Sitting on the upper reaches of the Owyhee River, Mountain City, Nevada was founded in 1870 when silver was discovered. Over 1000 people lived in town until the silver ran out – most left as fast as they came.

Then copper was discovered; the people rushed in, the copper played out, the people rushed out.

The town still lives – sort of with a population of 14 – kept alive by the only open bar within many a mile … and on the edge of the Duck Valley Shoshone-Paiute Indian Reservation.

Being only a few miles south of the Idaho border and isolated from the majority of Nevada’s population, the town keeps Mountain Time even though officially in the Pacific time zone.

The remnants of the Silver Banner Mine sits at 5800 ft at the base of California Hill on California Creek, just south of town. Major production of the mine came from veins of gold and silver but tungsten was found here as the Golden Ensign Mine in the 1950s. Copper and other minerals may still be found here.

It’s pretty wet around the creek. The road leads to a ranch but there’s no direct vehicle access across the creek to the site.