Dayton State Park is a state park

State park

State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...

 of 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...

, USA, preserving the site of the Rock Point Stamp Mill, which was built in 1861 to process 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....

 mined from the Comstock Lode

Comstock Lode

The Comstock Lode was the first major U.S. discovery of silver ore, located under what is now Virginia City, Nevada, on the eastern slope of Mount Davidson, a peak in the Virginia Range. After the discovery was made public in 1859, prospectors rushed to the area and scrambled to stake their claims...

. Located within the town of Dayton

Dayton, Nevada

Dayton is a census-designated place in Lyon County, Nevada, United States. The population was 5,907 at the 2000 census.-History:Dayton is at the western end of the Twenty-Six Mile Desert at a bend in the Carson River. Immigrants stopping there for water would consider whether to follow the river...

, it is in the Western Nevada Region of Nevada State Parks. The property was deeded to the state in 1954 under the management of the Nevada Department of Transportation

Nevada Department of Transportation

The Nevada Department of Transportation is a government agency in the U.S. state of Nevada. NDOT is responsible for maintaining and improving Nevada's highway system, which includes U.S. highways and Interstate highways within the state's boundaries. The department is notable for its...

, and was officially established as a state park in 1977.

Lower park

The park is separated into two distinct sections by U.S. Route 50

U.S. Route 50

U.S. Route 50 is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching just over from Ocean City, Maryland on the Atlantic Ocean to West Sacramento, California. Until 1972, when it was replaced by Interstate Highways west of the Sacramento area, it extended to San Francisco, near...

, which runs through the center of the park. The park's main entrance is in the "lower" or eastern portion which preserves a section of woodlands along the Carson River

Carson River

The Carson River is a northwestern Nevada river that empties into the Carson Sink, an endorheic basin. The main stem of the river is long....

. In 1997 the valley flooded and permanently changed the course of the river. It now runs significantly farther to the east than it once did. The former dry riverbed can still seen. Nature trails along the ever changing Carson River provide for bird and wildlife viewing. Day-use and group picnic areas and a 10-site campground are also located here.

Upper park

The "upper" or western section of the park can be accessed through a pedestrian tunnel that runs beneath U.S. 50 to the Rock Point Mill ruins. The Rock Point Stamp Mill was built in 1861 to process ore from Silver City

Silver City, Nevada

Silver City is a town in Lyon County, Nevada, USA, near the Lyon/Carson border. The population as of the 2000 census was 170....

 and Virginia City

Virginia City, Nevada

Virginia City is a census-designated place that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada. It is part of the Reno–Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 855 at the 2010 Census.- History :...

. Wooden flumes (the remains of which are also visible) provided the necessary water for the milling process from the nearby Carson River. Rock Point was one of the largest processing mills along the Carson River and was finally dismantled and moved to Silver City in 1920. The area was then used as the Dayton town garbage dump for the next 30 years.

Foundations are all that remain of the mill. Remnants of the garbage dump are visible as well as a section of the old U.S. 50.

Facilities

• 10 site campground
• Day use picnic areas
• Group use picnic pavilion (available for reservation)
• Nature trails
• Historic Rock Point Mill ruins