Crystal Springs, Nevada
Encyclopedia
Crystal Springs is a ghost town
in the Pahranagat Valley
region of Lincoln County
, Nevada
. The ghost town is located at the junction of SR 318
and SR 375
, also known as the Extraterrestrial Highway. It is a popular destination for passersby who want to visit the towns of Hiko
and Rachel
. The namesake of the ghost town, the Crystal Springs, lies nearby; it is a large group of marshes and springs. Crystal Springs provides irrigation for multiple nearby ranches and farms, some of which lie over 5 miles away from the springs.
The ghost town is marked as Nevada Historical Marker 5 (Crystal Springs).
village. The springs provided water for people traveling the Mormon Trail
.
In 1865, Crystal Springs was the first area in Lincoln County where mining grade silver
ore
was discovered. This led to Crystal Springs becoming the first county seat of Lincoln County from 1866 to 1867, although it was later replaced by Hiko.
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...
in the Pahranagat Valley
Pahranagat Valley
The Pahranagat Valley is a Tonopah Basin landform in Lincoln County, Nevada.The more fertile part of Pahranagat Valley is a narrow ribbon of green like an oasis in the vast Nevada desert...
region of Lincoln County
Lincoln County, Nevada
Lincoln County is a county located in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2000 census, the population was 4,165. Its county seat is Pioche.-History:...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. The ghost town is located at the junction of SR 318
Nevada State Route 318
State Route 318 runs from U.S. Route 93 at Crystal Springs, Nevada north to a location on U.S. Route 6 approximately southwest of Ely. It is often used as a shortcut between Ely and Las Vegas....
and SR 375
Nevada State Route 375
State Route 375 is a state highway in south-central Nevada in the United States. The highway stretches from State Route 318 at Crystal Springs northwest to U.S. Route 6 at Warm Springs. The route travels through mostly unoccupied desert terrain, with much of its alignment paralleling the...
, also known as the Extraterrestrial Highway. It is a popular destination for passersby who want to visit the towns of Hiko
Hiko, Nevada
Hiko, Nevada, is a small, agrarian community of the Tonopah Basin on State Route 318 in Lincoln County, Nevada. At one time Hiko was the county seat, and a few hundred residents lived nearby, due largely to silver mines in the area...
and Rachel
Rachel, Nevada
Rachel is an unincorporated portion of Lincoln County, Nevada. As the closest habitation to the Nellis Air Force Range and Area 51, Rachel enjoys a modest celebrity, particularly among aviation enthusiasts and UFO hunters....
. The namesake of the ghost town, the Crystal Springs, lies nearby; it is a large group of marshes and springs. Crystal Springs provides irrigation for multiple nearby ranches and farms, some of which lie over 5 miles away from the springs.
The ghost town is marked as Nevada Historical Marker 5 (Crystal Springs).
History
The earliest reported uses of the spring were by an IndianIndigenous peoples of the Americas
The indigenous peoples of the Americas are the pre-Columbian inhabitants of North and South America, their descendants and other ethnic groups who are identified with those peoples. Indigenous peoples are known in Canada as Aboriginal peoples, and in the United States as Native Americans...
village. The springs provided water for people traveling the Mormon Trail
Mormon Trail
The Mormon Trail or Mormon Pioneer Trail is the 1,300 mile route that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled from 1846 to 1868...
.
In 1865, Crystal Springs was the first area in Lincoln County where mining grade silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
ore
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
was discovered. This led to Crystal Springs becoming the first county seat of Lincoln County from 1866 to 1867, although it was later replaced by Hiko.
External links
- Nevada State Historic Preservation Office
- Ghosttowns.com
- Text of the Historical Marker, at the website of the Nevada Historic Preservation Office, nevadaculture.org