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Abandoned mines › Nevada
Abandoned mine inventory

Abandoned mines in Washoe County, Nevada

Washoe County, Nevada has 2,642 mine and prospect features on USGS topographic maps published 1950–1994, including 458 mine openings (shafts, adits and air shafts) and 1,878 prospect pits; 30 of the features carry a name on the map. MSHA's register carries 57 mines in the county with status Abandoned or Abandoned and Sealed.

Every mine and prospect feature the USGS digitized from historical topographic maps covering Washoe County, every OSMRE abandoned mine land problem in the county, and every MSHA-registered mine here with status Abandoned. Named features are listed below; unnamed ones are counted by type. Locations are deliberately not shown: this page says what abandoned workings are in the county, not where to find them. They are dangerous and should not be entered.

Mapped mine features (USGS)
2,642
Mine openings
458
OSMRE problems unreclaimed
0
MSHA mines marked abandoned
57
30 features carry a name1,878 prospect pits95 quadrangle maps, published 1950–1994 0 MSHA mines abandoned and sealed
What the features are
  1. Mine openings
    shafts, adits, air shafts, portals and vertical openings: the ways into underground workings
    458 17.3%
  2. Prospect pits and trenches
    shallow exploration diggings that never became a mine
    1,878 71.1%
  3. Mines and surface workings
    labelled mines, open pits, strip mines, placer and hydraulic workings
    25 0.9%
  4. Quarries, gravel and borrow pits
    construction-material and industrial-mineral extraction
    271 10.3%
  5. Dumps, tailings, spoil and gob
    what mining left above ground
    10 0.4%
Named features on the maps30 named · from the USGS compilation
Name on map Feature
Antelope Mine Mine Shaft
Boss Jumbo Mine Mine Shaft
Campbell Mine Mine Shaft
Cinch Mine Adit
Empire Mine Mine Shaft
Fravel Mine Mine Shaft
Galena Hill Mine Open Pit Mine
Golden Fleece Mine Mine Shaft
Golden Fleece Mine Mine Shaft
Jones Kincaid Mine Mine Shaft
Mahony Mine Adit
Mountain View Mine Adit
Nev Dominion Adit
Nevada Central Mine Mine Shaft
Nevada Dominion Mine Mine Shaft
Olinghouse Mine Mine Shaft
Packard Mine Adit
Pandora Mine Mine Shaft
Paymaster Mine Mine Shaft
Recall Mine Mine Shaft
Red Metal Mine Open Pit Mine
Reno Mizpah Mine Mine Shaft
Rocky Hill Mine Adit
Ruth Mine Mine Shaft
Silver Belle Mine Adit
Union Mine Adit
Updike Mine Mine Shaft
Wheeler Ranch Prospect Adit
Wild Horse Canyon Mine Adit
Wild Horse Canyon Mine Adit

A name is the label printed beside the symbol on the map. "First mapped" is the earliest topographic edition that shows the symbol, which bounds the feature's age from above; it is not the date it was worked. Unnamed features (most prospect pits, adits and shafts carry no label) are in the counts above but not this list.

