Fairview & Nevada Hills
The first discovery of silver on the slope of Fairview Peak was made in 1905 by F.O. Norton, but it was P. Langsden's location of the Nevada Hills Mine in January 1906 that brought a rush to the new Fairview District. George Wingfield and George Nixon purchased several claims in the district, further drawing attention to the new finds, and the Fairview townsite was laid out in February. Stage lines were established connecting to Fallon and the new town of Wonder, while freight was hauled to the railroad at Hazen. Hotels, stores, saloons, and two newspapers - the Fairview News and Fairview Miner - gave an aura of permanence, yet a lack of water slowed growth and distance from the mines finally led to the formation of the Nevada Hills townsite in 1907. Still, the population of Fairview was reported to have been as many as 1000 at its peak.
The aforementioned new townsite of Nevada Hills (sometimes dubbed 'Upper Fairview') was laid out on August 15, 1907 in a canyon closer to the mines. Nevada Hills would gain a two-story hotel a month later and, when the Fairview School District was formed, the school was built there as well. A post office was opened in October, but it was rescinded in March 1908. Nevertheless, the Fairview post office seems to have unofficially moved to Nevada Hills soon thereafter and the original Fairview townsite faded as the upper town grew; it was regarded as deserted by 1910.
During the first years of Fairview's existence, ore was transported to Hazen where it was shipped by rail to smelters. In 1910, the Nevada Hills Mining Company obtained control of the neighboring Fairview Eagle Mining Company and began construction on a new 20-stamp mill, completed the following year. A second mill was built by the Fairview Golden Boulder Mining Company within the next few years. Operation of these mills facilitated the arrival of water via a pipeline from Westgate and electricity from Bishop, California.
Depleting ore in 1917 led to the Nevada Hills Mill's closure, and Fairview (Nevada Hills) began its final decline. The school closed in 1918, with most of the district emptying around then. The post office closed in 1919, and thereafter most work was done only by leasers. The final couple, Ed & Sylvia Stratton, remained in their cabin in Dromedary Gulch until 1961 after spending 47 years in the district. In all, Fairview's total production exceeded $4.17 million.
Today the Fairview townsite and cemetery have been fenced off by the Navy, although a lone cement vault can still be seen from the highway. Faint traces of the Nevada Hills townsite can be found, and higher in the mountains ruins of both mills remain. Extremely difficult access all but prohibits visitation.
