Manhattan "The Pine Tree Camp" |
"Nope. This Manhattan is no Big Apple. Manhattan completes the famous "Nye County Trio" of mining girls ... Ione, Belmont, and Manhattan, all of which can be accessed in a full day's drive on dirt roads. Begin in Ione, hit Manhattan, and finish off in Belmont? Next time. Next year. Every time I visit an occupied old mining town, I like to capture one piece of remembrance best signifying the place and well, Manhattan's claim to fame is the town's original wooden church. 1905. This one is arguably the best preserved church in Nevada and to top it off, rumor has it the original wooden pews inside of the church are made from many of the surrounding pinion pines that carpet the canyon! Obtaining this shot was tricky because the church is perched on a steep embankment. For a full wide-angle, I had to clamber below the church and focus upwards, grasping the side of the mountain with one hand so I wouldn't barrel downhill! Manhattan has a year-round population of thirty two people, many of them mine workers at Round Mountain or retirees from Reno and Tonopah. When asked why they live here, the most common response ... "Why not?"" -- Journal Entry, April 2008
Original Date Visited: 4/15/08
Signed: Both lanes of SR 376
Exact Description:
A Manhattan Mining District to the northeast was first organized in 1867, and some tunnel mining was done. The place name persisted in local use and was adopted in 1905 when John Humphrey found gold at the foot of "April Fool Hill," near the old stage route. A typical boom followed. A post office was started late in 1905, and the camp soon had telegraph, telephone, utilities and businesses. Transport was to Tonopah and the railroad at Sodaville.
The 1906 San Francisco earthquake stopped mining investment. As a result, most of the productive work here was by lessees. The gold strikes were in ore and placer, and by 1909 there were 13 mines and 16 placers. Some of the operations were the Big Four, Litigation Hill Merger, Stray Dog, September Fraction and White Caps. Hydraulic placering started in 1909. In 1938, dredging began, continuing 13 years. Over $10,000,000 was produced.
"Manhattan always was a good camp."
The historic one-room church at Manhattan.
Related Links & Markers
Manhattan, Nevada: "Wild Nevada"Have you been to this marker? Tell us all about it here!