Vanderbilt was a town of 150 residents, three stores, two boarding houses, and a couple of saloons in 1870 although 300 miners were employed in the district at the time. A post office was opened in 1871. When Eureka was beginning to boom, many of Vanderbilt’s citizens left to go there. A near disaster nearly finished Vanderbilt in 1872. A fire destroyed the mill. What mining did take place during the next few years was by miners that lived in Eureka. By the time a small revival began in 1880, only 25 people lived in Vanderbilt. The revival lasted until 1887 even though the post office closed in 1885. Several mines were leased off and on during the next forty years but no substantial production was ever recorded. Today, only scant mill ruins mark the site. Because the road to Vanderbilt is extremely treacherous, it is not worth the risk to try to reach the site.

Submitted by: Shawn Hall from his book Romancing Nevada's Past: Ghost Towns And Historic Sites Of Eureka, Lander, And White Pine Counties Click here to purchase his book!