Monday, 8 June 2009

My World Tuesday - From Times Long Gone..



Long post today, but I couldn't decide what to include :-)

Back in April of last year, friends and I visited an old ghost town, just out of Falloon, NV and off Route 50. One of the many that dot my little corner of the world.

This one was known as La Plata, meaning silver in Spanish.

La Plata was a mining camp, established in 1862, when silver was discovered in the area. It existed through till about 1869, when it was abandoned due to much richer discoveries.

From 1864 - 1868 it was the Churchill County Seat and it also had a Post Office. If you google La Plata Post Office,Nevada, it will tell you the weather for that area, just as though it was still official :-)

La Plata is situated in a canyon that extends from the south slopes of the Stillwater ranges to Fairview valley. I believe the canyon was formed by earthquake activity.

(Click on photos to get larger view)



These ruins are the first thing you see as you enter the town site. A plaque in front of them says that they are believed to be the walls of the old courthouse. However, other information I've found, suggests that they may be the remains of the mill, that broke up the silver bearing rock.

The rocks, that form the walls and the walls of the miner's homes, were all hewn by hand from the walls of the canyon.




The remains of the miner's homes, dot the slopes. They are mostly one roomed structures of varying sizes. Many of them are now covered in scrub.


This one had a fireplace, complete with mantel. Looking under, you could see where a steel hook had been inserted to hold a cooking pot..


One of the bigger cabins. It had a circular pit in the center, which now has a bush growing out of it, which I am guessing was a fire pit.


This was one of the mine shafts, still with the ladder going down into it. I wasn't game to go down,as they are rather dangerous, plus they are also a haunt for snakes.


I believe this is probably the remains of the corral, by the looks of the fence posts and square headed nails used in their construction.


The road that leads up to La Plata.

Churchill County keeps it in pretty good repair, grading it at least once after the snows have passed.

Can you imagine what it must have been like for the miners though ... bringing their supplies in on bullock carts or horse back. No four wheel drives or modern conveniences for them. Life was very tough back then.

Makes you thankful for modern life, in some ways :-)

Now, go to MY WORLD TUESDAY where people from all over our globe , show off their little corner of the world !

26 comments:

??? said...

Gorgeous photos. I fell in love with Nevada when I visited a few years ago and your photos give me Fernweh (it's like being homesick for faraway places).

SandyCarlson said...

That's a really interesting place. Thanks for these. Your skies are beautiful, too.

Anonymous said...

I like visiting historical places like this one. I am with you about modern conveniences.

Latane Barton said...

A real ghost town. Fascinating tour so thank you for taking us along.

penny said...

I lived in Arizona as a kid and always thought it was neat to go on adventure hikes. You never know what you will find. Your photos and post are great...

Guy D said...

What amazing history there, great photos.

Have a fantastic week
Guy
Regina In Pictures

Marja said...

I love the story and the pictures Karen As you might know there are quite a few minetowns on the west coast here and Arrowtown of course
It is indeed amazing under what circumstances they lived

Janie said...

Ghost towns are fascinating to visit and to read about, too! Wonderful photos. You can't help but imagine what life was like then. I agree, it was tough bringing everything in by horse or wagon.

Paul said...

very cool pics!


Thanks for sharing

EG CameraGirl said...

Fascinating countryside!

Yes, life sure has changed.

Sally in WA said...

Great story and pics! Thanks for sharing La Plata with us.

Indrani said...

Interesting read, with equally interesting shots!
I enjoyed this virtual tour.

Ebie said...

These are very interesting photos. I have been to 2 ghost towns, Calico and Bodie, the latest. I was just wondering why mining towns become deserted. The road leading to Bodie was rough and narrow, and sometimes steep.

Gaelyn said...

Great shots. I've always loved the ruins of old buildings, especialy stone. Somebody's dream. Looks like dry stacked walls.

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

I guess this is what you call a ghost town. The very dry environment also means that crops couldn't be grown when the silver has run put. I wonder what it was like when there was plenty of silver.

I am glad I didn't live at that era.

Arija said...

An interesting post. The same hardships were suffered by most settlers who opened new country in whatever continent or country.

Canarybird said...

I enjoyed reading your interesting post Karen! A great place to explore.

Wolynski said...

So the miners only lasted 7 years? Very interesting post with lovely photos.

Yolanda said...

I loved this visit to your neck of the woods.

Mrs4444 said...

No kidding. Up our way, it was the copper mines in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Tough bunch of guys, up there! The mines are empty now, but Calumet Michigan was once a booming town; just bars and funeral homes, now...

DeniseinVA said...

A very interesting post. Great photos, a lovely area and one I would be eager to see myself.

Luiz Ramos said...

Beautiful shots and report.
History is important.

Luiz Ramos

Anonymous said...

Not only bringing in supplies by animal carts, but having to build your house and everything else from the ground up! Like you. I find there are some aspects of modern conveniences and technology that I don't want to live without.

Jane In The Jungle said...

Wow, loved this. I so love the old west.

Pierre said...

Thanks for sharing these amazing pics ... looks lovely and no, I wouldn't attempt going down those mineshafts either! ;-)

Anonymous said...

You have to express more your opinion to attract more readers, because just a video or plain text without any personal approach is not that valuable. But it is just form my point of view