As the day broke in Cedar City UT, a small town just off of the I-15 east of St. George and Hurricane in an area known as the Three Corners because of the proximity of the Nevada, Arizona, and Utah state boundaries, it was decided that today’s route would be more remote than previous days itineraries and we planned to try to explore some out of the way ghost towns along the way if the opportunity presented itself. It’s uncertain if Caryn realized what she was getting herself into when she signed off on the day’s agenda, but the plan was made and the journey begun.
We started out along I-15 and headed up to SR 130 to SR 21 and finally to US 50 in addition to a couple of detours we found along the way to locations that really seemed to be a good idea at the time…From the time we departed Cedar City on SR 130 until we rolled into Ely NV on US 50 about 200 miles, we probably saw fewer than 20 vehicles, passed 1, and could have driven 100 mph with impunity!
WE determined that there were several ghost towns between Ely NV and Eureka NV at different locations between 7 and 10 miles off the highway. The first town we decided to explore was Ward, a small town of about 2000 that was settled back in the 1880’s to mine ore. By 1875, Ward was the largest town in White Pine County boasting a population of 1,000 and a large, fancy hotel. Education was a priority so an abandoned red-light district house was converted to a schoolhouse. The Martin White Company of San Francisco purchased all mines during the summer of 1875 and that company was the main producer for many years. New discoveries helped propel the town to its peak during 1877. Ward’s population reached a high of close to 2,000. Also in 1877, a city hall was constructed and Wells-Fargo opened an office. The 601 Vigilantes kept the town virtually crime-free. The name came from six feet under, no trial, and one rope. The 601 meted out quick justice, and Ward’s crime rate dropped to zero. Ward began to decline as 1878 progressed. The combination of vanishing ore deposits and a new boom at Cherry Creek spelled doom for Ward. By 1880, the population had shrunk to 250. A huge fire on August 18, 1883 destroyed the city hall, the school, and virtually all of downtown Ward. By 1885 only one business was left in town, and the population stood at 25. Ward was basically a dead town until 1906 when all of the Martin White holdings were sold to the Nevada United Mines Company. This revival continued until 1920. Today, Ward is an active mining site.
We turned off of Highway 50 onto a nicely paved road leading into the town. The distance marked said it was 3 miles to the “Ward Ovens” and 8 miles to the town. Elke jumped forward, eager for the ride through the hills, and the paved road ended about 200 yards from the highway and the unpaved dirt and gravel road began. The 5 mile dusty and bumpy drive to the ovens took about 20 minutes. The ovens were built in 1876 by itinerant Italian masons who specialized in the ovens, who were known as carbonari. The charcoal ovens prepared charcoal from locally-harvested timber for use in the smelters at Ward, using 30 to 60 bushels of charcoal per ton of ore, for 16,000 bushels a day. The Ward ovens are the best-preserved of their kind in Nevada. After viewing the ovens, we turned our attention to the trip to the town which required back tracking to the road we came in on and then heading 5 miles more into the hills. Hmmm you say. We’re off Steve said! The road was in relatively good condition for what it was, unpaved dirt and rocks and you could drive 40 mph on some sections but only 15 on others, It was narrow and you had to keep an eye out for other vehicles (never saw one) too. We arrived in the town of Ward about 20 minutes after departing the ovens and stopped at the Ward City Cemetery. The Ward Cemetery, one mile east of the town site, is well worth a stop. Many interesting wooden markers remain and are partially legible. It is very sad to note that many of the graves are those of very young children who fell victim to the many different diseases prevalent in early mining camps. We then visited the town itself which has basically vanished. Apparently numerous of the town buildings were moved elsewhere soon after its desertion, and a fire some years later destroyed most of what was left.
Not to be discouraged, Steve decided (I’m sure in consultation with Caryn) that the town of Hamilton which was off of Highway 50 about 10 miles and just another 25 miles north would be the next destination and we were off. About an hour later, we were turning off the Highway onto an unpaved dirt and rock road for the 10 mile excursion into Hamilton. It was about a 30 minute ride into Hamilton and the only other vehicles we saw were two US Forest Service trucks whose occupants we were told were there clearing a fire line around the historic town. Silver was discovered here in 1868, and within two years, there were more than 13,000 mining claims. Main Street grew to a mile long and the town itself a mile-and-a-half wide, with two banks, two newspapers, post office, courthouse, school system, water and steam company, churches, fire companies, and a hotel considered the state’s most expensive structure. Hamilton even became the first seat of White Pine County. But the ore layer was thin, and folks left as quickly as they had come. An intentional fire in 1873 (for insurance money) destroyed much of the town. Even though it’s a 10-mile drive from US 50 over bumpy dirt roads, many make the journey, though their visits, and natural weathering, take a noticeable toll. Online images show the brick structures crumbling a bit more every year, and soon, little will remain standing…
Omitted from this recapitulation are several interesting episodes, first when Elke was almost stuck in a ditch trying to return to the main dirt road from an auxiliary road leading from the Ward Cemetery, the probable imagined out of control hurtling of Elke after encountering a large road rut at, shall we say, brisk speed, and the uncertain return to the main roadway, Highway 50, when a hand painted wooden road sign disagreed with both the gps and directions Steve received from the Forest Service workers; we followed the sign as instructed by the navigator…
So it was a full day in spite of only driving less than 325 miles, we managed to spend a full 7 hours on the various roads. After traveling to the ghost towns of Hamilton and Ward, it’s hard to imagine the residents living with the hardships and isolation that their situation entailed.
Tomorrow it’s a quick run down to Reno and then I-80 to Fair Oaks. Stay tuned for the final blog and contemplations on our 12,000+ mile journey…
Steve and Caryn's Big 2012 Summer Adventure 