Potosi or Potosi Camp, was called Crystal City in the 1870s, a mining
ghost town in
Clark County, Nevada. It lies at an elevation of 5705 feet.
History
The
Potosi Mine is thought to be the site of the oldest lode mine in Nevada. Its
lead deposits were discovered in 1847 but it was not until 1856 that Mormon miners from their colony of
Las Vegas Springs began a lead mine there. Operations ceased in 1857 after 9,000 lbs of lead were extracted due to difficulties in smelting the ore.
Nothing further was done with the mine until 1861. That year the Colorado Mining Company, began to mine
silver in the Potosi Mine. They first set up a large smelter at
Potosi Spring Potosà or Potosi may refer to:
Places United States
* Potosi, Missouri, in Washington County
* Potosi, Nevada, a ghost town in Clark County, Nevada
* Potosi, Texas, in Taylor County
* Potosi (town), Wisconsin, in Grant County
** Potosi, Wi ...
and established Potosi as its mining camp. Potosi had a population of 100 until mining ceased there in 1863.
[Nevada Historical Marker #115, Potosi]
After the
Salt Lake and San Pedro Railroad
The Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad was a rail company in California, Nevada, and Utah in the United States, that completed and operated a railway line between its namesake cities ( Salt Lake City, Utah and Los Angeles, California), via ...
was built through Clark County in 1905, it became possible to mine
zinc in the Potosi Mine. From 1906 to 1928, zinc was mined there.
[
]
Today
The site of Potosi appears barren of ruins.[
]
References
Populated places established in 1861
Ghost towns in Clark County, Nevada
Arizona Territory
Former populated places in Nevada
1861 establishments in New Mexico Territory
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