There are so many abandoned places in Nevada! This is a list of the top three abandoned places in Nevada. Browse through all abandoned places in Nevada
Nevada state prison is a deserted penitentiary in Carson City Nevada. Constructed in 1862, Nevada State Prison operated for one and a half-century before it was closed in 2012. The former prison now lies rotting with no hope of ever being used as a correctional institution soon.
Nevada state prison was built in 1862 as a designated maximum prison of Nevada state. It had a capacity of 800 but over the years it was expanded by the department of correction including an execution chamber within the prison (was the first and only prison with an execution chamber during that time). In 1867 and 1870, a fire outbreak destroyed some sections of the prison prompting the government to rebuild almost the whole prison into a better and more fortified prison. It is also in Nevada where prisoners were used to manufacturing number plates for the state of Nevada until when it was closed and the license was offered to another prison in the state.
The prison management opened a casino for the inmates within the prison called Bullpen when gambling became legal in the state of Nevada. The Bullpen which was constructed with no windows (a simple stoned room from ground to top), employed prisoners to run the activities in their casino. They also introduced a currency for them to use in place of dollars. Carl Hocker closed the bullpen when he was appointed as new warden and replaced gambling with activities such as playing sports and skill development like painting and woodwork.
At the time Nevada state prison was the only prison in the whole state with an execution chamber. Although they did not have an official method of conducting executions. At one point they conducted death by shooting and changed to lethal gas. Execution by shooting was inhumane that the warden at the time resigned as he never wanted to be part of it. Only one prisoner was ever executed by shooting. Lethal gas though it was not effective was used in most of the executions until lethal injection was introduced. Four guards also resigned when lethal gas was introduced as a form of execution method in the prison**.**
Over the years the prison ran smoothly with inmates doing productive activities. Inmates who felt like improving their education levels were given the opportunity as the prison offered collegiate courses through collaboration with local colleges. It also offered employment opportunities at the number plate manufacturing factory located within the facility. The prison was the licensed manufacturer of Nevada state number plates from 1920 to 2012.
The prison was closed permanently in 2012 after its debt of 880 million US dollars was too much for the institution to settle. Inmates were transferred to other facilities within the state and the prison was left to decay. The prison buildings still stand strong and are used as tourist attraction sites. Nevada state prison is open to the public to visit anytime.
Nelson ghost town is a deserted mining town in Clark County, Southern Nevada. It is known by many names Nelson ghost town, Eldorado canyon, and Nelson landing just to mention a few. It was located in Eldorado canyon in the Eldorado Mountain hence the name “Eldorado canyon”. Nelson landing is a cliff just past Nelson ghost town.
Nelson ghost town was discovered in late 1970 by Spanish explorers. Struggles to occupy the town started 8 decades later after the first gold and silver ores were recovered. Soon mining companies flocked to the region and several mines were established to exploit the rich canyon. Mining started soon after and the town became the first-ever major gold strike in the whole of Nevada. A steamboat called “Colorado city” was also introduced. It provided transportation from the canyon to other neighboring towns and cities.
Nelson town was known for its notoriety as being lawless and rough. One would say it was the wild west kind of town. Several killings were recorded in the town that it became normal. One of which was the constant killing of owners of the Techatticup mine. Its owners had internal disagreements that were taken too far to an extent of killing each other. Union and Confederate armies during the civil war also used the canyon as a hiding place from the military,
The introduction of railroads in the early 1900s accelerated the death of the town, the year it became operational, the steamboat went out of business. Most people preferred comfort offered by the train both in long and short distances. Closure of most mines followed afterward. Nelson town was completely deserted when a new town “Nelson town” as it is currently known was established and the Eldorado post office was relocated to the new town. Floods that hit the canyon in 1974 drove the nail home to the existence of the town. The remaining diehards in the town were forced to relocate. The floods claimed at least 9 lives of the locals that still lived in the town.
Most of the Nelson ghost town was destroyed by the floods and the remaining sections that never got much impact are still accessible. It is currently owned by Tony and Bobbie Werly who purchased the property in 1994. They renovated most of the salvageable buildings that were still standing after the floods including Techatticup Mine. The family offers tours at the Techatticup Mine for free of 15 dollars. The land is privately owned therefore no one is allowed to trespass unless given permission or is on a tour.
Concrete ruins are the remnants of the America Flats or United Comstock Merger Mill in Silver city, Nevada. It was the largest mill in an American city which was a mining town in the 1900s. It was abandoned years later after mineral ores were depleted.
After the gold rush that brought many from all around the world to Nevada to exploit its riches, a new city Virginia City was established. Later in the years, all the quality ores were depleted causing most of the mines to close down giving rise to a new mill, the united Comstock merger mill. Constructed in 1922, American Flats was a brainchild of two engineers Roy Hardy and Alex Wise who came up with a technology of using cyanide to extract gold and silver. The idea was funded by a local rancher and many other investors who saw potential in it. The mill, which occupied over 29 acres, closed down in 1926 only four years after it was opened.
American flats closed in 1926 after gold and silver prices dropped drastically making mining and milling extremely expensive. On top of it, organizers at the time of construction overestimated both the prices of the ores and the mining process. This later came to haunt them as the ores proved to be a daunting task to process due to their sticky nature. Owners of the mill finally saw no profit in the building and closed it in 1926. All valuables and machinery were detached and sold by the owners leaving metal and concrete ruins. The metal structures were also removed during World War leaving concrete ruins standing in despair.
The remaining ruins became a safety hazard to unexpecting teenagers and other visitors who trespassed on the property. Many got serious injuries from falling off the structures. Remains of cyanide in the area posed a threat as it is toxic when it is inhaled. The Bureau of Land Management fenced the property to keep away trespassers but this never worked.
After years of struggle to keep away trespassers, the bureau of land management decided to demolish the structures to put an end to the fatalities that came with it. American Flats were demolished in 2014 after they were deemed dangerous to the public.
What remains of the American Flats are concrete ruins that cover an extensive area. Though there isn't much to see or enjoy at the property, it is open to the public to visit and tour the place where the famous United Comstock Merger Mill stood for nearly a century.