Big Creek, Birch Creek, Birds Nest, Black Diablo, Black Horse Districts

Publication Info:
Nevada Mining Districts (Compiled Reports)
The Districts Described in This Section are from the following publications:

Mining Districts of Nevada - Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology Report 47 (updated 1998); Placer Gold Deposits of Nevada - USGS Bulletin 1356 (1973)

Table of Contents

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

County: Pershing and Humboldt

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

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