slgwv's photos with the keyword: town site

Old and New (II)

12 Nov 2014 236
Looking at a pond associated with the modern gold-mining operation while standing on the ruins of the old mill. I suspect, given the plastic lining, that this pond receives the so-called "pregnant" (i.e., gold-bearing) solution from the heap leach, but it's called a "tailings" pond on the USGS topo map. Aurora, Mineral County, Nevada, USA. For a description of the camp see adjacent photo.

Weathering concrete

12 Nov 2014 251
Foundation of old Magnum mill, just east of Aurora, Nevada. It dates to ca. 1912. There've been a few freeze-thaw cycles over the last century or so! Aurora, Mineral County, Nevada, USA. For a description of the camp see adjacent photo.

Old and New

12 Nov 2014 222
Looking east toward the new heap-leach gold-mining operation from the site of the old Magnum mill just outside Aurora. Note the broken, weathered lumber in the foreground. Aurora, Mineral County, Nevada, USA. For a description of the camp see adjacent photo.

Mill ruin

12 Nov 2014 251
Foundation of old Magnum mill, just east of Aurora, Nevada. It dates to ca. 1912. Aurora, Mineral County, Nevada, USA. For a description of the camp see adjacent photo.

Stamp mill ruin

12 Nov 2014 1 247
Aurora, Mineral County, Nevada, USA. Note the wheel for turning the camshaft to lift the stamps in the foreground. See adjacent photo for a description of Aurora.

Aurora townsite

12 Nov 2014 189
Looking south. Not much left! Mineral County, Nevada, USA. Aurora was a gold-silver camp first active in the 1860s, and intermittently thereafter up to the 1930s or so. A major gold mine is operating a couple of miles east of the townsite even now. At the time the camp was founded, the position of the Nevada-California state line hadn't been surveyed, and since Aurora was thought to lie in California, it became the county seat of Mono County in 1861. Nevada territory also claimed the town, however, and later that year Aurora became the count seat of Esmeralda County in Nevada. (Mineral County, where Aurora now lies, was split off Esmeralda County later.) Finally a Federal survey in 1863 determined the town lies in Nevada. This seems to have been a unique historical case, that the same town was simultaneously the seat of two different counties in two different states. Of course, during the time of the uncertain location Aurorans were happy to vote in both Nevada and California elections! Most of Aurora's buildings were torn down for used brick after WW II. Apparently they _were_ bought and paid for, but the loss of the history is still unfortunate. The buildings were largely constructed from locally fired bricks. This is why Aurora is so much more poorly preserved than Bodie, where construction was largely from wood. EDIT: I misremembered the tale relating to the placement of Aurora and the voting informalities! Fixed now--sorry about that.