Every time I start diving into the history of this old mining town or the name of this… I’m always surprised at how little has changed or how far the ripple of impact goes. Goldfield, Nevada, was no different.
The Granddaddy boom
Goldfield, Nevada, was a thriving gold mining town affectionately known as the Queen of the Mining Camps. In 1906, the population had surpassed 30,000, and $10,000 worth of ore was being extracted daily from the mines. Adjusting for inflation, $10,000 would be about $357,000 in 2025.
It was booming! They had everything! The entertainment alone was a lot, they had luxury clubs, restaurants, saloons, and sporting clubs. It even had three newspapers, five banks, and a mining stock exchange.
Like every boom, a bust follows. Many of the mines were bought up by wealthy businessmen. The wage divide grew as the wealthy got richer on the backs of the poor laborers.
Goldfield Consolidated Mines was owned by George S. Nixon and George Wingfield, two prominent con artists. I mean businessmen.
George S Nixon, a Nevada Senator, owned banks throughout town. No conflict of interest here… A government official using their wealth and power to control land and people? Never! Even if the government or the wealthy abused their power… we would never repeat that history, right?!
The Beginning of the End?
The two Georges bought up every productive mine in the district. This district was called Grandpa, because it was the grandaddy of all mines! The amount of profit and ore they were able to extract was grandaddy levels! They proceeded to bleed the earth dry and those who worked in the mines.
The workers were being overworked in unsafe conditions and they had had enough. They went on strike. The Wooblies or The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) stepped in to support the workers. Many joined the Western Federation of Miners and raises were awarded.
Nixon convinced President Roosevelt to send federal troops on the grounds that “the situation was ominous.” The day troops descended on Goldfield, wages were reduced and unionized workers were let go. Troops stayed for 15 months! Eliminating any chance for workers to regain their rights.
lessons from Goldfield:
- The ideals of the robber barons of yesterday are alive and well today.
- Law enforcement has always prioritized property over the people.
With the troops protecting his income and keeping his low-paid workers in check. In 1908, George Wingfield had the time and resources to expand his focus. He set out to build a state-of-the-art luxury hotel. After all, he had an empire to build! With the help of a third George (I know, was every boy named George in those days??) E. Holesworth, they built what was considered the “most luxurious hotel between Chicago and San Francisco.”
The four-story stone and brick building had 154 rooms and every modern convenience, steam heat, electric lights, and telephones. Upon entrance, you were engulfed in the smell of rich mahogany that paneled the walls. The lobby was ornate, it was filled with black leather furnishings under gold leaf ceilings and crystal chandeliers. Chefs from Europe filled the bellies of the elite. But just like the dry mine the hotel was built upon, it would also dry up.
Nothing Booms without Busting
As the mines continued to dry up, workers walking away, the town dwindled. By 1910 only 5,000 people remained. Goldfield continued to face hardship after hardship. On September 13, 1913 heavy rains sent a flood that washed out hundreds of buildings. Miners that buried bags of gold under their cabin, came back to find not only the gold gone but their entire home. In 1923 a moonshine still exploded during a windstorm, creating a 13 hour inferno that destroyed 27 blocks of homes, businesses and buildings.
The town never recovered.
Gold on Nevada’s Free Range Highway
Today Gold field is known as a ghost town. Abandoned buildings, unfinished construction projects and For Sale signs line the once bustling city streets. But it is also a quiet artist sanctuary filled with the remnants of the golden days along Nevada’s Free Range Art Highway. Tucked down alleyways you find Rocket Bob’s Art Cars covered in pieces from the past. They once paraded onto the Blackrock Playa for Burning Man as “Mutant Vehicles”. Psychedelic souped up cars could throw flames, electrify the eyes with neon and bring out a giggle from the biggest curmudgeon as their fluffy haired naked troll dolls whizz past.
Near the edge of town you find the International Car Forest of the Last Church.
Mark Rippie wanted to break the Guinness World Record for the world’s biggest car forest. In steps Chad Sort and Zak Sargent to help. They have stacked, balanced, and painted over 40 cars to rival Texas’s Cadillac Ranch and Nebraska’s Carhenge. Unlike Cadillac Ranch which is dripping with layers of painted names and squiggles, The Car Forest was meant to inspire more art. They are currently assembling artists and planning a transformation (super excited to see what they do).
The Last Church is an ode to Rippies website of religious theories, not an actual organized religion.
Goldfield Nevada is now affectionately known as the “Last Great Gold Camp” and according to some ghost hunting shows one of the “Scariest Places on Earth.”
Would you take a ghost tour in Goldfield Nevada? Walk around and see if you feel the cold spooky chills? Or wander through the Car Forest??
To learn more about Goldfield Nevada check out:
So thought provoking and interesting.
Totally! There is a lot to learn from our history.