History

Today a historical marker commemorates Blair along State Route 265 just north of Silver Peak

Silver Peak, Nevada

Silver Peak is an unincorporated community in Esmeralda County, Nevada, United States. It lies along State Route 265 south of U.S. Route 6 and west of Goldfield, the county seat of Esmeralda County. Its elevation is 4,321 feet . Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the...

. At one time Blair was a thriving, albeit short-lived, mining boom town. As mining reached a fever pitch in Nevada during the Tonopah

Tonopah

Tonopah may refer to:* Tonopah, Arizona, United States* Tonopah, Nevada, United States* Tonopah Test Range, Nevada, United States* Monitor USS Nevada , renamed USS Tonopah in 1909....

 boom, the effects spidered out in all directions to revive many a dormant mining town. Nearby, in Silver Peak, land speculators were driving land prices so artificially high that the 100-stamp mill planned for Silver Peak was relocated and built a mile and a half west, where it became the hub of Blair. It was the Pittsburg-Silver Peak Gold Mining Company that was responsible for the large mill that went up in 1907; at the time it was Nevada's largest such facility. They constructed the 17 and half mile Silver Peak Railroad the previous year. Blair had a post office from 1906 to 1915.

By 1920, Blair was a ghost town

Ghost town

A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...

. Besides the historical marker the only reminders of the town are the remains of stone buildings and the foundation of the old mill.

External links

• Blair ghost town at ghosttowns.com. Includes photo gallery.