Gold Point

This camp changed its name with whatever it was pulling from the ground. It began as Lime Point in the 1860s for the limestone, became Hornsilver in 1908 when high-grade silver ore appeared, and turned into Gold Point around 1930 once gold outpaced the silver. Water was the constant problem—the nearest was a dozen miles off in Lida Valley. The New York Giants' owner bought its best mine in 1922; wartime orders shut the gold down in 1942. A few residents now keep it up, renting out restored cabins.

What the plaque says

Gold Point was initially called Lime Point for the nearby lime deposits found in 1868. Processing difficulties in the 1880s discouraged silver mining locally. Goldfield ore discoveries in 1902 stimulated area mining interest. In 1908 miners discovered high grade chlorargyrite, a form of silver chloride known as hornsilver. The town’s name was changed to Hornsilver, and a typical mining camp developed. A newspaper, post office, stores, and saloons began operations, and a town of over 225 wood-frame buildings, tents, and shacks appeared. The camp assumed the name Gold Point after 1930 when more gold was being mined than silver. Miners were drawn away to essential World War II industries in October 1942, and major mining ceased at Gold Point.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Goldfield — 19 mi
  Once the largest city in Nevada, now a few hundred souls — the purest boom-and-bust in the West, with a castle courthouse still in use, a grand hotel dark since the war, and a desert full of upended cars.

More markers nearby

• Lida — 12 mi
• Goldfield — 19 mi
• Southern Nevada Telephone – Telegraph Company Building — 19 mi
• Palmetto — 22 mi