Field notes from exploring backcountry locations of the Western United States

Starbuck's Exploring

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Great Basin and Eastern Nevada

Great Basin and Eastern Nevada

Eastern Nevada, including Great Basin National Park and the Basin and Range National Monument

24 posts

"American Family" Mine

"American Family" Mine

This is a small but interesting modern mine camp with some equipment still left on-site. The mine was probably last worked in the 1980s but the majority of the work was done during the Depression era. The compressors and engines are neat to see still in place. The hoist indicators

Honeymoon Hill Petroglyphs

Honeymoon Hill Petroglyphs

In the summer of 2015, we visited a pair of petroglyph sites out in central Nevada collectively called Honeymoon Hill. They are close together on nearby hills and have fantastic views of the areas they overlook, which is probably why people were here; hunting and keeping watch over the surrounding

Shooting Gallery Petroglyphs

Shooting Gallery Petroglyphs

This area is a small out-of-the-way valley that is definitely worth the trip if you are interested in petroglyphs. The name “Shooting Gallery” comes from the idea that the Southern Paiutes who lived here used the valley to hunt animals along a game trail. There are blinds and stacked rock

Freiberg Smelter

Freiberg Smelter

Back in 2012, we went on a trip through central Nevada and spent a night in old the mining camp of Freiberg. Discovered in 1865, the area was worked in a small way for silver but the mines never produced much of anything. We explored the area and only found

Atlanta Millsite

Atlanta Millsite

This modern gold and silver mill had been on operational stand-by for the last few years. This district and mine, however, are old ones. Gold and silver were discovered in the area around 1869, but the mining camp at Atlanta didn’t come until 1907. The mines have been worked

John’s Wash Arborglyphs

John’s Wash Arborglyphs

Most of the historical relics I find on my hikes are from the booming mining industries of the early 1900s which dominated the Nevada landscape but there were other activities going on at the time. Ranching was just as important as mining to the early settlers and sheepherding was a

Diamond Tunnel

Diamond Tunnel

After visiting the Victorine Mine on a trip to Nevada years ago, our next big stop was the old camp of Prospect and the Diamond Tunnel. The mine was discovered in the 1860s like the others in the Eureka district, but the camp wasn’t settled until around 1885. It