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Eventually, these buildings were stripped of their resources (bricks, lumber, etc.) to be used for fireplaces in
California and other building needs. Because of its isolation—Aurora was miles from any major city and surrounded by rugged mountainous terrain—furnishing supplies for the town became difficult. Food, fuel, lumber, machinery, tools, hardware, and clothing were scarce. They had to be shipped in on difficult roads and stage lines. Travel in winter months was very difficult. The town was dominated by a harsh climate with violent and unpredictable weather, which made a permanent settlement increasingly difficult without outside support.
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were numerous
Chinese brothels that existed on the most public of streets and roughly half the women in the town were prostitutes. Other recreational activities for the men were hunting, fishing, dog fights, and dog and badger fights. Skiing was a recreational activity in the town thanks to the mountains surrounding the town. It was probably the most popular recreational activity among residents.
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Aurorans quickly learned that the climate was harsh and the weather unpredictable, making life difficult for its residents. The majority of the population was male and saloons were numerous. Gambling houses and brothels were common and provided late night entertainment to the men of the town. There
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Soon after its founding, a small crowd of miners quickly moved into the area after hearing about the deposits in the area. Crude homes and businesses were constructed using mud and other local materials or were easily imported. By April 1861, the population was 1,400, and town lots were selling for
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Aurora had a difficult time maintaining its success due to the nature of the mines. Most mines were less than 100 feet deep, and of minimal endurance. The gold and silver in the area had been completely mined by 1870. Many people deserted the area but left all buildings, stores and homes intact.
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The town cemetery suffered from vandalism over the years. The most notable destruction was the headstone of
William E. Carder, a notorious criminal and gunfighter who, on the night of December 10, 1864, was "assassinated" by a man whom he had threatened in the preceding days. The headstone erected
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Violence was a major problem. Most men carried guns and knives daily, and armed conflict was not rare. These conflicts often ended in death. There are numerous examples of disagreements leading to armed violence. Family life was almost non existent due to the low number of women and children in
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One source states that Aurora's population reached 5,000 in 1863, while other sources put the peak number at approximately 10,000. Aurora's mines produced $ 27 million worth of gold by 1869. The town was governed by both
California and Nevada until it was determined that the town lay entirely in
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Prior to 1860 and the discovery of the mines, fewer than 100 people lived in the Aurora area. The biggest rush of population was in the Spring of 1863 after the Wide West Vein provided many jobs. Aurora's mines were so rich that miners came from all over the west. Travel in the spring was much
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By 1864, 7 of the 17 quartz mills were shut down and the remaining mills were operating at a fraction of capacity. By 1865, production declined and more mills were shut down. By 1870, half of the town's houses were deserted and most of the mills and buildings had been dismantled.
264:
was founded a few years later, Aurora was one of the few places that were explored in the county. Cory is credited with having named the strike
Esmeralda but, in the late 1860s, he is reported to have changed the name to Aurora for the goddess of dawn.
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There are small remains of Aurora in the area. The streets and the foundations of some of the buildings are still somewhat visible. Most of the buildings were dismantled, its materials used in homes in
California as used brick became fashionable.
284:
through Carson Valley. This allowed for Aurora to receive supplies directly from San
Francisco, which contributed to its growth. As Aurora grew, agriculture grew as well with people farming hay, livestock, dairy products, grain, and vegetables.
273:
easier than in the winter or colder months. In the Spring of 1863, Aurora had 760 houses, 20 stores, and 22 saloons. Like most mining boom towns, the population had a small number of women and children compared to a large male population.
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briefly lived in Aurora, around 1862. The cited article relates that local residents later promoted the Mark Twain connection to encourage tourism and sell curios.
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around $ 1,500. By 1862, the city had a newspaper, the
Esmeralda Star. In 1864, the population was 6,000. The peak population was roughly 10,000 people.
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by his wife Annie was toppled by thieves who attempted to steal it, and broken into several pieces, where they now lie sunken into the ground.
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Today the townsite is much diminished, having been damaged by vandals. After World War II many of the buildings were razed for their brick.
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There were a few attempts to revive the city, but those were not successful with the last attempt ending in 1918.
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the town. This allowed the men to frequent the saloons, brothels and gambling houses that were in the town.
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Kersten, Jr., Earl W. (December 1964). "The Early
Settlement of Aurora, Nevada, and Nearby Mining Camps".
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Route were important paths to Aurora. After it was built, the
Esmeralda Toll Road connected Aurora to
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James M. Cory, James M. Braly and E.R. Hicks founded the town in 1860. When
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679:"Four Corners mistake recalls long border feud between Nevada, California"
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Aurora after 1910, when the town was first connected to electrical power.
