Deadhorse Well
Deadhorse Well was established in 1872 by John Murphy, and was a major water stop and junction for the Wadsworth-Columbus and Wellington-Downeyville roads. As a station, Deadhorse Well would continue to operate well into the 20th century.
When Rawhide first began to boom in 1908, the Blue Sky Mining Company erected a small stamp mill at Deadhorse Well to process gold ore, and during this time water was delivered to Rawhide by Mr. Murphy's Dead Horse Wells Water Company at a cost of $2.50 per barrel. In 1944, Dead Horse Well became the site of another mill and small camp of thirty for the Nevada Scheelite mine, though it was lost to fire in 1946. Around this time, in response to the base in Hawthorne, Murphy's original cabin was used as a saloon with ladies in a backroom, until it too burned in the early 1950's. 1940's-era mill ruins remain near the well, and other debris and detritus from its 80-year history is scattered across a wide area.
