The little town of Austin ,
Nevada , located in the central part of the
state, is of great interest to rock hounds and prospectors, and is well worth a
visit. There are historic buildings old mines, old ghost towns to explore and
many other items of interest. Besides the old silver mines, the whole region is
surrounded by turquoise deposits, as well as interesting prospects for agate
petrified wood and similar materials.
Prior to 1862, central
Nevada was a little explored and remote territory, sparsly populated with Native
Americans. All that changed when in May of 1862 William H. Talcott was exploring
the hills a few miles east of the Overland stage station at Jacobsville. Talcott
discovered some Quartz veins and collected a few samples which were eventually
sent to Virginia City to be assayed. The result showed that the veins were
extremely rich in silver and a huge rush to the site began later that year. A
small area in Pony Canyon contained the richest veins, and the city established
there was named Austin . By September of 1863, Austin had a population of over
6000 people and including three banks, 360 houses, a large number of squatter
tents, five clergymen, 12 doctors, 33 lawyers and several public and private
schools. The town served as the county seat of Lander County for many decades.
The Austin of today is a quiet rural community of about 300 residents,
with many historic buildings from the flush times of old. Although the silver
mines have closed, Austin has remained a center of activity for the region since
the early days, providing gas, food and respite to travelers passing through on
Highway 50. Hotels and RV parks provide a place to stop and rest. Austin 's
location is important as its is roughly in the geographic center of Nevada .
Nestled high the Toiyabe Mountain Range, it is situated in a in a mountain
canyon that stays cool even in the heat of the summer. Tourism and recreation
have become the chief focal points of the town's business. Large ranches still
operate in the valleys to the east and west.
With more turquoise shops
than gas stations, the old silver mining town of Austin has become the center of
turquoise mining in the State of Nevada . It sits smack in the middle of a
region where turquoise mines abound – in fact turquoise can be found within a
few dozen miles in almost all directions. As a result, this quiet Nevada town
that once rang out with the crash of silver mills and the roar of the miner’s
dynamite blasts from deep within the earth, now offers a quiet rest spot and a
chance to sample and learn more about the beauty of Nevada turquoise. The fine
jewelry and spectacular turquoise gems in the local shops here have made Austin
the place to pick up that special souvenir of high quality natural Nevada gem
turquoise jewelry. Much of the jewelry is made right in town, and while most of
the turquoise jewelry is fashioned with silver, some very high quality pieces
are made in 14k gold. Even though the surrounding turquoise mines are not
generally open to the public, fine examples of turquoise from all the mines can
be viewed at the turquoise shops in town, and the shop owners are happy to
answer questions on the local gems. Some of the shops actually have their own
turquoise mines that provide the bulk of their stock.
Colorful agates
and petrified wood are also found in the general area at certain locations
around Austin , including a beautiful blue chalcedony which can be found in the
Mt. Airy Summit area west of town. Taken together with the turquoise, this makes
Austin a real rock hound’s haven.
More Information on Austin , Nevada
can be seen on Chris’ web page at:
Chris Ralph writes a monthly series of articles on small scale mining and prospecting for the ICMJ Mining Journal. He has a degree in Mining Engineering from the Mackay School of Mines in Reno and markets his own line of gemstones and jewelry. His web home page can be viewed at: http://nevada-outback-gems.com
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
