Mills Along the Carson River

Nestled along the picturesque Carson River in the state of Nevada were the quartz mills that crushed and extracted the values from the Comstock ore. These mills were built starting in 1859, when gold and silver were discovered on the Comstock, with the last mill being demolished around the 1920s. Mills were huge plants, in many cases crushing tons of ore a day, sometimes seven days a week. To support these mills, the towns of Empire and Dayton were established to house workers and provide needed supplies. Remnants of these mills have all but disappeared, and in a few more years, there will be nothing to remind people of the wealth these establishments created for individuals, the state of Nevada, and the United States.

Author Daniel "Dan" D. Webster has lived in Carson City, Nevada, since 1975 and has his own mine and mill for processing quartz ore. He has done considerable research on the milling techniques and processes for recovering the values in the quartz ore. He has researched the Carson River mills for over 10 years and helped research Nevada History Through Glass: The Nevada Bottle Book. He helped research and write The History of the Pasadena Fire Department. The photographs and images are courtesy of museums, historical societies, and private collections.