The Wheels on the Bus go round and round, round and round, round and round. : Golden Arrow, Silver Bow, Warm Springs, Nevada

The home of Area 51

We have 2 days of exploring we want to do in this very remote area with no Jeep refueling possibilities. In efforts to save fuel we are finding spots near the trailhead along the Highway to park the motorhome and disconnect the Jeep.

Golden Arrow Mine

The story of Golden Arrow has a most unusual beginning. Discoveries of Gold ore in 1905 by Claudet and Marl Page, both of whom were deaf-mutes, resulted in a small rush to the area. The two men sold their claims for $45,000 in January 1906 and the Golden Arrow Mining Company was formed. Golden Arrow Mining Company laid out a townsite. In October 1906 a railroad was surveyed through here in as part of a line planned to connect Tonopah and Ely, but never materialized Soon there were four mining companies along with many individual claim miners in the district. A new two-story hotel was built and filled to capacity and the population reached 200. By 1907 the town had a number of frame buildings, a mercantile store, a restaurant, and at least six saloons. Unfortunately for Golden Arrow, the town was more of a real estate promotion than a profitable mining camp. The ore did not last long enough for a large town to form. Golden Arrow was practically empty by 1909. A short revival in 1911 brought forty-five people back to the district but by September 1912 only eight people remained. Limited activity took place from 1913 to the 1980s when Golden Arrow disappeared for good.

Silver Bow

1904 & 1905 Silver discoveries and blessed with ore, water and wood, scarce in many south-central Nevada camps led to Silver Bow’s population of more than 300 people. The camp was the largest in the region. A town was platted in early 1905, a post office opened, a stage line to Tonopah was created, and the town took on an air of permanence. By the fall of 1905, the town had grocery stores, saloons, and a few general merchandise stores. In the Silver Bow district, silver was clearly dominant over gold. Some claims had as much as twenty times as much silver as they had gold. However, in 1906 Silver Bow began a quick downhill slide. Most of the mines had panned out and only the larger ones remained open. By the next year, only about thirty people remained in the district. By the end of 1908, the district had been abandoned. There were several attempts to revitalize the town up to 1929 but all proved unsuccessful.

Lunch time

Didn't realize how close we would be to the Eastern border of Area 51

Silver Bow, one of the largest mining ghost towns in Nevada.

Just before arriving in Warm Springs we noticed these Big Horn Sheep

They noticed us too.

Warm Springs is located at the intersection of US-6 and Hwy 375. This is the northern end of the Extraterrestrial Highway. A natural hot spring provides abundant water, supporting an oasis of green in the otherwise very dry desert. There are a handful of abandoned buildings near the intersection.

Reminders of the days when Warm Springs was a major stagecoach stop on the road to Tonopah, which was a mining boom town in the early 1900's. The buildings are visible from the highway but are on private property and fenced off.

Warm Springs Bar and Cafe, an abandoned roadside restaurant from the 1970's.

A second mining boom in Tonopah in 1979 brought new business to the new Warm Springs Bar and Cafe. The pool and bathhouse were built next door, and in the early 1980's travelers and miners could buy a bath in the naturally heated pool for a dollar. Later, when the mining boom was over it closed down for good.

The hot spring is located on the hillside, about 1000 feet from the highway. The water is very hot, we could see steam from the highway. It flows down in a man made channel to a small swimming pool with a bathhouse. By the time it reaches the pool it has a very comfortable temperature. Unfortunately the pool and the hot spring are fenced off.