Fish Lake Valley is a
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'' ...
located in the
geographic Fish Lake Valley, within
Esmeralda County, Nevada and
Inyo County, California.
It is just east of the
White Mountains, the highest range entirely within the
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic basin, endorheic watersheds, those with no outlets, in North America. It spans nearly all of Nevada, much of Utah, and portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Baja California ...
at . There is sufficient rain and snow at high elevations to feed permanent streams from the mountains, providing irrigation for alfalfa and other crops, although the valley's elevation, in excess of , is a serious constraint.
History
Fish Lake Valley was originally settled in 1866, when the 'Palmetto Mining District' in Esmeralda County was formed, and settlement in Fish Lake Valley began. During the 1870s two companies, 'Griffing & Nyman's' and 'Pacific Borax Works' were located here extracting
borax
Borax is a salt (ionic compound), a hydrated borate of sodium, with chemical formula often written . It is a colorless crystalline solid, that dissolves in water to make a basic solution. It is commonly available in powder or granular form, ...
at Fish Lake.
The Carson and Columbus
Stage Line
A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...
ran north from Fish Lake Valley to
Aurora and
Carson City
Carson City is an Independent city (United States), independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 58,639, making it the List of cities in Nevada, sixth largest ...
, also connecting with
Logsprings, Nevada in the Sylvania Mining District as well as
Lida
Lida ( be, Лі́да ; russian: Ли́да ; lt, Lyda; lv, Ļida; pl, Lida ; yi, לידע, Lyde) is a city 168 km (104 mi) west of Minsk in western Belarus in Grodno Region.
Etymology
The name ''Lida'' arises from its Lithuani ...
in the
Sylvania Mountains
The Sylvania Mountains are located in Inyo County, California and Esmeralda County, Nevada in the United States. The range trends in an east–west direction, north of the Last Chance Range at the northern end of Death Valley National Park.
The L ...
. Local ranches supplied food to the freight industry and mining communities such as Fish Lake Valley.
A post office opened in Fish Lake Valley in 1881.
Today a historical marker near the site commemorates the life of W.O. Harrell, known as "Harrell, the Irrepressible, Citizen Extraordinaire", of Fish Lake Valley in the 1870s.
[ State Historical Marker No. 133.] A Wm. O. Harrell of Fish Lake Valley is listed as registering a cattle ear mark in 1874.
References
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Ghost towns in Nevada
Ghost towns in Esmeralda County, Nevada
Ghost towns in Inyo County, California
Mining communities in California
Mining communities in Nevada
Nevada historical markers
White Mountains (California)
Populated places established in 1866
1866 establishments in California
1866 establishments in Nevada