel Nevada. Nevada's ghost towns have long fascinated people, but I knew that there had to be more to the story than just abandoned buildings. So, when I learned that Nevada still produces over 70% of the gold in the US, I knew that the 1800's gold rush was more than just a fad. Mining has shaped Nevada. So, in this video, we're going to go see some real ghost towns, check out some of the technology that made all this gold possible, and also meet some of the people who are still living in these century old towns. So, if you're down for an adventure, keep watching. This is a state that's vast and buried, curiously uncommon, and wild at heart. It's also important to note that Travel Nevada didn't dictate the content of this story, but their support made our reporting and this adventure possible. And now back to the video. Our journey started in Reno. We knew that visiting these ghost towns would unlock some answers to how gold changed the state of Nevada, but we needed a local expert to point us in the right direction. So, we met up with Tammy Force, a ghost town historian who has been to hundreds of sites in Nevada. Um, and I've always loved exploring ghost towns. And kind of in my middle age, I decided my goal was to go to every ghost town in Nevada and the Eastern Sierra, and photograph them. >> How many have you been to at this point? >> Um, I think I'm in about 800 for Nevada and the Eastern Sierra. >> Tammy documents her travels on her website, Nevada Ghost Towns and Beyond. >> Why does Nevada have so many ghost towns? It's because mostly the mining industry, I would say um about 90% are directly related to mining. >> Since the 1800s, the hunt for gold has shaped the Wild West, including the state of Nevada. >> The first mining discoveries in Nevada were made by people who were traveling across Nevada to uh the California Gold Rush. This is Professor Eric Nistrom who studies the history of mining and technology at the University of Nevada Reno. >> And along the way, the people that were heading for gold in California, you know, you you've got the equipment and so why not just kind of try panning here and there? >> $20 million in gold. The magic cry of gold rush. I think Gold Canyon probably gets the credit for the first mining settlement in Nevada. But the the one that matters, the one that comes uh later is uh Virginia City and the and Gold Hill, Silver City. Those towns collectively known as the Commtock load. >> The mining developments at the Comtock Load were critical to the rapid population rise in the area. And so the comtock load was literally this enormous vein of of rich material uh coming out of the mountain side. >> This gold mine proved to be both rich and risky. Early mining in the comtock was a dangerous endeavor. >> Within the first year or two of underground mining at the commtock they started to experience major collapses in the mines because the rock itself was not strong enough. So the answer to that square set timbering. Square set timbering is like a set of Legos. What they did is they had little notches on the end so that all of these timbers would fit together and the cubes gave them robust strength that would enable you to hold up these chambers in the rock even as they grew to be really tremendous size. The timbers were generally about the the size that a person could stand in. What started here on the comtock square set timbering became across the American West the standard way of supporting roofs in underground mines. And so it's a story not only of invention but also of innovation. >> But almost as quickly as technology built up these mining towns, they also depleted them. Once the mines ran out of gold and silver, many of these towns were abandoned, becoming ghost towns. We went with Tammy to visit one of these ghost towns, Sutro, home to the Sutro Tunnel. This is the road at Fortune Drive. We're going to cut up and around so you can see Sutra up on the right hand side. When I decided to visit every ghost town, Sutra was one that I thought I would never make. >> Hi, howdy, >> Spencer. Thanks so much for having us out. >> Absolutely. It's our pleasure. Thank you. Super excited to check this out. Yes, >> like square set timbering, the infrastructure of the Sutro tunnels changed the mining industry in Nevada. This was because the deeper you dug into the earth, the hotter the water would get. The tunnel allowed the mines to get water in and out of the comtock load and also gave miners an alternative escape path in case of mining disasters. But once the comtock mines were depleted, places like Sutro also became ghost towns. Today, it's being revitalized to bring historical tourism into the area. After a visit to Sutro, Tammy sent us back on the road with a map of Nevada and some coordinates to an unmarked ghost town. >> One of my favorite ghost towns is Tunnel Camp. Tunnel Camp is a true ghost town. So, I think we finally found this ghost town. I believe it's up there. This is the one that Tammy had recommended we check out. And this is I mean you can't even find this on Google Maps. You just have to enter the coordinates. Despite the lack of phone service and a few wrong turns, we made it to the coordinates that Tammy gave us. You can see remnants of an ormill where gold and silver were likely processed. You can see some of the one-bedroom cabins and other abandoned buildings. The feeling was both eerie and serene. Hundreds of ghost towns like Tunnel Camp are scattered throughout the state. But there is still one more town we needed to see. A place that some might argue was never truly abandoned. As we made our way east, we found the ghost town of Midas, population 14. Here we met Dana Bennett, the president of the Friends of Midas, an organization founded by her father that is preserving the history of Midas. Midas shows up on maps as a ghost town. And on the one hand, that's that's not such a bad thing. It's kind of a fun designation to have. But on the other, there are people like my husband and me. We live here full-time, and this is our only home. I suppose we might share it with some ghosts. I don't know for sure. This is the main street the where the saloon is now would be right out of the shot here. So gold was discovered here in 1907 in June of07 and people showed up quickly and started building places. So this is a mine called miners gold that had uh been worked off and on over the years and it was revitalized in the late 50s. >> I love this photo of the miners because their expression >> right and I can't imagine what that was like on a daily basis. they would have used square set timbering which is kind of how this portal was built. >> Like so many of the ghost towns in Nevada, Midas came to life over a century ago thanks to mining technology, including large ormills that made mining more profitable for the town. We're standing on the the foundation of one of the buildings in the mill complex. Um there were various buildings where they were would crush the ore where they would process the ore in the cyanide tanks and and would produce power as well. So they produce their own power through the milling process and it would be enough to power people in town as well. That's where they would get their electricity. >> Oh wow. >> So if the mill wasn't operating, there was no electricity. >> So the the livelihood of this town was just dependent on whether or not the mill was in operation. >> Absolutely. Yeah. mining was was the reason for the existence of Midas from the beginning. During World War II, the federal government made a determination that it wanted to focus it wanted miners to focus on the production of industrial minerals um particularly tungsten and that sort of thing rather than gold. And uh an order was issued to close gold mines in the United States. Midas transitioned to becoming a destination for hunting, fishing, and camping. And for the 14 full-time residents in town, they've kept one business alive. There's always been a bar in Midas. Uh but it's the place where people gather. It's where you go to talk to your neighbors and hear the news. They are uh I think an important part of a community. Understanding how people lived in the place that you now live in is uh just makes the experience that much more rich. Getting to explore Nevada with folks like Dana, Tammy, and Eric, I've come to discover that ghost towns are more than just abandoned buildings. They're pieces of history that keep people connected to the ingenuity that built the Wild West.