A Generation of Boom and Bust

Goldfield came to be, and nearly vanished back into the sagebrush of the desert, an almost a decade. From its humble beginnings in 1902 of only three small mining claims, also known as grubstakes, the town exploded and was the largest city in the state by 1907.

The biggest spike in population came between the spring of 1905 and the fall of 1906 when the population rose from 8,000 to 15,000. By 1907, Goldfield was home to 20,000 and spanned more than 50 city blocks.

The original tent camp, name Gran Pah, disappeared and was replaced with 49 saloons, 27 restaurants, 15 barbershops, 6 bakeries, 54 assayers, 84 attorneys, 162 brokers, 14 cigar stores, 21 grocers, 22 hotels, 17 laundries, 40 doctors, 2 undertakers, 4 schools, 3 railroads, 2 daily and 3 weekly newspapers.

More than $90 million in gold was produces here from 1901 through 1940, or about $2 billion at today's prices.

By 1910, mining production was declining and many property owners were dismantling their buildings and moving on or leaving the structures to the ravages of the desert. The city of 20,000 was no more, and a thriving community of about 5,000 remained. By 1920, the 5,000 dwindled to 1,500.

Bad things come in threes and so it was with Goldfield - production fell, and a flood struck the town in 1913. In 1923,



a fire, caused by a bootlegger's exploding still, leveled 25 blocks. Goldfield couldn't bounce back, but it didn't completely disappear either. Today's population is hardly 270 residents.

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Show me all markers in:  Goldfield, NV  |  Esmeralda County  |  89013  |  Nevada  |  United States of America

Where's Gran Pah?
Goldfield's Railroads
West Side Elementary School
Southern Nevada Consolidated Telephone-Telegraph Company Building
California Beer Hall Warehouse
Goldfield Community Center
Gans Vs. Nelson
Goldfield
The Gables
Combination Mine Headframe

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