Apple Maps routed us from Reno to Las Vegas through an industrial park on USA Parkway. The streets were named for countries. A sign warned us of a detour ahead because Denmark was closed. We zigzagged our way through radish fields and past onion pickers. We smelled onions for many miles thereafter.
Continuing traveling down the west side of Nevada, we stopped in Tonopah at the Tonopah Historic Mining Park. It’s located on the site of the original strike which refreshed interest in Nevada as a state.
We were the only visitors that morning. Started our visit with a 20-minute video at the visitor center. It provided the history of the mines.
I took lots of photos… of instruments and mining equipment. So this gallery is definitely an engineer’s perspective.
-
- Vault. Not where the silver was kept. It was smelted onsite and store in a reinforced concrete building.
-
- Vault within a vault.
-
- HO scale model of mining trains.
-
- Telescope used in conjunction with Alidade (next photo).
-
- Alidade.
-
- Alidade details.
-
- 500-foot “chain.”
-
- Details of chain.
-
- Mizpah Mine Hoist House and steel headframe.
-
- One of the first steel headframes.
-
- Hoist to lower miners and bring up silver ore.
-
- View of the hoist chain.
-
- Electric motor to drive hoist. Originally they used a gas engine.
-
- Hoist control.
-
- Huge capacitor?
-
- Electrical contactor.
-
- Control panel,
-
- Control panel nameplate,
-
- The Mizpah Mine was located by Belle Butler, the site finder’s wife. Separating from the other partners she named it after the events in Genesis 31.
-
- We made one more stop in Nevada… at the Area 51 Alien Center (gas, c-store, gift shop, diner, and brothel).
