Crescent
[Not to be confused with Crescent City in Lincoln County]
As early as 1863, it is believed that Mexican miners removed some $500,000 in gold ore from what would later become the Crescent District, until July 1878 when a rogue group of Mormon settlers raided the camp and killed most of those working there. In 1894, prospecting resumed in the area and "Prospector Johnnie", a Native American, located turquoise that had long been harvested by Native tribes. That turquoise discovery became the Toltec Mine, which would produce until after the turn of the century.
New silver and gold finds in 1904 led to a small boom, with 300 claims staked during the next six months. The Crescent District was organized and the new Crescent townsite laid out in 1905; before long the townsite had a post office, six saloons, weekly newspaper (the Times) and a variety of other businesses. Ten mining companies and a few mills were active at Crescent's peak producing gold and turquoise, but after 1906 activity petered off and only intermittent work was done for the next several years. A brief revival in the 1930s prompted construction of a new mill for the Nippeno Mine, but only small scale work has occurred since.
