Goldfield - Nevada Ghost Town

GOLDFIELD

NAME: Goldfield
COUNTY: Esmerelda
ROADS: 2WD
GRID: 7
CLIMATE: Mild Winter, hot summer.
BEST TIME TO VISIT: Anytime.

COMMENTS: Near Tonopah.
REMAINS: A few buildings.

Goldfield is dead. Except for the padlocks, the boarded -up windows, bars across the doors and other means of denying entry, Goldfield would look very much alive. To its credit, there are few mining towns, if any, that have such an array of original buildings in good repair. Founded in 1902, Goldfield boasted a population of 30,000 during its boom year of 1906 when it produced $11million in gold. The town probably has the longest bar in the history of mining towns. The bar, Tex Rickard's Northern, was so long it required 80 tenders to serve its customers. By 1912, ore production had dropped to $5 million. Those who recognized the signs began to leave and Goldfield eventually became what it is today-a ghost town. A drive south on highway 95 from Tonopah will take you to Goldfield-one of the must see towns. Submitted by Henry Chenoweth. Along Highway 95 in the eastern part of Esmeralda County is a town made famous by the Earp brothers, Wyatt and Virgil, following their famous gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. Wyatt was already in Goldfield and wrote Virgil, who was living in California at the time, to move to Goldfield where “money was following like wine.” Virgil arrived in Goldfield in the spring of 1904. Soon after arriving in Goldfield, he was hired as a deputy sheriff. Wyatt was working as a pit boss in Tex Rickard's gambling casino. On July 8, 19 05, Goldfield suffered its first major fire when a stove exploded in a millinery shop. The town was saved when the wind shifted but not before two blocks of business houses burned to the ground. Three months later, Virgil contracted pneumonia and died. Wyatt left Nevada shortly after Virgil's death and spent many years mining in the Whipple Mountains on the California side of the Colorado River. He died on January 13, 19 29 at the age of 80. Goldfield Courtesy Bill Yanneck Goldfield Courtesy Bill Yanneck Ruins Courtesy Dolores Steele Cemetery Courtesy Dolores Steele Goldfield Courtesy Dolores Steele Cemetery Courtesy Dolores Steele Cemetery Courtesy Dolores Steele Cemetery Courtesy Dolores Steele Cash register of the Goldfield Hotel, Goldfield, Nevada. On display at the Beatty, Nevada Museum. 1/1/99. Courtesy David A. Wright Barrel House at Tonopah. Postcard mistakenly postmarked Goldfield, Nevada, September 20, 1909. David A. Wright collection "as far as we can find, It's the oldest continuously operating in the state of Nevada" Courtesy Paul & Connie Hodson Goldfield, NV. D.A. Wright photo. Goldfield, NV. D.A. Wright photo. Goldfield, NV. D.A. Wright photo. Goldfield, NV. D.A. Wright photo. Goldfield, NV. D.A. Wright photo. Goldfield, NV. D.A. Wright photo. Goldfield, NV. D.A. Wright photo. Inside Goldfield Hotel. D.A. Wright photo. Inside Goldfield Hotel. D.A. Wright photo. Inside Goldfield Hotel. D.A. Wright photo. Inside Goldfield Hotel. D.A. Wright photo.	Building in the center of Goldfield Courtesy Nevada Historical Society. A mining supply shop in Goldfield Courtesy Nevada Historical Society. Drilling contest in the center of Goldfield to test the strength of miners Courtesy Nevada Historical Society. The main street of Goldfield on year after initial discoveries Courtesy Nevada Historical Society. Courthouse Courtesy Dolores Steele Goldfield Municipal High School Courtesy Dolores Steele Gold Field Courtesy Dolores Steele Mozart Club -- Maurice Durand built the Mozart Club in 1934 andpromoted heavy weight boxing champion Jack Dempsey, " The Manassa Mauler". Courtesy Dolores Steele Goldfield Courtesy Dolores Steele Goldfield Courtesy Dolores Steele Goldfield Hotel - 1908 --- In the early days the Hotel was the finest and most luxurious between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.Teddy Roosevelt spoke to a large crowd in the street from the balcony in 1908. Courtesy Dolores Steele Cash register of the Goldfield Hotel, Goldfield, Nevada. On display at the Beatty, Nevada Museum. 1/1/99. Courtesy David A. Wright Cash register of the Goldfield Hotel, Goldfield, Nevada. On display at the Beatty, Nevada Museum. 1/1/99. Courtesy David A. Wright Cash register of the Goldfield Hotel, Goldfield, Nevada. On display at the Beatty, Nevada Museum. 1/1/99. Courtesy David A. Wright Townsite Saloon Extension Inside is now a saloon/Museum Courtesy David A. Wright Goldfield, NV. D.A. Wright photo. Goldfield, NV. D.A. Wright photo. Goldfield, NV. D.A. Wright photo. Goldfield, NV. D.A. Wright photo. Goldfield, NV. D.A. Wright photo. Goldfield, NV. D.A. Wright photo. Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad grade with Goldfield in the background. D.A. Wright photo. Following the Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad southeast from Goldfield. D.A. Wright photo. Goldfield Courtesy Johnnie Church

