Big Creek District
Overview
Other Names: Big Canyon
County: Lander
Commodities: antimony, gold, silver, barite
Comments
Located on the west side of the central Toiyabe Range 12 miles south of Austin. Big Creek includes the northern part of the historic Big Canyon district which extended south into Nye County, and is south of the historic Simpsons Park district.
References
General Land Office, 1866; Stretch, 1867, p. 97; White, 1871, p. 44; Angel, 1881, p. 473; Lincoln, 1923, p. 109; Stoddard, 1932, p. 49; Vanderburg, 1939, p. 35; Lawrence, 1963, p. 100; Stewart and others, 1977, p. 67
Birch Creek District
Overview
Other Names: Simpsons Park, Big Smoky, Smoky Valley
County: Lander
Discovered: 1865
Commodities: gold, tungsten, uranium, silver, lead, copper, molybdenum, beryllium, arsenic
Comments
The Birch Creek district is located on the eastern slope of the Toiyabe Range about 10 miles southeast of Austin. The district includes the eastern part of the historic Simpsons Park district. The historic Smoky Valley district was actually south of the Simpsons Park district, but Lincoln (1923) and Stewart and others (1977) used Big Smoky and Smoky Valley as alternate names for Birch Creek.
References
General Land Office, 1866; Stretch, 1867, p. 98; Lincoln, 1923, p. 109; Stoddard, 1932, p. 49; Vanderburg, 1939, p. 36; Griffiths, 1964, p. 72-73; La Heist, 1964, p. 66; Garside, 1973, p. 64-66; Stewart and others, 1977, p. 72; Stager and Tingley, 1988, p. 98
Birch Creek Placer District
Birch Creek prospect is on the eastern flank of the Toiyabe Range, southeast of Austin. Gold, silver, and lead occur in granitic rocks and adjacent metamorphic rocks of the area. Before 1938, shafts were sunk in the gravels of Birch Creek at the edge of the range (sees. 34 and 35, T. 18 N., R. 44 E.) to explore for placer gold; but the results were discouraging, and no recovery of placer gold was reported from the area.
Literature: Vanderburg, 1939. Stewart and McKee, 1968.
Birds Nest District
Overview
County: Nye
Discovered: 1905
Active: 1905
Commodities: gold, silver
Comments
Described as “a district hitherto but little heard of, has suddenly jumped into prominence. This new camp is known as the Bird’s Nest district, located about four miles east of the Stonewall Range, less than a mile from the Gold Center road. . . . “This may be a variant for the Gold Crater district, but the exact location is unknown.
References
Goldfield News, April 21, 1905
Black Diablo District
Overview
Other Names: Polkinghorn
Discovered: 1900
Commodities: manganese
Comments
Located on the east flank of the Sonoma Range, on the Pershing-Humboldt county line.
References
U.S. Bureau of Mines, 1952, p. 606; Johnson, 1977, p. 55
Black Horse District
Overview
Other Names:
County: Esmeralda and a href="https://westernmininghistory.com/mine_county/nevada/mineral/">Mineral
Commodities: tungsten, barite, silver, gold
Comments
Located on the south flank of Miller Mountain between U.S. Highway 6 on the south, the Esmeralda-Mineral county line on the north and west, and the Columbus salt marshes on the east. The district extends a short distance into Mineral County.
References
Albers and Stewart, 1972, p. 64; Papke, 1984, p. 68; Stager and Tingley, 1988, p. 66
Black Horse District
Overview
Other Names: Silver Canyon
County: White Pine
Discovered: 1870 (1905)
Commodities: gold, silver, lead, tungsten, copper, zinc
Comments
The Black Horse district is located in the northern Snake Range, east of Sacramento Pass. The district extends from U.S. Highway 50 in Sacramento Pass northeast to the drainage of Silver Creek on the southwestern slope of Mount Moriah. The Silver Canyon district, mentioned in the Territorial Enterprise (1870), and described as being located on the east slope of the Snake Range 10 miles due east of the Warren district, was probably in this area.
References
Territorial Enterprise, May 1, 1870; Hill, 1912, p. 226; Lincoln, 1923, p. 242; Stoddard, 1932, p. 86; Hose and others, 1976, p. 46; Stager and Tingley, 1988, p. 207
