Fairview was part of the renewed interest of mining, triggered by the strikes in Tonopah and Goldfield. Fairview is the name of a peak, a fault line, and of course, a long-defunct mining camp two miles south of US 50 on the Fallon Naval Air Base, thirty miles east of Fallon. Discoveries in 1905 of a rich silver float led to a boom that lasted through 1906 and 1907.
History
Fairview is often referred to as the town that wouldn't stay put. The first site was on a large, flat piece of ground that provided ample room for building expansion when needed. Immediately, the populace grew weary of commuting so far to the mines and mills. As a result, residents moved everything except the solid stone and concrete bank vault, the most imposing structure in town. Fairview changed locations twice, once to move closer to the mines and mills in which the town's residents worked, and once because the town outgrew the narrow canyon in which the second town was sited. This "second town" was platted in the narrow canyon a couple of miles nearer the working area. When the town grew again, Fairview was moved again for the last time and was placed around the mill. George Wingfield and George Nixon, prominent Nevada mining promoters at the time, bought some of the first claims in Fairview to give impetus to a boom. It was then that Fairview grew substantially peaking with a population of about two thousand people. The town would quickly boast 27 saloons, 8 hotels, 3 banks, 2 assay offices, a newspaper, a post office and a miner's union hall. Its glory was short, though. By 1908, the boom had passed and production leveled out. During 1911, the Nevada Hills Mining Company began an era of profitable milling that lasted until 1917. Fairview's total production amounted to 3.8 million dollars in silver values.
History Status: Ghost Town
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How to Get Here:
Yes, once there were many streets of houses and buildings at this place. As time and circumstance would have it, the town's most prominent structure is still standing and is the last remaining vestige of Fairview. The bank vault can easily be seen from the highway ... and that might be all you get to see. Fairview has been completely engrossed by the Fallon Naval Air Base and its location within the NAS has led to the town's very demise, one that began in the late 1980s. The town's picturesque ruins were felled by several "practice runs" by airmen on "training" exercises. Even the bank vault has been tattered with bullet holes left from airmen using the structure as target practice. Regardless of my feelings, Fairview's bank vault can still be accessed providing you have the determination to do so. The bank vault is accessed by walking thirty minutes on a faint trail that leads from the turnout along US 50 (Historical Marker 202) to the base of Fairview Peak. That's the easy part. Knowing that the site of Fairview resides on government property means that permission is required to visit the old town. That's the hard part. Unless you get direct approval from an airbase official, permission might be granted after going through a thorough background check and a call to the Fallon NAS. Still, nothing is guaranteed. Although this might sound redundant, I need to advise that even crossing the barbed wire behind the marker can lead to trespassing penalties including and up to federal imprisonment. To obtain permission to access this wild area of Nevada, please check with the main airbase in Fallon. Good luck!
* No Trespassing *
Population: None
Founded: March 1905
A ghost town site in central Churchill County, 30 miles east of Fallon.