There were several different camps and a number of different mines operating in the area at the time the Pioneer mine was discovered. It was the discovery of the Pioneer mine that changed the district forever. A new camp began to form in 1908 between the Pioneer mine and the Mayflower mines already in existence. It grew at an amazing rate and had a population of 1,000 by 1909. A post office opened in March and Pioneer was officially a town. Pioneer had two sections called upper and lower towns. Businesses included a lumber company, a theater, hotels, saloons, restaurants, bakeries, a shoe store, boardinghouses, a cigar store, a Western Union office, and more. The Pioneer Consolidated Mines Company purchased the Pioneer mine and eleven other claims in 1909. But the Pioneer mine was the gem. A fire that swept through the tinder-dry wood buildings in 1909 was devastating for the booming town. Although the town was partially rebuilt, the fire took the life out of Pioneer, and it never fully recovered. The mine partially collapsed in 1914 and was forced to shut down along with the mills. The reopening of the mine in 1915 gave sagging Pioneer a small lift but not enough to restore the town to its former self. But activity continued until 1931 when it was no longer profitable to maintain operations. The mine closed and the town died. The ruins of Pioneer are scant. But during its lifetime, the district produced $1.6 million worth of ore.

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!