Nevada Ghost Towns: Ruby Hill

A Brief History of Ruby Hill

Discovered in 1869, the rich veins of silver and gold at Ruby Hill soon attracted enough miners to grow a small camp into a mining town. The Ruby Hill Railroad was completed in 1875, providing transportation of ore to the smelters in Eureka, three miles down the line. By 1878, Ruby Hill had two newspapers, a theater, churches, and a brewery to serve its peak population of 2,500 including over 900 miners!

By the 1880s, mine production drastically declined until 1885, only 700 residents remained. By 1900, most of the town's residents had left and only three businesses remained with the post office closing in 1901. Ruby Hill was briefly revived in 1906 but a flash flood in 1910 washed away the Eureka-Nevada railroad, ending the hopeful revival of Ruby Hill, officially making it a ghost town.

My Visit to Ruby Hill

The tiny remains of Ruby Hill were about 1.5 miles up the mountain from Eureka, Nevada. There are two roads that take you up there, one a rugged unpaved road, the other an old, paved road. I took the paved road to save my vehicle the stress, but it was a nice drive up! My GPS took me to a fenced and gated area with security cameras that seem to protect the old mining and machinery buildings which you can see on the right side of the above image. If you look on the left side of the above image where the water tower is located, is easily accessible. I shared a few images below of the accessible structures.

If you're passing through Eureka, Nevada, I recommend taking some time to visit Ruby Hill! Remember to take pictures, leave footprints, and respect the historical remains.