MSHA-registered mines with status Abandoned57 on register
  1. 102 Ranch Aggregates LLC
    Surface metal/non-metal · 102 Ranch Aggregates LLC · MSHA ID 2602524
    Abandoned
  2. 327 Apex Mine
    Underground metal/non-metal · Lake Mountain Mining, LLC · MSHA ID 2602675
    Abandoned
  3. 7x20 J.C.I. Screen #1494
    Surface metal/non-metal · A & K EARTH MOVERS · MSHA ID 2602834
    Abandoned
  4. Bella Vista Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · A & K Earth Movers Inc · MSHA ID 2602046
    Abandoned
  5. Cedar Rapids Jaw #712
    Surface metal/non-metal · Rees'S Enterprise · MSHA ID 2602040
    Abandoned
  6. CEMEX - Paiute Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · CEMEX Construction Materials Pacific, LLC · MSHA ID 2600789
    Abandoned
  7. Chieftain 2200 PID00136CDGL33837
    Surface metal/non-metal · Joy Engineering · MSHA ID 2602883
    Abandoned
  8. CRYSTAL TIPS # 1
    Surface metal/non-metal · Hallelujah Mines · MSHA ID 2602417
    Abandoned
  9. CRYSTAL TIPS # 2
    Surface metal/non-metal · Krystal Tips Mining · MSHA ID 2602420
    Abandoned
  10. DONOVAN PIT
    Surface metal/non-metal · R T Donovan Company Inc · MSHA ID 2602317
    Abandoned
  11. Empire Mill
    Facility metal/non-metal · United States Gypsum Company · MSHA ID 2600817
    Abandoned
  12. EMPIRE MINE
    Surface metal/non-metal · Moltan Company · MSHA ID 2602469
    Abandoned
  13. Gilbert Portable Crshr/Stm Effluent Rese
    Facility metal/non-metal · Gilbert Western Corp · MSHA ID 2602182
    Abandoned
  14. Helms Rock & Sand Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · Helms Rock & Sand · MSHA ID 2600449
    Abandoned
  15. Hess Sand Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · Seaberry-Depaoli Construction Company Inc · MSHA ID 2601454
    Abandoned
  16. HIDDEN CANYON
    Surface metal/non-metal · Granite Construction Company · MSHA ID 2602355
    Abandoned
  17. Jumbo Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · U S Bureau Of Land Management · MSHA ID 2601215
    Abandoned
  18. Lady Bug Mine
    Surface metal/non-metal · Sun River Mining Company · MSHA ID 2601930
    Abandoned
  19. Lemmon Valley Portable Plant
    Surface metal/non-metal · Sha-Neva Inc · MSHA ID 2601273
    Abandoned
  20. Lido-Monarch
    Surface metal/non-metal · Lakeshore Minerals Refining · MSHA ID 2601619
    Abandoned
  21. LOST DUTCHMAN CONSTRUCTION
    Surface metal/non-metal · Lost Dutchman Construction Inc · MSHA ID 2601973
    Abandoned
  22. Lower Olinghouse
    Surface metal/non-metal · New Gold Inc · MSHA ID 2602132
    Abandoned
  23. MCCARREN PIT
    Surface metal/non-metal · Granite Construction Company · MSHA ID 2600804
    Abandoned
  24. MGL Stacker 7436325
    Surface metal/non-metal · Joy Engineering · MSHA ID 2602880
    Abandoned
  25. Mina Gold Mine
    Facility metal/non-metal · F W Lewis Company · MSHA ID 2601369
    Abandoned
  26. Mt Rose Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · U S Bureau Of Land Management · MSHA ID 2601216
    Abandoned
  27. Mustang
    Surface metal/non-metal · Teichert Aggregates · MSHA ID 2601896
    Abandoned
  28. Mustang
    Surface metal/non-metal · Rocky Ridge, Inc. · MSHA ID 2602484
    Abandoned
  29. Mustang Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · Silver State Asphalt Inc · MSHA ID 2601384
    Abandoned
  30. Olinghouse Mine
    Surface metal/non-metal · Cliff Resources Inc-Green Hill Mining Venture · MSHA ID 2601736
    Abandoned
  31. Olinghouse Project No 1
    Surface metal/non-metal · Ridgecrest · MSHA ID 2601889
    Abandoned
  32. Panther Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · U S Bureau Of Land Management · MSHA ID 2601217
    Abandoned
  33. Portable Crusher - Mira Loma
    Surface metal/non-metal · Robert L Helms Construction · MSHA ID 2602136
    Abandoned
  34. Portable Crusher # 1001
    Surface metal/non-metal · Road and Highway Builders, LLC · MSHA ID 2602669
    Abandoned
  35. Portable Crusher #1006
    Surface metal/non-metal · Road and Highway Builders, LLC · MSHA ID 2602200
    Abandoned
  36. Portable Crusher #3142
    Surface metal/non-metal · Robert L Helms Construction & Development Co · MSHA ID 2601870
    Abandoned
  37. Powerscreen Belt CT80 TRXTCS03PHRLA4012
    Surface metal/non-metal · Joy Engineering · MSHA ID 2602882
    Abandoned
  38. Red Rock Rock Llc
    Surface metal/non-metal · Red Rock Rock Llc · MSHA ID 2602319
    Abandoned
  39. Red Star Gold
    Surface metal/non-metal · Red Star Gold Inc · MSHA ID 2601538
    Abandoned
  40. Reno-Stead Airport Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · Arco Inc · MSHA ID 2600820
    Abandoned
  41. Ring Road Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · Robert L Helms Construction · MSHA ID 2601519
    Abandoned
  42. Short Ranch Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · Robert L Helms Construction & Development Co · MSHA ID 2601387
    Abandoned
  43. Sierra Rock Portable
    Surface metal/non-metal · Sierra Rock Inc · MSHA ID 2602120
    Abandoned
  44. Sloppy Weather Claims
    Surface metal/non-metal · Ma-Gar Mining & Exploration Corp · MSHA ID 2601766
    Abandoned
  45. South Peeks Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · Rainbow Rock Inc · MSHA ID 2600818
    Abandoned
  46. Spanish Spring Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · Seaberry-Depaoli Construction Company Inc · MSHA ID 2600805
    Abandoned
  47. State Highway District No 2
    Surface metal/non-metal · Nevada State Highway Department · MSHA ID 2600774
    Abandoned
  48. Sun Valley Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · U S Bureau Of Land Management · MSHA ID 2601218
    Abandoned
  49. TERRACED HILL CLAY
    Surface metal/non-metal · Art Wilson Company · MSHA ID 2600717
    Abandoned
  50. The Mahoney Mine
    Underground metal/non-metal · The Mahoney Mine · MSHA ID 2602899
    Abandoned
  51. Trio Impact Crusher #1370
    Surface metal/non-metal · BJ Rees's Enterprise · MSHA ID 2602041
    Abandoned
  52. Truckee River Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · Wadsworth Aggregates Company · MSHA ID 2601382
    Abandoned
  53. Verdi WM
    Surface metal/non-metal · Western States Contracting · MSHA ID 2602821
    Abandoned
  54. Vista Peak Rhyolite
    Surface metal/non-metal · Aggregates West Inc · MSHA ID 2601914
    Abandoned
  55. West 7th Street Pit
    Surface metal/non-metal · U S Bureau Of Land Management · MSHA ID 2601214
    Abandoned
  56. Western Hog Ranch Company
    Surface metal/non-metal · Western Hog Ranch Company · MSHA ID 2601954
    Abandoned
  57. WIND MOUNTAIN MINE
    Surface metal/non-metal · Wind Mountain Mining Inc · MSHA ID 2602087
    Abandoned

