In the spring of 1863, silver ore was discovered in Amador Canyon and the rush was on. A townsite was laid out and by the end of the year 200 hardy souls were clustered on the side of the mountain. As the camp continued to expand, a small adjacent camp, Coral City, was absorbed into Amador. A post office opened in April 1864 giving Amador an air of permanence. By 1864, there were eight mining companies working the district. Many of the ore deposits around Amador occurred in valuable ledges, the best of which were the Aspinwas and the Bigelow ledges. The ore deposits were not as extensive as first thought and most of the mines began running empty by early 1866. The post office closed in April 1866 and the boom was over. By the end of the year, the camp was virtually abandoned. By 1869, the last resident had left and the town was consigned to the ghosts. A trip to picturesque Amador Canyon has many interesting stone ruins to offer. Although the walk by trail is a bit difficult, it is worth effort.

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!