MARGO BARTLETT PESEK MORE COLUMNS

Sunday, May 05, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

TRIP OF THE WEEK: Margo Bartlett Pesek

Gold Point a one-phone town with a boom-and-bust past

Tiny Gold Point lures ghost town buffs and lovers of the Old West. A survivor of several mining booms, Gold Point provides glimpses of yesteryear. Visitors find several dozen intact buildings and remnants of the past organized as museum displays. The old post office now serves as a saloon, while one-room miners' shacks and a more modern residence house overnight guests.

Gold Point, sometimes found on maps or highway signs as Goldpoint, is off U.S. Highway 95 between Beatty and Goldfield, 183 miles from Las Vegas. Follow U.S. 95 north through Beatty to Lida Junction. Turn on state Highway 266. Drive seven miles to state Route 774, then eight miles to the old town scattered at the base of some desert foothills. Although the highways are paved, the streets of the old town remain the dusty tracks of old.

Discoveries of lime in 1868 first put the town on the map as Lime Point. The modest boom that followed soon fizzled because of difficulty in transportation of the product, a problem that would always dog the settlement. Silver discoveries in 1880 led to a couple years of promising production, again foiled by transport and milling problems.

The fabulous boom surrounding Tonopah and Goldfield in the early 1900s resulted in reawakened mining interest throughout Central Nevada. Discoveries nearby of rich deposits of horn silver in 1908 created a rush to Lime Point, promptly renamed Hornsilver. The town soon had 1,000 residents housed in 225 wood-frame buildings.

The town's newspaper, the Hornsilver Herald, trumpeted hopes of a prosperous future. The town boasted at least a dozen saloons, several stores and a post office. Transportation still created problems, but regular auto coaches served travelers from the nearest railroad depot. Freight wagons carried goods and ore between Hornsilver and the siding at Ralston, about 15 miles away near present-day U.S. 95.

Litigation and inefficient milling cut into mine profits, slowing production for several years. Large-scale mining resumed in 1915 and an infusion of capital in 1922 aided the industry, particularly the Great Western Mine, the area's biggest producer. The town's name changed to Gold Point in the 1930s when mines produced more gold than silver. The town all but shut down completely in 1942 when miners left to go to war or to work in essential industries. A short-lived revival of gold mining occurred in the 1960s.

Gold Point survived when other boomtowns disappeared because a few residents hung on, protecting the town from vandals and souvenir hunters. Ora Mae Wiley, one of Gold Point's stalwarts, served as postmistress from 1940 until 1967. Her husband held sway in county and state politics for many years.

Today, fewer than 30 residents call Gold Point their permanent home. One resident, Herb Robbins, takes the future of his adopted hometown very seriously. Robbins, self-appointed mayor of Gold Point, often dresses the part of an Old West sheriff when welcoming visitors. During the past few years, Robbins acquired various parcels until he now owns about half the town. He spearheads efforts to re-create Gold Point as a tourist destination.

Robbins and others annually organize special events to attract visitors. Gold Point pulls out all stops for an old-fashioned Fourth of July celebration. This year Robbins promotes the first annual Gold Point Chili Cook-off, slated for Memorial Day weekend, May 24-27.

Call Robbins for details at (775) 482-4653, the only phone in town. Find out more about the town by visiting its lively Web site at www.goldpointghosttown.com.

Those who plan to stay overnight at Gold Point may stay in the town's bed-and-breakfast accommodations or camp out. Those choosing to camp must plan to bring everything as the town has no services or stores. A small RV parking fee may apply. Take care not to violate property rights of owners when parking.

Bed-and-breakfast facilities appear modern and clean, but not fancy. Meals, priced extra for lunch and dinner, are served family-style in the main house. Rooms start at $79 for one or two people, including breakfast. Reserve rooms well in advance by phone or on the Web site.

Margo Bartlett Pesek's Trip of the Week column appears Sundays.