ABOUT THE ROUTE:

The short half-mile drive begins at mile marker #2 on the Cottonwood Cove Road. From Searchlight, turn left on the dirt road about 100 yards from the mile marker. The road is in good shape and generally okay for most sedans to navigate. You can also park near the highway and walk in to the site. Keep to the right, and soon after you leave the highway, you will see the stamp mill ½ mile down the main road (do not attempt to go further in a normal street vehicle as the road immediately gets worse after the stamp mill). You can park anywhere off the road near the structure.

A stamp mill is a large mechanical device that uses heavy steel stamps to break apart and crush ore (the host rock) and release precious metals (in this case gold and silver), allowing for further refining. During the western gold rush, nearly every mine of significance had a stamp mill, but intact mills in the landscape are now extremely rare. This stamp mill was part of the Oakland Group of mining claims, which operated into the 1930s.

In simple terms, a stamp mill functioned like a mortar and pestle that had water and ore put on one side as heavy stampers crush onto the gold ore. The ore would be brought to the mill by ore car using a winch, and then it would then be graded into fine and coarse material by a large metal separator known as a grizzly. The finer material would move to the ore chute while the larger pebbles would be directed to the ore crusher until crushed into fine gravel.

Initial discoveries of gold in the Searchlight area were first made on May 6, 1897. G. F. Colton filed the first claim, later to become the Duplex Mine. The Searchlight Mining District was founded July 20, 1898. Searchlight began to boom in 1902, producing significant quantities of ore that contained gold, silver and copper. The Quartette Mining Company, formed in 1900, became the mainstay of the Searchlight District, producing almost half of the area's total output. In May, 1902, a 16-mile narrow-gauge railroad was built down the hill to the company's mill on the Colorado River. 

In the 1900's, Searchlight was a typical busy mining town of a reported 5,000 residents by its peak year of 1907. At this time, it was larger than Las Vegas. It had 44 working mines, a telephone exchange, and numerous businesses, including over a dozen saloons and half dozen bordellos. There were many gold and silver mines that were good producers in the Searchlight mining district. The "Mines of Searchlight" map dated October 1906, shows that there were well over 300 mining claims in the immediate town area at that time. Eventually, the gold and silver production cost went up and the grade of ore went down, so people started to move on. By 1927, there were about 50 people left in Searchlight.  

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO:

Even though this is an easy drive and can be easily walked as well, you should check the current local weather and land/road closures. Bring more water and food than you think you’ll need in case of any emergencies. Be prepared for spotty cell phone service or even no service. 

DIRECTIONS AND PARKING:

Turn left on the Cottonwood Cove Road in Searchlight. At mile marker #2, turn left on the dirt road about 100 yards from the mile marker. The road is in good shape and generally can be done in a sedan. The stamp mill is a half-mile on that road.