Gold Point (Hornsilver)

From Lime Point to Hornsilver to Gold Point

Gold Point is in Esmeralda County, southwest of Goldfield, near the Nevada and California border. The place has had several names. Nevada State Historical Marker No. 156 says it was first called Lime Point, for nearby lime deposits found in 1868. KOLO-TV instead says it was founded as Lime Point in 1867. The marker adds that processing difficulties discouraged silver mining in the 1880s, and that ore discoveries at Goldfield in 1902 stimulated new interest in the area.

In 1908, according to the marker, miners found high-grade chlorargyrite, a silver chloride known as “hornsilver,” and the town took the name Hornsilver. The marker says a typical mining camp developed, with a newspaper, post office, stores and saloons, and a town of more than 225 wood-frame buildings, tents and shacks. A Las Vegas Review-Journal piece puts about 1,000 people in Hornsilver by 1908, with 13 saloons in the business district. It says ore had to be hauled 15 miles to the nearest siding at Ralston, that residents pushed for a railroad spur, and that the effort failed. Claim jumping, court cases, inefficient mining and transportation problems slowed growth, and the population began to shrink.

The sources differ on when the name changed. The marker says the camp became Gold Point after 1930, when more gold was being mined than silver. The Review-Journal dates the change to 1927, after gold deposits were found. KOLO-TV says the town was renamed between 1928 and 1932. Travel Nevada says it was called Hornsilver until 1932.

The end of major mining

The marker says miners were drawn away to essential wartime industries in October 1942, and major mining ceased. The Review-Journal says the government shut down gold mining as a nonessential industry in 1941, and that a major cave-in in the 1960s closed most of the remaining production. Travel Nevada also says the government ordered gold mines closed as nonessential. The Review-Journal says Ora Mae Wiley served as postmistress from 1940 to 1967, while Travel Nevada gives 1940 to 1964. The Review-Journal says she protected the town from theft and vandalism. KOLO-TV quotes Walt Kremin, one of two men who own most of the town, as saying about $3.5 million worth of gold was found there.

What remains

The Review-Journal says about 50 weathered wooden structures remain, and that skeletal head frames mark former mine sites on the town’s outskirts. Travel Nevada says the original main street still stands and is well preserved, and describes an Old West saloon with a 1909 Brunswick pool table. Travel Nevada says Herb Robbins and Walt Kremin own most of the town’s buildings and restored the interiors while keeping the weathered exteriors. KOLO-TV says Robbins hit a $223,000 jackpot at the Texas Station in 1998, that an old saloon was renovated with that money, and that he used much of it for upkeep on the town.

Visiting today

Most of the town is privately owned. KOLO-TV reported in 2019 that six people lived in the town proper, so treat buildings as private and occupied unless the owners say otherwise. The Review-Journal gives the route from US 95 as State Route 266 west for about seven miles, then State Route 774 southwest for about seven miles. Travel Nevada gives about 7.2 and 7.4 miles for the same two legs. Travel Nevada lists a bed and breakfast in an original miner cabin. The Review-Journal article lists a phone number and the owners’ website, goldpointghosttown.com. Because the article is older, check with the owners before going about hours, events and lodging, and check road conditions before you drive. Leave mine sites and artifacts where they are, and stay clear of head frames and any open workings.