Last updated: December 6, 2023
Place
Board and Batten Miners Cabin
Photograph by Jim Woodward, courtesy of the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office
Quick Facts
Location:
Oddie Ave., Tonopah, Nevada
Significance:
Architecture, Social History
Designation:
Listed in the National Register - Reference number 82003219
OPEN TO PUBLIC:
No
MANAGED BY:
Private
The Board and Batten Miners Cabin in Tonopah, Nevada was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. It is significant as one of the few remaining, and best preserved, miners cabins extant in the Tonopah mining district.
In May 1900, prospector James L. Butler discovered silver in Nevada's San Antonio Mountains. His discovery marked the end of a twenty year depression for Nevada's mining industry, which had grown so dire that some questioned the continuation of Nevada's statehood. By the end of that year, the town of Tonopah was established to support the mining district. Within just two years, Tonopah became the second-largest town in the state, and by 1906, was the largest town in Nevada.
The townspeople worked quickly to establish two newspapers, a post office, a power plant, a school, telegraph and telephone service, and an organized miners union. Residents lived in sturdily-yet-quickly constructed homes that were often designed by architects, and constructed by skilled craftsmen.
The Board and Batten Miners Cabin was constructed around 1905 at the base of Mt. Oddie. The cabin, which was the home of a miner, would have been one of hundreds at the mining site; most other examples of miners' cabins have been destroyed by fire, degradation, or development. While these homes would have been more simple and utilitarian than some of their counterparts in town, all residences tended to share an attention to symmetry, understated ornamentation, and gabled or hipped roofs.
Tonopah's boom period ended quickly, sparked by the economic Panic of 1907. Thousands of residents moved out of Tonopah and other mining towns in Central Nevada, marking the close of the west's last major frontier mining rush. Today, Tonopah is home to 1,500 people who are supported by renewed mining interests, nearby military facilities, and moderate tourism.
In May 1900, prospector James L. Butler discovered silver in Nevada's San Antonio Mountains. His discovery marked the end of a twenty year depression for Nevada's mining industry, which had grown so dire that some questioned the continuation of Nevada's statehood. By the end of that year, the town of Tonopah was established to support the mining district. Within just two years, Tonopah became the second-largest town in the state, and by 1906, was the largest town in Nevada.
The townspeople worked quickly to establish two newspapers, a post office, a power plant, a school, telegraph and telephone service, and an organized miners union. Residents lived in sturdily-yet-quickly constructed homes that were often designed by architects, and constructed by skilled craftsmen.
The Board and Batten Miners Cabin was constructed around 1905 at the base of Mt. Oddie. The cabin, which was the home of a miner, would have been one of hundreds at the mining site; most other examples of miners' cabins have been destroyed by fire, degradation, or development. While these homes would have been more simple and utilitarian than some of their counterparts in town, all residences tended to share an attention to symmetry, understated ornamentation, and gabled or hipped roofs.
Tonopah's boom period ended quickly, sparked by the economic Panic of 1907. Thousands of residents moved out of Tonopah and other mining towns in Central Nevada, marking the close of the west's last major frontier mining rush. Today, Tonopah is home to 1,500 people who are supported by renewed mining interests, nearby military facilities, and moderate tourism.