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�� Silver Peak: Never a Ghost Town Interviewee: Twenty-three people with firsthand memories of Silver Peak, Nevad Interviewed: 1996 Published: 2002 Interviewer: Victoria Ford UNOHP Catalog #192 Description This is the story of Silver Peak, a small mining community in Esmeralda County, Nevada. As with many towns tied to mining, it has suffered the booms and busts that are inherent in the industry, but the difference with Silver Peak is that it has weathered them all and stood its ground in the desert. Approaches to studying history vary, and one of the most exciting aspects of this book is its use of sources— archaeological discoveries, archival records, and oral history interviews. This unique combination offers something more than a list of events, names, and dates. Information on Silver Peak’s earliest history was drawn from newspapers, legal documents, letters, business files, and archaeological reports. More recent history, from the 1930s onward, really comes alive through the oral histories that were conducted for this project. Chroniclers recounted not only the serious business of mining and keeping a town afloat but also humorous stories about community life at the place they fondly referred to as “The Peak.” This combination of sources provides a vast array of information on Silver Peak and addresses some of the following questions: Why did Silver Peak survive when other Nevada mining towns did not? What role was played by investors, individuals, families, and advances in technology? How was Silver Peak alike or different from other mining communities? The resulting story is told in this engaging look at a community that has met its challenges head on and has remained vibrant—and never a ghost town. The Silver Peak oral history project was sponsored by Mineral Ridge Resources, Inc. (MRRI) in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management and the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office. The project was part of MRRI’s permitting process before open-pit mining operations started in 1996 at the sites of the historic Mary, Drinkwater, Oromonte, and Gordon-Brodie mines. Two publications have resulted from this project: a research volume containing the oral histories that was published by the UNOHP in 2000, entitled Silver Peak: At Work, At Play, and At Home, and this book, Silver Peak: Never a Ghost Town. S ILVER P EAK S ILVER P EAK NEVER A GHOST TOWN BY VICTORIA FORD UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM 2002 Publication of Silver Peak: Never a Ghost Town was supported in part by Mineral Ridge Resources, Inc., and the Verne Foster Memorial Fund Copyright 2002 University of Nevada Oral History Program Reno, Nevada 89557 All rights reserved. Published 2002 Printed in the United States of America ISBN: 1-56475-378-6 Publication Staff: Director: R. T. King Assistant Director: Mary Larson Production Manager: Kathleen M. Coles Senior Production Assistant: Linda Sommer Production Assistant: Kathryn Wright-Ross Contents Preface vii Introduction xi PART I: EARLY HISTORY, 1863-1928 1 Early Entrepreneurs, 1863-1906 4 2 The Pittsburg Era, 1906-1928 29 PART II: THE VOLLMAR YEARS, 1928-1942 3 Fred Vollmar Jr. 53 4 The Mines 65 5 The Mills 103 6 Community Life 123 7 The Families 153 PART III: WORLD WAR II AND THE POST-WAR ERA, 1942-1990 8 War and Quiet Times, 1942-1970 197 9 New Life, New Challenges, 1970-1990 223 10 The Future 253 vi Glossary 281 Contents Index 287