Currant
What would become Currant was first homesteaded in 1868, soon bringing ten families to the area. It's location at the head of Railroad Valley and at the crossroads of major shipping routes made it a strategic supply point, and during the 1870s Currant was a stop for stages traveling to and from Tybo, Eureka, Hamilton, and White River and Railroad Valleys. By 1883, when Currant gained its post office, the town had around fifty residents, a couple of stores, and a saloon. Though that first post office closed the next year, Currant's population remained fairly stable through the turn of the century.
Some mining activity began at Currant in 1914, when gold was located on the Shepherd Ranch. The Sunrise mine was developed in 1916, but soon petered out. In 1939, two separate discoveries were made in what then became the Currant Creek Mining District: magnesite, discovered by Tom Windous, and gold assaying $256/ton, discovered by Steve Pappas and George Bogdanovich. Both minerals were exploited until 1942.
Though the post office has been closed for over half a century, Currant still maintains a population of around sixty-five. The school closed in 1966, and was subsequently destroyed by arson on Halloween 1970. A gas station, store, cafe, and motel operated for many years, providing services for travelers on Highway 6 between Tonopah and Ely, however it closed in 1996 and Currant has been a quiet spot on the map ever since.
