Original, first called Amargosa, was a small settlement located near the original Bullfrog mine. A separate tent camp located on the flat below the mine also formed and was named Amargosa. Bullfrog, located half a mile below Amargosa, sprang up as well. Later, when the Las Vegas and Tohopah Railroad established a stop just south of the mine, the Amargosa townsite was renamed Original. Original quickly developed into the major camp in the district. By December, the camp had five stores, seven saloons, a restaurant, a post office, and the Hotel Courtmarsh. All of the businesses were housed in tents and there was no immediate source of water. The cost of hauling water in was extremely high. The townsite company elected to purchase the new Bonanza townsite and renamed it Bullfrog to solve the water problem. By April, there was only one tent left in Original for everyone else had moved to either Bullfrog or Rhyolite. The site is very hard to reach and is not worth the effort to get there.

Submitted by: Shawn Hall from his book Preserving The Glory Days: Ghost Towns And Mining Camps Of Nye County, Nevada Click here to purchase his book!