Gold Point draws crowds for Memorial Day celebration

The crowds grow larger every year over Memorial Day weekend in tiny Gold Point, a former Nevada mining boom town in sparsely populated Esmeralda County. They come for a weekend of activities, including a chili cook off, Dutch oven stew contest, community breakfasts and barbecues, Western and country music, gunfighter shootouts, old-fashioned games and a patriotic flag ceremony. The eighth annual Gold Point Memorial Day takes place this year May 29-31.

The rustic, weathered remains of Gold Point can be found about 180 miles from Las Vegas. Drive north on U.S. 95 toward Goldfield through Beatty and beyond Scotty's Junction to Lida Junction. Turn on Highway 266 and drive seven and a half miles to Highway 774. Gold Point lies about eight miles from that junction.

Started in 2002 to benefit Gold Point's building preservation and restoration efforts and its volunteer fire department, the first Memorial Day weekend event drew a larger-than-expected crowd. Most camped in the desert. Word of mouth and an interesting website drew more attendees and participants each year. About 700 people gathered in 2009. For more information, visit goldpointghosttown.com.

The enthusiastic response is quite a coup for the ghost town with a permanent population of about a dozen. Residents and friends of Gold Point also have a holiday fundraiser on the day after Thanksgiving. More than 50 guests fasted on traditional fare in November. Gold Point's small fleet of vintage fire equipment benefits with new tires and hoses. Many of the town's original buildings still stand because of enhanced maintenance and restoration funds.

During its heyday more than a century ago, Gold Point boasted about 225 wooden structures and a population around 1,000. About 55 structures remain, giving Gold Point high ranking among Nevada's hundreds of mining towns.

The little town started in 1868 as Lime Point, a site near lime deposits that proved unprofitable. In 1880, discovery of silver nearby gave brief life to a small camp. Booms at Goldfield and Tonopah led miners to re-examine old mine sites all over the area, resulting in the discovery of horn silver near old Lime Point in 1908. The camp changed to Hornsilver and a town grew up complete with a post office, several stores, a dozen saloons and a newspaper.

Litigation over claims, inefficient methods and transportation problems retarded Hornsilver's development. Mining resurged in 1915 and 1922, keeping Hornsilver active. When more gold than silver was produced in the late 1920s, the town's name was changed to Gold Point. World War II closed mining except for essential minerals. Gold Point became a ghost town, reviving briefly in the 1960s.

Fortunately, Gold Point has always had protectors. A handful of residents long included Harry and Ora Mae Wiley. He served on the Esmeralda County Board of Supervisors before becoming a state senator in 1946, a post he held until his death in 1955. Ora Mae Wiley served as Gold Point's postmistress from 1940 to 1964. Never completely abandoned, Gold Point escaped vandals although time took its toll.

In the late 1970s, a chance visitor fell for the old town. Herb Robbins began to buy up available properties in Gold Point with the idea of preserving the town. His enthusiasm mustered volunteers to help his efforts. They shored up old buildings, collected castoff equipment, stored interesting junk and began making some of the cabins and houses livable again without changing their exteriors. Dubbing himself "Sheriff Stone," Robbins saves Gold Point one building at a time, allowing visitors to experience yesteryear.

Gold Point now invites weekend visitors to stay in modern comfort in a unique bed and breakfast inn. On Saturday nights, guests occupy five restored miner's cabins and a house, all furnished differently.

Available for $134 per night, the Radkie House includes a bathroom and a kitchenette. Those staying in the cabins use centralized showers. Cabin rates are $94 per night. Rates are for one or two persons. Add $20 for each extra guest. Guests enjoy a hearty, country-style breakfast served communally. Lunch and dinner are also available for a cost of $17 per person each meal. Please smoke outside and leave pets at home.

Margo Bartlett Pesek's column appears on Sundays.