Goldfield, Nevada
A strange place. Not quite dead.. definitely not lively...
In 1902, Billy March and Harry Stimler staked a claim here and named the place "Grandpa". Then, when gold was discovered, the name was changed to Goldfield. Upon word of this find, a tent city blossomed... and within four years a veritable city of 30,000 people had materialized, with individual town lots selling for the -unbelievable for those times- price of $45,000.
The mines continued to produce while many other Nevada strikes had ran out. A glorious hotel was built, the finest West of the Mississippi, and from its balcony in 1908, Teddy Roosevelt addressed a crowd in the street. Hard to imagine this scene now. By 1912, gold production had fallen, and the inevitable end of the town was put into motion. If not for Highway 95 going right through it, this ghost town would probably be just another pile of ruins, like so many others in Nevada. People live here. You may not see many as you pass through, but the signs are there. The old high school is now in such a state of disrepair that the risk of collapse now prevents anyone from venturing inside. Restoration may well be impossible. The flavor of old Goldfield still exists, and to not stop and admire the history is unforgiveable.
To log this find, go to the listed coordinates and read the sign on the historical marker. To verify you actually visited the site, we ask that you email us the answer to the following questions:
- 1. What is the first word on the sign?
- 2. What are the two last names?
- 3. How many rounds?
Please don't post any photos on the cache page that might give away the answer, we don't want to spoil it for future cachers. You are welcome, if not ENCOURAGED to post photos of the -ghosts- of Goldfield... Enjoy the vintage firetruck across the street, and the abandoned high school to your west (the cache page picture shows it), as well as the massive hotel, boarded up and silent.
Thanks and have a wonderful time in Nevada. We sure enjoyed all the ghost towns!
