Bluestone Mine
The Bluestone mine is the oldest mine in the Yerington District, and may have been worked as early as 1865. Before the turn of the century, the Bluestone reportedly provided copper sulfates to the mines on the Comstock, which was used for amalgamation. Despite this, no production records exist with the State.
In 1916, the Bluestone Mining and Smelting Company built a 100-ton magnetic concentrating plant and furnace. A 2½ mile spur was also built to connect the mine to the Nevada Copper Belt Railroad in Mason. The mill only operated for seven months. Production in 1916 was estimated at 600 tons per day, and in 1917 at 1000 tons per day, which was shipped along the Nevada Copper Belt Railroad to the smelter at Thompson. During this time, an elaborate electric tramway system was used to transport ore from the mine to the railroad spur. Before long, the mine declined, and in 1929 the spur line was abandoned.
