The traveler crossing northeastern Nevada will see countless black-tailed jackrabbits, large loping animals that seem to lunge out in front of passing vehicles. More hare than bunny, these tough-looking animals are built to survive harsh life among the desert plants.
In Lincoln County, there's a legend that a jackrabbit started a mine. Some 14 miles north of Pioche, Nevada stands the Jackrabbit state historical marker, incongruously blue and out of place. US-93, straight, fast and empty, bisects the Great Basin, USA's largest desert at 190,000 square miles. On either side of this divider grows a low, scrubby "forest," its juniper bushes adding muted green to the miles of arid brown. The marker tells an interesting tale.
The Founding of Royal City, Later Known as Jackrabbit
Local legend has it that the mine was founded in 1876 when one Isaac Newton Garrison picked up a rock to scare off a jackrabbit. It's fortunate that he looked down: the rock was full of high-quality silver.
Within months of the jackrabbit's lucky escape, the new Royal City camp was heaving with miners. The makeshift town had a smithy, a store, and place to eat and drink. Later, it received its own post office and the stagecoach stopped there, the last watering hole before it headed back to Pioche.
In Its Heyday, Silver From Jackrabbit Mine Sold at $2000 a Ton
At first, silver production was around ten tons a day. The metal sold at anything from $40 to around $2000 per ton for a total of $2 to $6 million over the mine's 17-year lifetime. The ore was milled in Pioche and Bristol, the latter of which gave its name to the mountain range where, on the eastern slopes, the silver was mined.
By the 1880s, the mine operations were winding down, and it looked like the end. Then, in 1891, the Jack Rabbit Road opened, a 15-mile narrow gauge railroad between the mine and Pioche. Operations wound back up again. This time the Jackrabbit name stuck, and today lives on as the Jackrabbit Mining District. This revival was brief, though, and 1893 saw the end, apart from a couple of two-year spurts in the early 20th century.
Jackrabbit the Ghost Town can Still be Visited
According to the Ghost Towns website, it is still possible to visit Jackrabbit (with permission&emdash;it's on private land). The traveler takes a mile of dirt road, visible from the historical marker, and should find fallen huts, a head frame, stone foundations and shafts. However, explorer beware: Do not go alone, and watch out for rattlesnakes, subsidence and history-changing jackrabbits.
Sources:
- Bristol Silver Mines, Inc.
- Nevada State Historical Preservation Office entry for Jackrabbit
- Touring Nevada: a Historic and Scenic Guide by Mary Ellen Glass, Al Glass
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