In this trail adventure, we'll take you to the old town sites and mines of La Panta, Pamlico, Garfield, Sodaville, Rhodes, Belleville, Columbus, Candelaria, and Metallic City. At the beginning of this trip, the last place to get supplies and fill the gas tank before hitting the trail is the town of Hawthorne, so this is where we will stage and begin our adventure.
Hawthorne is located at the junction of U.S. 359 and U.S. 95, 312 miles north of Las Vegas and 135 miles south of Reno. Gas and lodging are readily available here, making it a good starting point. It also possesses a rich history of its own. Over the years, Hawthorne has changed sizes repeatedly, usually in accordance with military conflicts. It was initially established as a shipping point for the mines. However, in the 1930s, it became one of the largest military ammunition storage facilities in the country. Because of the ammunition depot, Hawthorne has never gone the way of the ghost town. Gas, hotels, and RV parks are readily available.
After topping off the tank and loading the supplies, start your adventure by heading to the town of La Panta. From Hawthorne, drive south on U.S. 95 for approximately 8 miles, then turn right onto Garfield Flats Road. After about four miles, you will arrive at La Panta (38 degrees 29' 00" N/118 degrees 27' 00" W), which is where we hit the trail to Pamlico. At this point there are some old mining ruins to explore from the La Panta Mine, which was in operation in the 1870s and 1880s.
After checking out the mine ruins, travel southwest on this trail past the Sunset Mine. You will stay on this trail for approximately 3 miles until you arrive at the remains of Pamlico (38 degrees 27' 58" N/118 degrees 28' 59" W). Pamlico came to life with the founding of the Pamlico and La Panta mines. These two mines were credited with producing more than one million dollars in gold and remained viable well into the 1920s. In the 1930s, the mill was dismantled and moved to a new location, and the town was abandoned. Today, all that remains in Pamlico are the ruins of the mine and a few foundations.
Once you are done exploring this area, go back down the trail to Garfield Flat Road approximately 11 miles. At this point, you will see a trail going straight while the road veers to the left. Take this trail approximately 1 mile (38 degrees 22' 30" N/118 degrees 16' 53" W). This is the ghost town of Garfield. Silver was discovered here in the 1880s, and for a few years the Garfield mine was in full operation. In the 1890s, a 10-stamp mill was built nine miles south (38 degrees 20' 30"N/118 degrees 15' 45" W) near the Garfield Spring. Today the mill is gone, but foundations still remain.
From here we travel south to the town of Mina via Garfield Flat Road. At Mina, turn south on 95 and travel about 3.25 miles, then go east on the desert trail for 0.25 miles to the original town of Sodaville (38 degrees 20' 26" N/118 degrees 05' 49" W).
Sodaville was originally named Soda Springs in the late 1800s. In the winter of 1901, it became a busy train terminal for the Carson & Colorado railroad and was renamed Sodaville. As time went on, this town became a major shipping point for the mines in the Goldfield and Tonopah areas. In 1904, Tonopah Railroad opened its own rail service, bypassing Sodaville. In 1905, the Carson & Colorado railroad stopped its service and the town of Sodaville evaporated.
Today, some buildings from the early 1900s still remain, along with the foundation of the Silver Dyke Tungsten Mill. About 500 yards to the east you can find the walls and foundation of the Mount Diablo Mill, built in the 1880s. To the west of U.S. 95 you will also find several trails that lead to various mines in the Thunder Mountain area. These include the Maryann, Gem, Kernick, Silver Dyke, Grassi, and Fottler mines.
Once you've finished exploring this area, head back to U.S. 95 and proceed south to the next stop. Here you'll find the town site of Rhodes. It is 4 miles south of the Sodaville trail on U.S. 95. Next, go 0.25 miles east on the trail to the town site of Rhodes (38 degrees 17' 00" N/118 degrees 05' 30" W). Rhodes was founded near a salt marsh in 1862. The salt was shipped from Rhodes to Virginia City via camels for use in the mills. However, a closer source of salt was located in Sand Springs in 1863 and business slowed.
Rhodes still supplied salt for the mills of Aurora, Belmont, and Belleville. In 1881, Rhodes also began shipping Borax to Alameda, California, for refining. In 1893, a post office was built and operated continuously until 1911 when business finally slowed enough to doom the town to oblivion.
Today, all that remains is the salt loading tower and a single building, along with the huge Rhodes salt marsh. All other traces have vanished. In the late 1880s, the town of Rhodes declared that it had enough salt to preserve the world, but it in the end it was not enough to save the town.
From here, head back to U.S. 95, then go south approximately 10 miles to the junction with highway 360 and pull over. Head south on 360 for about 5 miles and you'll find a trail heading east. After a quarter mile or so, you'll reach the town of Belleville (38 degrees 13' 17" N/118 degrees 11' 00" W).
In 1873, the Northern Belle Mine Company of Candelaria built a 20-stamp silver mill at this location. Within a year, the town had been founded and a post office established. By 1876, another 20-stamp mill had been built above the town of Belleville. With more than 400 citizens, the town boasted several saloons, hotels, restaurants, stables, and a jockey club. All of these businesses made their money off the miners working in Candelaria. In the 1880s, the Northern Belle Mine Company built a pipeline to Candelaria from the White Mountains so it could build a mill closer to the mines.
The competition spelled the end for Belleville, and by the late 1880s it had disappeared. Today you can still see the large mill foundations, several cellars, old residences, and a few graves.
From here, head back to highway 360 and go south to Candelaria Junction (38' degrees 10' 00" N/118 degrees 11' 10" W). Stay left, and follow the gravel road approximately 6 miles to the town site of Candelaria (38 degrees 09' 25" N/118 degrees 04' 42" W). If you keep your eyes open, you will see all kinds of trails leading off this main road that will take you to other sites.
The mining operations around Candelaria were originally established by a group of Spanish prospectors in 1863. However, the veins were not really worked until 1873 when the Northern Belle mine began production. In August of 1876, the town site was laid out below the mine and the boom began. By September that same year, the town already had a post office, two hotels, a couple of restaurants, and several saloons. With the mine producing an average of one million dollars a year, the mining company started paying its stockholders dividends. By 1883, the town had a bank, telegraph, school, and newspaper.
Even in its best days, though, Candelaria was a terrible place to live. The temperatures were scorching, and a continuous hot, dry wind kept the town awash in dust. Because law enforcement was scarce, the town quickly became known as one of Nevada's toughest mining camps.
In 1883, a fire, fed by the constant wind, consumed a large portion of Candelaria. Due to legal difficulties the following year, the Northern Belle mines and the Holmes mines merged. In 1885, a summer-long strike by miners resulted in another slow year of production. By 1892, the town was done and slowly slipped into history.
Today, there is still some active mining in the area, so read and obey the posted signs. The town itself is full of remains. Several buildings and rock ruins remain, along with some wooden cabins built into the hill to protect them from the wind. There is also a cemetery to explore that speaks volumes about the history of the town.
Once you're done exploring this site, head back to U.S. 95. The nearest supplies north are located in Mina; the nearest supplies south are in Tonopah.