Blair, Nevada is a

mining Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the Earth, usually from an ore body, lode, vein, seam, reef, or placer deposit. The exploitation of these deposits for raw material is based on the economic via ...

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

Esmeralda County Esmeralda County is a county in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 729, making it the least populous county in Nevada. Esmeralda County does not have any incorporated communities. Its ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

History

Today a historical marker commemorates Blair along State Route 265 just north of Silver Peak. At one time Blair was a thriving, albeit short-lived, mining boom town. As mining reached a fever pitch in

during the Tonopah boom, the effects spidered out in all directions to revive many a dormant mining town. Nearby, in Silver Peak, land speculators were driving land prices so artificially high that the 100-stamp mill planned for Silver Peak was relocated and built a mile and a half west, where it became the hub of Blair. It was the Pittsburg-Silver Peak Gold Mining Company that was responsible for the large mill that went up in 1907; at the time it was Nevada's largest such facility. They constructed the 17 and half mile

Silver Peak Railroad The Silver Peak Railroad was built by the Pittsburgh Silver Peak Gold Mining Company after it bought a group of mining properties in 1906 and established a 100 stamp mill at Blair, Nevada, in 1907 to service the mines at Silver Peak, Nevada. The r ...

the previous year. (Includes photos) Blair had a post office from November 1906 to December 1915. The Blair Press newspaper operated from about November 3, 1906 until July 23, 1909 and then from September 3, 1909 until June 17, 1910. The Silver Peak Post moved from

Silver Peak, Nevada Silver Peak (also Silverpeak) is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Esmeralda County, Nevada, United States. It lies along State Route 265, south of U.S. Route 6 and west of Goldfield, the county seat of Esmeralda ...

to Blair in January 1907 and was renamed the Blair Booster on March 13, 1907. The Blair Booster failed on June 12, 1907 and the plant was moved to

Millers, Nevada Millers (also spelled Miller's) is a ghost town located in Esmeralda County, Nevada. Deserted today, Millers sprang up as a mining boomtown after the Tonopah boom began. A highway rest-stop is located there, resulting in Millers still being list ...

. By 1920, Blair was a

. Besides the historical marker the only reminders of the town are the remains of stone buildings and the foundation of the old mill. State Historical Marker No. 174. SilverPeakMill1909.png, Silver Peak Mill, Blair, Nevada, 1909. Cinder cone on Pleistocene wash.jpg, Cinder cone on Pleistocene wash, northeast of Blair. Esmeralda County, Nevada. 1912. U.S. Geological Survey, enroute Blair to Silverpeak.jpg, U.S. Geological Survey outfit enroute Blair to Silverpeak. Silver Peak quadrangle. Esmeralda County, Nevada. 1912. Paymaster Hills.jpg, Paymaster Hills, eight miles east of Blair. Silver Peak quadrangle. Esmeralda County, Nevada. 1912. Pittsburgh-SilverPeakMillBlairNevada1914.png, General view of the Pittsburgh-Silver Peak Mill, Blair, Nev. 1914 Blair, Nevada Historical Marker.jpg, The state historical marker off of Highway 265. Interior 100 Stamp Mill, Pittsburg Silver Peak Gold Mining Co., Blair, Nevada.tif, The interior of the 100 stamp mill of the Pittsburg Silver Peak Gold Mining Co., Blair Nevada.

References

External links

Blair ghost town
(ghosttowns.com). Includes photo gallery.
Panoramic photograph of Blair (Nev.), circa 1907
(University of Las Vegas)
Mines and Plants of the Pittsburg Silver Peak
" pp. 657–661, Mining and Scientific Press, Volume 98, 1909. Includes photo of the 100 stamp mill. * Smith, Lyon,
Operation of the Pittsburgh-Silver Peak Mill
" pp. 595–599, Engineering and Mining Journal, v. 98, October 3, 1914. Includes two photos ( 1) * Stephen E. Drew, Chief Curator (retired) California State Railroad Museum,
Railroad Motor Cars of Nevada – Part II
" March 31, 2016. Includes "Excursion to Tonopah, of Blair Base Ball Team, Blair, Nev." * Robert Stoldal,
Leach Started the 1908 Project Which involved Blair
" January 18, 2018. Postcards by Clarence Leach of the Blair Hotel and of the "100 Stamp Mill and Cyanide Plant, Pittsburgh Silver Peak Gold Mining Co, Blair, Nev." {{authority control Ghost towns in Esmeralda County, Nevada Ghost towns in Nevada Mining communities in Nevada Nevada historical markers