Park Canyon
The small silver camp of Park Canyon was born in 1865 at the center of the North Twin River Mining District. Numerous mines flanked the east side of the Toiyabe Range, and until 1867 ore was shipped to Austin for milling. That July, the La Plata Company relocated a ten-stamp mill from Yankee Blade to Park Canyon, housing it in a brick and stone building. It operated for two years before closing, and Park Canyon was vacated.
A revival began in 1885 when the Buckeye and Giant mines were worked. An old mill from Jefferson was moved in, but it was difficult to process the ore and so the furnace from the Citizen's mill at Austin was moved in. The venture still proved to be a failure, and operations soon came to an end; the mill and furnace were ultimately sold for $500 in 1891.
Park Canyon's longest revival began in 1905, when work was done on the Brooklyn group by the Albion Millett Gold Mining Company. In 1911, that company sold its holdings to the Lucky Dick Gold Mining Company and the Smoky Valley Mining & Milling Company. The Nevada National Company started a new five-stamp mill in February 1912, which was only used until 1913. Meanwhile, J.W. Lonn restarted the old La Plata mill, but it too failed and by 1916 activity ceased. The Round Mountain Mining Company purchased the old equipment in 1920.
One final revival occurred from 1937 until 1941, when the Giant claim was again worked. This time, an 800-foot tram with a 10-ton ore bucket was erected to transport ore from the steep mountainside. By 1941, $12,000 was produced and again Park Canyon fell silent. Today, massive stone ruins of the old mill still stand, some of the most impressive in the entire state.
