Round Mountain

Though gold was first located on Round Mountain in 1905, notice wasn't taken until the following year when a more substantial discovery was made. A camp called Gordon, named for one of the 1906 discoverers, quickly formed and before long had a population of nearly 400. Over the next year, a number of companies started working in the district, and the town was renamed Round Mountain. Meanwhile, two satellite camps called Shoshone and Brooklyn developed nearby. Stage lines connected Round Mountain to Tonopah, and a wide variety of businesses operated out of wooden buildings. By 1909, six mills were operating at Round Mountain, and that year the town gained electricity. Additionally, it boasted a school, library, and hospital as well as a local baseball team.

In 1919 and the early 1920s, large companies were organized and reorganized within the district; most notably the Round Mountain Mining Company became the Round Mountain Mines Company in 1926. That company enlarged the old Sunnyside Mill to 200-tons, as well as made significant improvements to water delivery and hydraulic operations. In 1928, it was overtaken by the Nevada Porphyry Company, who subsequently consolidated all mining activity in the district. In 1935, the company folded after underground mining was deemed too dangerous. Nevertheless, by 1939 234 people still lived in the town and by the end of the decade production had reached $7.8 million.

In 1949, the Round Mountain Gold Dredging Compay built a new 17,000-ton placer mill, but ore quality was low and the operation ceased in 1952. Mining resumed from 1955 until 1959, producing some $3 million. After its closure, Round Mountain stayed fairly quiet, with its population dropping to only 100. In 1970, the Copper Range Company arrived and began extensive surfaced operations, joined by the Smoky Valley Mining Company's open pit in 1976. In 1985, the whole operation was overtaken by the new Round Mountain Gold Corporation, which by 1989 produced 300,000 ounces annually.

In subsequent years, the massive Round Mountain Gold Mine has expanded and partially excavated the old townsite. Though a few residents do remain, most now live in the new community of Hadley, located in the valley below and away from the mine's expansion. Many original buildings have now been removed, and it seems inevitable that Round Mountain is doomed to eventually be wiped out of existence.

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