Belmont, Nevada ghost town------------>Belmont is said to be the queen of Nye County’s ghost towns. It all began in October of 1865 when an Indian discovered a rich deposit of silver in the Toquima Mountains. Toquima means “beautiful mountains.” By the beginning of 1866, a full-scale rush had begun. By 1867, Belmont is credited with having a population of 10,000 although 4,000 is a better estimate. The Belmont boom drained the population from many nearby towns including Ione, the county seat. It wasn’t long before Belmont became the new county seat. Construction began on a large two-story brick building that was to house the courthouse. It was completed in 1874. The post office opened in 1867. In 1868, there were over 100 businesses in town including hotels, restaurants, a National Bank, and many others including saloons. Belmont’s early years were very successful. Six mills operated in and around Belmont during its peak years. Newspapers were an important part of the town’s existence. There were three of them. Belmont was not always peaceful. There were a number of murders and even several lynchings. After a bit of a slow down from 1868 to 1873, Belmont received a big boost when a number of rich new deposits were found in several existing mines. But in 1878, signs began to appear that perhaps Belmont had seen its best days. Beginning in 1880, mining equipment began to move to newer locations and by 1885 only limited activity was taking place. And by 1889 many of Belmont’s businesses and most of its residents had left. The final concession of defeat came from the Belmont’s last surviving newspaper, the Belmont Currier, when it ceased publication on March 2, 1901. Belmont itself remains an incredible site.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Sep 2014 06:14:17 +0000
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