BELMONT, NEVADA
A TOWN FULL OF HISTORY IN CENTRAL NEVADA
As I promised you in my about page, here is a picture for you and a little history behind the photo
Sitting at an elevation of 7424 feet, this photo shows a glimpse of the historic Belmont Courthouse in the quaint town of Belmont, Nevada. This little town with less than a dozen full time residents has had an extremely rich history. In October 1865 a rich deposit of silver was discovered in the nearby Toquima Mountain range. By the beginning of 1866 the mining rush had begun and Belmont’s population grew from just a handful to upwards of 10,000 people. Belmont grew so big that it was named the county seat of Nye County. The courthouse a majestic two story brick building was completed in 1874 has withstood the test of time.
By 1868 Belmont had a post office, more than a hundred businesses including hotels, restaurants, a bank and of course saloons. Six mills were working to keep up with the mining boom. Belmont also had three newspapers to keep up with the number of murders and lynching’s.
By 1878 the Belmont boom was starting to slow down and the mining equipment was beginning to be moved out. 1889 saw the last of most of its businesses and residents leave and the last remaining newspaper shut its doors in 1901. Belmont was the home to many notable people including Tasker Oddie, who was the 12th governor of Nevada and a United States Senator. Eventually the county seat was moved to the town of Tonopah and just a handful of people remained in Belmont.
Belmont is located 40 miles north of Tonopah, nestled amongst the hills and pine trees, there are still remnants of the old mills and businesses that once graced the streets of this little town. There are no stores or gas stations in Belmont so if you plan to visit be sure to have extra gas and food with you.
I, at one time, lived about 30 miles up the dirt road beyond Belmont at a mining camp called North Umberland. I would pass through Belmont on my way into town to do grocery shopping, some seventy miles from my house. I was living there when I went into labor with my first son that was certainly a long ride to the hospital.
If you ever want to just get away and enjoy the outdoors stop by and visit Belmont. Spring and summers are amazing, the fall colors glorious and winters are crisp and cold with lots of snow. See you there sometime!
