Ruby Hill, Nevada
Encyclopedia
Ruby Hill is now a ghost town
in Eureka County
, in the central part of the U.S. state
of Nevada
, approximately 2.6 mi (4.2 km) west of the town of Eureka, Nevada
. In 1910, the town was destroyed by a powerful storm that washed away the railroad and other buildings and left the town uninhabitable.
Ruby Hill was part of Eureka County. The county was created in 1873 from part of Lander County. It is situated in the middle of the state of Nevada, running north and south in a columnar area, extending "northward from Nye County to the Tuscaroara Mountains, to north of the Humboldt River." The county was actually formed to help the residents of the township of Eureka. Before the creation of Eureka County, the residents would have to travel to Lander County for any county business that they needed to perform. So, to make things convenient for the residents of Eureka, the new county was formed, and it was named after the town of Eureka. This in turn aided the residents of Ruby Hill.
Mining boomed in Ruby Hill around 1878, and in this year the population grew to its maximum of 2,500 residents. The majority of the 900 residents were miners and their respective families. The town was a bustling center with many stores, schools, churches, a theater, a miner’s union, a brewery, and a printing shop. In the printing shop, the first copies of the Mining Report were produced. It was later renamed the Mining News. By 1880, the population of Ruby Hill had already declined, and by 1885, only 700 residents remained. They stayed and continued to mine until the end of the century. Miners were able to lease land and to look for ore. Some of them were lucky enough to find a vein of ore that had been left untouched.
By the turn of the century, the population of the town was so small that only three businesses found it a viable place to exist. In 1910, disaster struck Ruby Hill when a powerful storm washed away the railroad and other buildings. As a result, many of the townspeople left. Of the buildings left standing, only one can lay claim to being established in the 19th century.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in Eureka County
Eureka County, Nevada
Eureka County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2000 census, the population was 1,651. Its county seat is Eureka.Eureka County is part of the Elko Micropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, in the central part of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, approximately 2.6 mi (4.2 km) west of the town of Eureka, Nevada
Eureka, Nevada
Eureka is an unincorporated township in and the county seat of Eureka County, Nevada, United States. Eureka is by far the largest community in Eureka County...
. In 1910, the town was destroyed by a powerful storm that washed away the railroad and other buildings and left the town uninhabitable.
History
In 1865, an Indian showed a piece of "mineral-bearing" rock to Owen Farell, M. G. Cough, and Alonzo Monroe. The men looked at the rock and immediately recognized that there might be more rocks just like that one. For ten dollars, they talked the Indian into showing them where he had found the rock. Upon payment, the Indian directed them to a spot about two and a half miles west of the township of Eureka, Nevada. On this site, the northwestern side of Prospect Mountain, the Buckeye and Champion mines were established. In the early 1870s, a mining town followed. The town took its name from the ruby silver that had been discovered there and became known as Ruby Hill. A post office was built and services commenced on September 23, 1873, until its closure on November 30, 1901. The town was serviced by the railroad and the route of the train was named after Ruby Hill. The train would take the ores produced at the mine to the smelters in Eureka.Ruby Hill was part of Eureka County. The county was created in 1873 from part of Lander County. It is situated in the middle of the state of Nevada, running north and south in a columnar area, extending "northward from Nye County to the Tuscaroara Mountains, to north of the Humboldt River." The county was actually formed to help the residents of the township of Eureka. Before the creation of Eureka County, the residents would have to travel to Lander County for any county business that they needed to perform. So, to make things convenient for the residents of Eureka, the new county was formed, and it was named after the town of Eureka. This in turn aided the residents of Ruby Hill.
Mining boomed in Ruby Hill around 1878, and in this year the population grew to its maximum of 2,500 residents. The majority of the 900 residents were miners and their respective families. The town was a bustling center with many stores, schools, churches, a theater, a miner’s union, a brewery, and a printing shop. In the printing shop, the first copies of the Mining Report were produced. It was later renamed the Mining News. By 1880, the population of Ruby Hill had already declined, and by 1885, only 700 residents remained. They stayed and continued to mine until the end of the century. Miners were able to lease land and to look for ore. Some of them were lucky enough to find a vein of ore that had been left untouched.
By the turn of the century, the population of the town was so small that only three businesses found it a viable place to exist. In 1910, disaster struck Ruby Hill when a powerful storm washed away the railroad and other buildings. As a result, many of the townspeople left. Of the buildings left standing, only one can lay claim to being established in the 19th century.
External links
- Ruby Hill GhostTowns.com
- New Town Ruby Hill Special Collections, University of Nevada, Reno Library
- Flash flood at Ruby Hill Special Collections, University of Nevada, Reno Library