SEARCHLIGHT
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SEARCHLIGHT |
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NAME: Searchlight COUNTY: Clark ROADS: 2WD GRID: 1 CLIMATE: Hot summer,Warm winter BEST TIME TO VISIT: Anytime |
COMMENTS:
This town is a living ghost. UPDATE: Just
as an addendum, Scott Joplin, the famed ragtime composer of "The Entertainer"
and "The Maple Leaf Rag", wrote a "Searchlight Rag", which can be heard
here: http://www.trachtman.org/ragtime/. Two friends of his had gone prospecting
there, and it seems that their stories so fired up the composer's creative
juices that this piece of music was the result. Searchlight has its own
website http://www.2steppin.com/srchlt.htm Jim van Scoyoc REMAINS: Old buildings remain with many modern structures. |
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Gold was discovered in this town in 1897 by G.F. Colton. By October 1898a post office and camp were in place roughly 3/4 of a mile from the original site. By winter of 1899 the population increased to a point that could call it self an official town. By 1907 it boomed to a point of 5000 people with over a dozen saloons, a telephone exchange, and 44 working mines. A panic hit between 1907 to 1910 where low grade ores need more capital for continued mining. After many years of drifting off a new mill was built in 1934 but shutting down just after 1935 due to lack of ore. The name is still a mystery where it came from there is much speculation about this. Some think it came from the name off a box of matches. Submitted by: Michael Mrofchak UPDATE: I was cruising your site when I noticed there was some discussion as to the origin of Searchlights name. I have immediate relatives who have owned a small vacation home in Searchlight for well over thirty years. As it was explained to me, searchlights were once used to guide patrons into the brothels that were in area. Hence the town was named so. Drew DeBois Tigard Oregon |
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