Abstract
The Tonopah, Nevada Mining Town Photograph Album (approximately 1908) consists of twenty-two photographs in a leather-bound album. The photographs depict businesses, townspeople, street scenes, and mining operations in Tonopah, Nevada and the surrounding areas of Goldfield, Nevada and Mina, Nevada. Also included are photographs of a fire on May 12, 1908 that destroyed a block of commercial buildings in Tonopah, which were taken by local photographer E. W. Smith., and views of the downtown area both before and after the fire.
Finding Aid PDF
Date
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Related People/Corporations
Scope and Contents Note
The Tonopah, Nevada Mining Town Photograph Album (approximately 1908) consists of twenty-two photographs in a leather-bound album. The photographs depict businesses, townspeople, street scenes, and mining operations in Tonopah, Nevada and the surrounding areas of Goldfield, Nevada and Mina, Nevada. Also included are photographs of a fire on May 12, 1908 that destroyed a block of commercial buildings in Tonopah, and views of the downtown area both before and after the fire. The photographs of the Tonopah fire were taken by local photographer E. W. Smith. Smith documented Tonopah and its surrounding areas during the early part of the twentieth century.
Access Note
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Materials in this collection may be protected by copyrights and other rights. See Reproductions and Use on the UNLV Special Collections and Archives website for more information about reproductions and permissions to publish.
Arrangement
Materials remain in original order.
Biographical / Historical Note
The mining town of Tonopah, Nevada was first settled in 1900 following the discovery of silver by Jim Butler. The town was fairly primitive until the construction of a railroad began in 1903. After the railroad’s completion in 1904, Tonopah’s population grew immensely and large mining companies formed. Tonopah became the seat of Nye County in 1905. In 1908 and 1909, a series of fires destroyed prominent commercial blocks and railroad buildings. Despite these setbacks, the town continued to grow, and between 1910 and 1914 Tonopah’s mines reached their highest levels of production. Two of Tonopah’s largest mines were destroyed by fire between 1939 and 1942, leaving only two operating silver mines in the area. When the Tonopah and Goldfield Railroad shut down in 1947, the two remaining mines closed as well, effectively ending Tonopah’s main industry.
Sources:
Michel, Peter. “Exhibit Highlight - Images in Silver: Photography of Goldfield, America’s Last Great Gold Rush.” Accessed December 31, 2019. https://www.library.unlv.edu/whats_new_in_special_collections/2014/06/exhibit-highlight-images-silver-photography-goldfield
UNLV Digital Collections. “Tonopah.” Accessed December 31, 2019. http://digital.library.unlv.edu/boomtown/counties/nye.php#tonopah
Preferred Citation
Tonopah, Nevada Mining Town Photograph Album, approximately 1908. PH-00411. Special Collections and Archives, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Las Vegas, Nevada.
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Acquisition Note
The item was purchased in 2019; accession number 2019-022.
Processing Note
In 2019, Lauren Paljusaj processed the collection, wrote the finding aid, and entered the data into ArchivesSpace. A protective clamshell box was made by the Preservation Lab to house the photograph album.