Twin River District

Twin River District

Overview

Other Names: Millett, Millets, North Twin River, South Twin River, Marysville

County: Nye

Discovered: 1863

Commodities: silver, gold, lead, zinc, tungsten, antimony, molybdenum

Comments

Historically included only the area of Ophir Canyon, on the eastern slope of the Toiyabe Range. Kral (1951) included the North Twin River (Millett) district in his large Twin River district. Present district extends from the western slope of the Toiyabe Range, across the summit to the eastern range front and includes the southern part of the historic Marysville district.

Todd and Welton (1866) placed the historic Maryville district on the west side of the Toiyabe Range, including the west portion of the present Millett and Twin River districts. The South Twin River of Todd and Welton (1866) was located in the Toiyabe Range south of the Twin River district; it is now included in the Twin River district

References

Todd and Welton, 1866; Stretch, 1867, p. 59-61; Whitehill, 1873, p. 106; Lincoln, 1923, p. 194; Stoddard, 1932, p. 72; Kral, 1951, p. 178; Lawrence, 1963, p. 141; Bonham, 1976; Schilling, 1976; Kleinhampl and Ziony, 1984, p. 195; Stager and Tingley, 1988, p. 153

Twin River (Millett) Placer District Description

Location

East and west flanks of the Toiyabe Range at Ophir and Crane Canyons, T. 13 N., Rs. 41 and 42 E.

Topographic Maps

Round Mountain 30-minute quadrangle.

Geologic Maps

Ferguson and Cathcart, 1954, Geologic map of the Round Mountain quadrangle, Nevada, scale 1:125,000.

Access

From Tonopah, 65 miles north on State Highway 8a to dirt road leading west to Ophir Canyon; this road continues across the Toiyabe Range paralleling Ophir Creek and Clear Creek, half a mile south of Crane Canyon.

Extent

Small placers occur in gravels near the eastern range front along Ophir Canyon (approximately sec. 34, T. 13 N., R. 42 E.) and along Crane Creek, on the west side of the range (T. 13 N., R. 41 E.).

Production History

Placer gold was first credited to the district in 1910. The placers described here were located and prospected during the period 1946-47, but no production was recorded for 1946-47.

Source

Small gold veins occur at various localities throughout this area, but the major producing mine was the Murphy or Ophir, a silver mine in Ophir Canyon. Near the Murphy mine, high-grade gold ore occurs in a narrow quartz vein, and near-surface ores reportedly yielded ap- preciable quantities of gold. The placer gold was probably derived from this type of deposit.

Literature

Krai, 1951: Locates small placers below mouth of Ophir Canyon.

Mining World, 1947: Reports plans of Natomas Co. to test gravels in Crane Creek; notes placer discovery the previous summer (1946) in Ophir Canyon in this same area.