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The 7 Old West Towns With the Bloodiest History in the Silver State


Abandoned Belmont Mill, Hamilton, Nevada

The Most Violent Mining Towns in the Old West

The Silver State’s ghost towns weren’t all peaceful mining camps that simply dried up when the ore ran out. In fact, some of the West’s most violent chapters played out in mining camps across Nevada’s Great Basin. Here are seven of the most notorious.

Rhyolite

Rhyolite was notorious for its brutality. One of the biggest reasons was intoxication. In 1908, Rhyolite had over 50 saloons for its population of around 8,000, creating an environment ripe for conflict and violence.

Among these saloons, deadly brawls were common, and miners frequently disappeared into the surrounding desert. The imposing three-story bank building, now in ruins, hosted deadly shootouts between bandits and guards.

Belmont

Though a few modern residents maintain properties here, Belmont’s violent past is impossible to ignore. The courthouse, while beautifully preserved, once hosted hasty trials that ended in public hangings.

The Belmont County Jail, part of the former sheriff’s residence, has been the site of many violent events as well. The first-floor cells were particularly bloody, since they were designated for males charged with felonies and/or violent crimes.

Berlin

Now a state park, Berlin is preserved in a state of “arrested decay,” with many original buildings still standing. These structures have their own share of dark history. For instance, the stamp mill saw several fierce labor riots.

The bunkhouses, with their original wooden walls, still bear bullet holes from raids and random acts of violence. Beyond the marked paths lie the remnants of claim jumper camps, where prospectors fought and died over mining rights.

Goldfield

In 1906, Goldfield was Nevada’s largest city with over 20,000 people, but its rapid growth led to social instability and violence.

The town experienced one of the worst fires in the West on September 15, 1871, resulting in a massive explosion that killed 13 people, injured 47, and left most of the population homeless.

Eureka

Eureka now bills itself as the Friendliest Town on the Loneliest Road in America, but before that, the town was supposedly home to a network of underground tunnels with a sinister past. These tunnels were allegedly built by oppressed Chinese laborers, who used them to avoid harassment and carry out secretive activities like gambling.

Paranormal investigators have reported picking up voices and sounds in these tunnels using electronic devices.

The tunnels have attracted famous ghost hunters, including Zak Bagans and the Ghost Adventures crew, who investigated reports of malevolent spirits lurking within.

Hamilton

Conflict was so rampant in Hamilton, the townspeople liked to say that they had “two saloons for every lawyer.” The scenic route into Hamilton passed through areas where “old stagecoaches used to be robbed twice a week.”

Initially, the settlement was called “Cave City” because many miners lived in surrounding caves due to the scarcity of building materials. Miners were ignorant of the brutality of winter at high altitudes which lead to a lot of deaths.

On June 27, 1873, a massive fire destroyed the main portion of the town, from which it never fully recovered.

Pioche

Pioche earned a reputation as one of the most violent towns in the Old West.

Legend claims the first 72 people buried in Pioche were all murder victims. Over 50% of Nevada homicides from 1871 to 1872 occurred in the vicinity of Pioche mines.

In 1873, the local paper declared: “Crime is rampant in Pioche. Law-defyers, of high and low degree, emboldened by immunity from arrest and punishment for former transgressions, are seemingly more vicious and audacious with each returning day.”

The post The 7 Old West Towns With the Bloodiest History in the Silver State appeared first on When In Your State.



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