1959 Map of Ely

About this map

White Pine County and the high basins of eastern Nevada are defined by a rhythmic succession of north-south mountain ranges and expansive valleys. In the heart of this landscape, the copper mining district surrounding Ely remains the primary hub of activity, with the Nevada Northern railroad line connecting the smelter at McGill to the mines at Ruth, Kimberly, and Lane. This 1959 survey documents the region's industrial footprint alongside the fading traces of nineteenth-century silver booms. To the west, the ghost towns of the White Pine District, including Hamilton, Treasure City, Shermantown, and Eberhardt, are marked as ruins on the slopes of Mount Hamilton. These clustered settlements, once thriving mining centers, illustrate the boom-and-bust cycle of the Great Basin frontier. From the Goshute Indian Reservation in the northeast to the high reaches of Wheeler Peak in the Snake Range, the map details a landscape of isolated ranches like Thompson Ranch and Maggini Ranch scattered across vast distances.