Van Ness was a small mining camp located two miles from Barcelona. The Van Ness Company owned and operated the camp and began working their claims in the early 1920s. Mercury was the primary product of the mines. The camp was at an altitude of 9,000 feet and had several boardinghouses, a cookhouse, and a population of twenty. The camp continued to produce for a few years but the cinnabar ore gradually began to run out and the camp was abandoned by 1935. Van Ness became active again in 1940 but the operation was short lived, ending in 1941. There are a number of interesting remains at Van Ness and a four-wheel-drive vehicle is required 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!