Crystal Springs is a ghost town in the

Pahranagat Valley The Pahranagat Valley is a Tonopah Basin landform in Lincoln County, Nevada. The more fertile part of Pahranagat Valley is a narrow ribbon of green (no more than wide) like an oasis in the vast Nevada desert. It is approximately long running n ...

region of Lincoln County, Nevada in the United States. The ghost town is located at the junction of State Route 318 and State Route 375 (Extraterrestrial Highway), just northwest of

U.S. Route 93 U.S. Route 93 (US 93) is a major north–south United States highway, numbered highway in the western United States. The southern terminus is at U.S. Route 60 in Arizona, US 60 in Wickenburg, Arizona. The northern terminus is at the ...

. It is a popular destination for passersby who want to visit the towns of

Hiko Hiko may refer to: * Hiko, Nevada * the male or gender neutral version of Hime * Hiko (juggling), juggling in Tongan dance, see Ula (dance) * Mount Hiko in Japan {{disambiguation ...

and Rachel. The namesake of the ghost town, the Crystal Springs, lies nearby; it is a large group of marshes and springs along the White River. Crystal Springs provides irrigation for multiple nearby ranches and farms, some of which lie over 5 miles away from the springs. The ghost town is marked as Nevada Historical Marker 205 (Crystal Springs).

History

The earliest reported uses of the spring were by a Native American village. The springs provided water for people traveling the

Mormon Trail The Mormon Trail is the long route from Illinois to Utah that members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled for 3 months. Today, the Mormon Trail is a part of the United States National Trails System, known as the Mormon ...

. In 1865, Crystal Springs was the first area in Lincoln County where mining grade silver ore was discovered. This led to Crystal Springs becoming the first county seat of Lincoln County from 1866 to 1867, although it was later replaced by

Hiko Hiko may refer to: * Hiko, Nevada * the male or gender neutral version of Hime * Hiko (juggling), juggling in Tongan dance, see Ula (dance) * Mount Hiko in Japan {{disambiguation ...

Hot springs

The Crystal Springs thermal spring has a water temperature of 81°F.

References

{{Lincoln County, Nevada Populated places established in 1866 Ghost towns in Lincoln County, Nevada Springs of Nevada Ghost towns in Nevada Bodies of water of Lincoln County, Nevada 1866 establishments in Nevada Nevada historical markers