Silver Peak

Silver Peak is one of the oldest mining camps in Nevada, founded by a well in 1864, a year after silver was struck nearby. It ran stamp mills, weathered lawless decades, fed the great Blair mill up the road, and kept losing and finding its purpose while flashier camps died outright. The reinvention that saved it lay underground in a different form: lithium, dissolved in the brine beneath Clayton Valley. Pumped and evaporated since 1967, it is still the only lithium-brine operation in the country—old silver, now battery metal.

What the plaque says

Discovered 1863 Silver Peak is one of the oldest mining areas in Nevada. A 10-stamp mill was built in 1865, and by 1867 a 20-stamp mill was built. Mining camp lawlessness prevailed during the late sixties, and over the next 38 years, Silver Peak had its ups and downs. In 1906, the Pittsburg Silver Peak Gold Mining Company bought a group of properties, constructed the Silver Peak Railroad and built a 100- stamp mill at Blair the following year. The town, at times, was one of the leading camps of Nevada, but by 1917 it had all but disappeared. The town burned in 1948, and little happened until the Foote Mineral Company began its extraction of lithium from under the floor of Clayton Valley. State Historical Marker No. 155 Nevada State Park System by: Harold C. Henderson

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Columbus — 13 mi
• Blair — 18 mi
• Candelaria and Metallic City — 18 mi
• Millers — 19 mi