Explore the rich history of Nevada’s first eastern mining boom using historic maps and photographs. Learn how the 1867 silver discovery of Treasure Hill in White Pine Mining District launched one of the most intense mining rushes in American history, which would help establish Hamilton by May 1868.

The mining boom was intensive because it was the first discovery after the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, allowing easy transportation to the site.

Hamilton, Nevada, was established in May 1868, and it grew rapidly as a bustling mining town, becoming the first county seat of White Pine County in 1869. This was a short-lived silver stampede, 1868 – 1869. Reasons for the decline included the silver was only shallow, two fires destroyed the main portion of the town, and then the courthouse; the county seat was moved to Ely in 1887.