Photos courtesy of Mike Sinnwell September 2005
Belmont Nevada Townsite – Ghost town
I enjoyed visiting this town. Even stopped and drank a couple beers with the locals. What the heck, they got 2 bars in town. Of course you have to time it right to get a beer. Things not always open. Nice people. Nice town.
Belmont not to be confused with Belmont Mill. A silver strike in 1865 got the ball rolling. Only it did not roll too far. The town was at one time the county seat, just look at the Courthouse. In the 1870’s the population was around 2,000 people. In 1887 several big producers shut down. People began moving to the next boom town and they took their lumber with them.
Today most people probably drive by the towering chimney of the Monitor-Belmont mill never knowing that WWII pilots from Tonopah Air Base used the chimney for target practice. I stopped and walked right up to it. I wanted to see the 50 caliber holes for myself.