Goldfield is dead. Except for the padlocks, the boarded -up windows, bars across the doors and other means of denying entry, Goldfield would look very much alive. To its credit, there are few mining towns, if any, that have such an array of original buildings in good repair. Founded in 1902, Goldfield boasted a population of 30,000 during its boom year of 1906 when it produced $11million in gold. The town probably has the longest bar in the history of mining towns. The bar, Tex Rickard's Northern, was so long it required 80 tenders to serve its customers. By 1912, ore production had dropped to $5 million. Those who recognized the signs began to leave and Goldfield eventually became what it is today-a ghost town. A drive south on highway 95 from Tonopah will take you to Goldfield-one of the must see towns. Submitted by Henry Chenoweth.

Along Highway 95 in the eastern part of Esmeralda County is a town made famous by the Earp brothers, Wyatt and Virgil, following their famous gunfight at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. Wyatt was already in Goldfield and wrote Virgil, who was living in California at the time, to move to Goldfield where “money was following like wine.” Virgil arrived in Goldfield in the spring of 1904. Soon after arriving in Goldfield, he was hired as a deputy sheriff. Wyatt was working as a pit boss in Tex Rickard's gambling casino. On July 8, 19 05, Goldfield suffered its first major fire when a stove exploded in a millinery shop. The town was saved when the wind shifted but not before two blocks of business houses burned to the ground. Three months later, Virgil contracted pneumonia and died. Wyatt left Nevada shortly after Virgil's death and spent many years mining in the Whipple Mountains on the California side of the Colorado River. He died on January 13, 19 29 at the age of 80.

Goldfield
Courtesy Bill Yanneck

Ruins
Courtesy Dolores Steele

Cemetery
Courtesy Dolores Steele

Goldfield
Courtesy Dolores Steele

Cemetery
Courtesy Dolores Steele

Cash register of the Goldfield Hotel, Goldfield, Nevada. On display at the Beatty, Nevada Museum. 1/1/99.
Courtesy David A. Wright

Barrel House at Tonopah. Postcard mistakenly postmarked Goldfield, Nevada, September 20, 1909.
David A. Wright collection

"as far as we can find, It's the oldest continuously operating in the state of Nevada"
Courtesy Paul & Connie Hodson

Goldfield, NV. D.A. Wright photo.

Inside Goldfield Hotel. D.A. Wright photo.

Building in the center of Goldfield Courtesy Nevada Historical Society.

A mining supply shop in Goldfield Courtesy Nevada Historical Society.

Drilling contest in the center of Goldfield to test the strength of miners Courtesy Nevada Historical Society.

The main street of Goldfield on year after initial discoveries Courtesy Nevada Historical Society.

Courthouse
Courtesy Dolores Steele

Goldfield Municipal High School
Courtesy Dolores Steele

Gold Field
Courtesy Dolores Steele

Mozart Club -- Maurice Durand built the Mozart Club in 1934 andpromoted heavy weight boxing champion Jack Dempsey, " The Manassa Mauler".
Courtesy Dolores Steele

Goldfield
Courtesy Dolores Steele

Goldfield Hotel - 1908 --- In the early days the Hotel was the finest and most luxurious between the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Ocean.Teddy Roosevelt spoke to a large crowd in the street from the balcony in 1908.
Courtesy Dolores Steele

Cash register of the Goldfield Hotel, Goldfield, Nevada. On display at the Beatty, Nevada Museum. 1/1/99.
Courtesy David A. Wright

Townsite Saloon Extension
Inside is now a saloon/Museum
Courtesy David A. Wright

Goldfield, NV. D.A. Wright photo.

Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad grade with Goldfield in the background. D.A. Wright photo.

Following the Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad southeast from
Goldfield. D.A. Wright photo.

Goldfield
Courtesy Johnnie Church

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