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Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Nevada
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596:. Berkeley and Los Angeles, California: University of California Press.
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The Esmeralda vein, the discovery outcrop of the Aurora Mining District
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Populated places on the National Register of Historic Places in Nevada
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while the Nevada legislative member was elected as president of the
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Main Street, General View, Aurora (historical), Mineral County, NV
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233:, approximately 22 mi (35 km) southwest of the town of
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National Register of Historic Places in Mineral County, Nevada
427:"National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Aurora"
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The road to Aurora was once difficult to navigate except via
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Details on the California-Nevada border dispute of the 1860s
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Travel to Aurora was difficult, but the Mono Trail and the
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National Register of Historic Places listings in Nevada
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712:"William E. Carder: Aurora's assassinated gunfighter"
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Nevada place names : a geographical dictionary
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548:Annals of the Association of American Geographers
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454:. Reno: University of Nevada Press. p. 43.
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294:Nevada. At one point it was simultaneously the
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229:in the west central part of the US state of
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783:Pictures of Aurora from its heyday to 2004
646:. Berkeley, CA: Howell-North. p. 466.
502:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
237:, three miles from the California border.
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37:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
759:Nevada Atlas and Gazetteer, 2001, pg. 51
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312:Speaker of the California State Assembly
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592:Gunfighters Highwaymen & Vigilantes
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1183:Ghost towns in Mineral County, Nevada
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644:Nevada Ghost Towns & Mining Camps
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1198:Populated places established in 1860
1106:National Register of Historic Places
778:Horse-drawn hearse in Aurora, Nevada
401:National Register of Historic Places
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836:Municipalities and communities of
795:Historic photos and maps of Aurora
763:Historic American Buildings Survey
560:10.1111/j.1467-8306.1964.tb01780.x
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1223:Former county seats in California
1188:History of Mineral County, Nevada
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657:Federal Writers' Project (1941).
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944:Walker River Indian Reservation
719:Ecological 4Wheeling Adventures
677:Brean, Henry (April 27, 2009).
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481:. Oakland, California. p.
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316:Nevada Territorial Legislature
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1228:Former county seats in Nevada
660:Origin of Place Names: Nevada
528:. New York: Promontory Press.
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378:List of ghost towns in Nevada
115:Show map of the United States
18:United States historic place
7:
788:September 18, 2015, at the
765:(HABS) No. NV-11-17, "
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725:(6): 8, 33. Archived from
642:Paher, Stanley W. (1970).
450:Carlson, Helen S. (1985).
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800:Aurora, Esmeralda County
684:Las Vegas Review-Journal
623:. Western Mining History
524:Florin, Lambert (1971).
304:Esmeralda County, Nevada
588:McGrath, Roger (1984).
526:Ghost towns of the West
475:Thompson; West (1881).
300:Mono County, California
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1130:Hawthorne USO Building
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839:Mineral County, Nevada
710:Vargo, Cecile (2004).
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156:38.28917°N 118.89917°W
46:U.S. Historic district
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1063:United States portal
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90:Show map of Nevada
63:Aurora, circa 1934
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756:at GhostTowns.com
691:on April 30, 2009
478:History of Nevada
425:Wieprecht, W. E.
359:Notable residents
306:. Its California
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256:Early Aurora
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125:Nearest city
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954:Ghost towns
894:Walker Lake
854:County seat
488:February 7,
397:"NPS Focus"
308:assemblyman
296:county seat
278:Sonora Pass
159: /
147:118°53′57″W
135:Coordinates
1177:Categories
992:Eagleville
987:Candelaria
977:Belleville
461:087417094X
384:References
365:Mark Twain
223:ghost town
144:38°17′21″N
1037:Sodaville
1002:Lucky Boy
918:community
879:Hawthorne
861:Hawthorne
695:April 27,
498:cite book
235:Hawthorne
1007:Marietta
786:Archived
372:See also
310:was the
298:of both
187:74001147
1027:Rawhide
997:Kinkaid
967:Babbitt
627:May 13,
568:2561742
334:Decline
251:History
1125:Aurora
1114:Nevada
1042:Thorne
1032:Rhodes
972:Basalt
962:Aurora
926:Luning
889:Schurz
754:Aurora
600:
566:
458:
302:, and
231:Nevada
219:Aurora
29:Aurora
730:(PDF)
715:(PDF)
664:(PDF)
564:JSTOR
221:is a
172:Built
1022:Rand
1017:Omco
884:Mina
871:CDPs
738:2011
697:2009
629:2021
598:ISBN
504:link
490:2016
456:ISBN
434:2011
412:2011
289:Peak
175:1860
1108:in
556:doi
483:512
225:in
182:No.
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
