Tybo, Gilmore, Lunar Crater, Black Rock Lava Flow, Nevada

Tybo

We were allowed to pass through USAF/DOD Property to the trailhead.

Surprised to see Egrets in the desert.

Tybo 

One of the discovery sites in the Hot Creek range was named Tybo, a word derived from the Shoshone meaning “white man’s district.” The first major ore discovery in Tybo was made in 1870. However, it was not until 1874 that a small camp began to form in Tybo. The Tybo Consolidated Mining Company was formed in 1875 and controlled three major mines near the camp. A Wells Fargo office was opened in the growing camp along with a merchandise store and even a bank. By 1876, the town’s population had grown to almost 1,000. Because of constant problems arising from the clashing of cultures, the town had been divided into three separate sections: an Irish section, a Central European section, and a Cornish section. The white factions united at one point and drove the Chinese, who worked for cheaper wages, out with bullets and whips!  Buildings in the town had grown to include five stores, a number of saloons, two blacksmith shops, a post office, a newspaper, a schoolhouse, a jail, a brass band, an International Order of Odd Fellows chapter and much more. The mining company ran into problems in early 1881 when the quality of the ore dropped drastically and it was forced to close down in November, 1881. By the end of the year, only 100 people were left in Tybo. For the next twenty-five years, Tybo barely managed to cling to life. A major fire in 1884 destroyed thirty-two buildings. There was any number of revival attempts during the intervening years, some more successful than others. Tybo’s total production value stands at an amazing $9.8 million. The town is one of the better ghost towns in Nye County and a handful of people still make their homes there.

The old general store, a wood building with a brick front.

Town Tour Guide

Headworks of one of the more recent mines in Tybo.

A rabbit's foot for Good Luck

The old brick school house, built in 1877.
In efforts to preserve the old school house someone recently put on a new roof.

Gilmore mine shaft

Lunar Crater Back Country Byway
The Lunar Crater Back Country Byway is 24 miles long. It has been a National Natural Landmark since 1973. Along this bumpy and unpaved byway, explore a volcanic field complete with cinder cones and basalt flows similar to the findings on the moon. Easy Chair Crater is one of the first visible craters upon entering the byway. Continuing further you’ll pass through several rock formations and reach Lunar Crater. From Lunar Crater you see 20 other extinct volcanoes close by.

Easy Chair Crater

Lunar Crater

Someone was staring us down

Large Cuesta

Little Cuesta

Dry Lunar Lakebed

Black Rock Lava Flow

A perfect spot for overnighting.