San Antonio was a major stop on the Westgate-Ione-Belmont stage line built around a group of springs. As early as 1845 Fremont had stopped at the springs on his way to meet Kit Carson. After gold was discovered in the nearby San Antonio Mountains, the stage stop became a small town as miners began to move to the district. A two story station/hotel was built in 1865 and an addition in 1879. The town had a fairly large business district and a population of around 100. The district’s main mine was the Liberty and when it closed in 1868 the population dropped to around 50. But the stage station was still an important stop for travelers heading for new strikes and to southern Nevada. During the early 1890s San Antonio almost became a ghost town with only an occasional traveler stopping at the station. Soon all stage lines stopped running through San Antonio. The town came to life again in 1896 when new strikes were made that led to an increase in stage travel. But then train tracks came to the boomtowns ending stage travel overnight. All that remains of the once impressive stage station are the crumbling walls and smaller ruins from the business district.

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!

San Antonio
Courtesy S. Martin Shelton

San Antonio
Courtesy S. Martin Shelton