This site presents a view into the State of Nevada's mining past, as well as a view of its present day rugged beauty. Since eighty six percent of the state is government owned property, mainly controlled by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), a large portion of Nevada is vast unpopulated expanses of desert and mountains. Although one can drive what seems to be endless miles and see nothing but sparse desert and barren mountains, there is scenic beauty if one looks closely and appreciates the beauty of the desert. Did you know that Nevada has more mountain ranges (314) than any state in the United States? I have also been told that Nevada has the most hot springs of any state.
My hobby is exploring Nevada's old ghost towns and mining camps; this site is a compilation of my photos over the past 2-3 years from those trips. I am a desert rat at heart and I especially enjoy photographing the desert landscape, wildflowers and wildlife. I am by no means a professional photographer, I am just a hobbyist.
Nevada has over 600 ghost towns and mining camps, many of which little remains but a few concrete slabs and crumbling rock walls. The state is pockmarked with thousands of old mines (estimated to be over 500,000). Some ghost towns are located within the Nellis Air Force Range and are inaccessible. Some are located on private land and can only be accessed by special permission, or not at all. To date, I have explored close to a 100 of these ghost towns and mining camps, and have an ongoing list of around 150 more to visit.
I hope you enjoy your visit to my web site. If you could leave a comment in my guestbook after your visit, it would be greatly appreciated.
Warren Willis
Las Vegas, NV
If Nevada were a country, its gold production would rank fourth in the world behind China, South Africa and Australia. Nevada produces 80% of the gold produced in the USA.
In 2006, Nevada was America's second largest producer of silver, after Alaska, and its mines also produced large quantities of copper, lead, lithium, zinc, mercury, barite, and tungsten.
Set up for the night at Elk Flat Campground in Cave Lake State Park
There are plenty of publications that show the typical touristy photos of Las Vegas, Reno, Lake Tahoe, Hoover Dam, etc., but there are very few, if any, that show the less-traveled back roads of Nevada, like my slide show Nevada - Off The Beaten Path (see banner below). To view a sampling of the photos that I have taken traveling the less-traveled paved and dirt back roads of Nevada, click on the graphic below.
Click on above graphic to view movie clip on Nevada
I also like to take nature and landscape photos of the deserts and mountains of America's Southwest. To view a sampling of these photos, click on the graphic below.
Click on above graphic to view movie clip on America's Southwest
I spent this Spring (2010) exploring Death Valley National Park. To view a sampling of these photos, click on the graphic below.
Click on above graphic to view movie clip on Death Valley National Park
This site will always be "Under Construction" as I convert my current collection of photos into slide shows (developed in Flash) over time. In addition, I will be adding new photos and slide shows to the site as I explore new historic sites. Please check back often, to see what's been added.
These slide shows are primarily divided into the following major topics [from menu bar under welcome banner - top of page]:
Also presented, will be various slide shows of side trips to neighboring states [i.e., Utah, Arizona, California, etc.].
Now, sit back and enjoy your trip through the past and present of the great state of Nevada. Enjoy the slide shows and web pages.
If you are interested in visiting these places yourself, my "Book Store" section has many of the books and references that I personally use, available for your purchase.
If you are interested in purchasing a CD-ROM of my slide shows, click on the button below.
If you are interested in purchasing my book "NEVADA Back Roads" a preview is provided below. The book consists of 82 total pages with a 184 photographs of ghost towns, old cemeteries, mills, mines, old cars, petroglyphs, desert scenery, Great Basin National Park, wildflowers, and wildlife.
NAME: Adopted in 1861. From Spanish meaning snow-capped.
FIRST SETTLEMENT: 1851 - In dispute.
Genoa - settled by Mormons, then called Mormon Station in Utah territory.
Dayton - settled by miners & traders, then called Gold Canyon in Utah Territory.
STATE MOTTO: "All For Our Country."
STATE BIRD: Mountain Bluebird
STATE ANIMAL: Desert Bighorn Sheep
STATE REPTILE: The Desert Tortoise
STATE FLOWER: Sagebrush
STATE INSECT: The Vivid Dancer Damselfly
STATE TREE: Single-Leaf Pinon & Bristlecone Pine
STATE PRECIOUS GEMSTONE: Virgin Valley Black Fire Opal
STATE SONG: "Home Means Nevada."
STATE CAPITAL: Carson City [1864]
STATE NICKNAMES: Battle-Born State, Sagebrush State, Silver State.
POPULATION: 1,998,257 [2000 Census]
AREA: 110,540 Sq. Miles. Seventh largest state. 86.1% of area is U.S. Government owned.
I have been told that by interjecting politics into this web site that I could lose viewership. If that's the case, so be it. It's the way I honestly feel and I don't intend to hide it. Harry Reid and Dina Titus are are governing against the will of the majority of their constituents and are bad for Nevada, and the country - period. If you disagree, I would like to hear from you.
I picked this sticker up in Ely, NV. It seems old Harry is not very popular in this area.
If you live in Nevada's 3rd District, or just want to know what Congresswoman Titus really stands for, click on the banner above.
