Belmont

A silver camp that became the county seat

Belmont is in Nye County, about 45 miles northeast of Tonopah according to a state facilities report. Nevada Magazine says silver, copper and other metals were discovered here in 1865, which started a rush. The Nevada Mining Association also dates the founding to 1865.

Sources disagree on how large the town became. The Nevada Mining Association says estimates of the peak population run from 2,000 to 15,000 and that the exact figure is hard to determine. Nevada Magazine says only that the population was growing into the thousands by 1876. The mining association adds that the town had six working mills at its peak and produced $15 million in ore over its life.

The date Belmont became the county seat is also unsettled. Nevada Magazine says the seat moved to Belmont in 1867, after Ione held it first. The mining association says Belmont became the seat in 1876. A caption on the 1972 National Register photo forms gives the courthouse years as 1867 to 1905.

The courthouse

Nevada Magazine reports that a $3,400 state grant in 1875, followed by bonds and other funds, paid for the courthouse. Carson City architect J.K. Winchell designed it in an early Italianate style. It is red brick on a stone foundation, with two floors, 12 large rooms and a cupola. I.T. Benham of Reno was awarded the building contract, and the grand opening was on July 4, 1876.

Ore began to play out around 1887, according to Nevada Magazine, and several mines closed. By 1900 fewer than 100 voters were registered. The Tonopah discoveries made that town the new center, and the last court case in Belmont was held in 1905, when the county seat moved. The mining association says most buildings were stripped of their timber roofs, which were reused elsewhere, leaving mainly brick walls.

The empty courthouse was damaged by vandals, weather and seismic activity. Travel Nevada says visitors’ signatures cover the interior walls, some dating to the 1920s. Nevada Magazine says Charles Manson and his followers are believed to have visited, and notes a first-floor door frame inscribed “Charlie Manson + family 1969.” The mining association says the visit has never been officially confirmed.

Ownership and preservation

Belmont was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 13, 1972, according to Nevada Magazine, and the date matches the stamp on the National Register photo forms. Nye County deeded the courthouse to the Nevada Division of State Parks in 1974. Nevada Magazine says the state spent more than $500,000 on repairs, including a seismic retrofit. Budget cuts led the state to transfer the park back to Nye County in 2012. The nonprofit Friends of the Belmont Courthouse now maintains it with the county.

The 1972 photo forms also record the Cosmopolitan Saloon, a two-story frame building, the site of the Monitor-Belmont Mill, and the ruins of the Highbridge Mill.

Visiting today

Travel Nevada says there is no cost to tour the courthouse, though donations are strongly encouraged. It says the Friends give tours to the public by appointment and lists no regular hours. Contact the Friends of the Belmont Courthouse for current times. The two Travel Nevada pages list different phone numbers, so confirm before calling. Check with Nye County or the Friends before you go.

Travel Nevada notes that most buildings in town are severely dilapidated, and a 1972 photo form describes one stone structure as inhabited. Travel Nevada says Dirty Dick’s Belmont Saloon still operates. Nevada Magazine reports that there are no gas stations or convenience stores, and that the free campground about a mile south of town has no water or electricity. Stay out of unstable structures and respect occupied property. Leave all artifacts and building material where they are.