Status and date are as reported to MSHA by the operator. Each mine's own page carries its accident, citation and inspection record.

By source vocabularythe publishers' own terms
Feature type Features
Prospect Pit 1,878
Adit 264
Mine Shaft 194
Gravel Pit 104
Borrow Pit 78
Sand Pit 33
Open Pit Mine 17
Gravel/Borrow Pit - Undifferentiated 16
Gravel Pit 13
Tailings - Undifferentiated 7
Quarry 7
Sand Pit 6
Open Pit Mine or Quarry 6
Sand and Gravel Pit 4
Borrow Pit 4
Marl Pit 3
Clay Pit 2
Mine Dump 2
Open Pit Mine 1
Tailings - Pond 1
Quarry - Rock 1
Disturbed Surface 1
Other counties in NevadaAll counties →
How to read these numbers

A USGS feature is a symbol on a historical topographic map, there when the map was surveyed; it may since have been sealed, reclaimed, built over or reopened as a working mine, and the map does not say which. An OSMRE row is a problem the abandoned mine land program tracks, not a mine. An MSHA mine is a registered operation whose operator reported abandonment, a record that starts in the 1970s. The three overlap and are never added together. The county is assigned from each feature's coordinates against the Census 2023 county boundaries. The full method is on the national page.

Sources
  1. USGS, Consolidated Prospect- and Mine-Related Features from 7.5- and 15-Minute Topographic Quadrangle Maps of the United States (USMIN)
    597,612 point and area features digitized from about 106,350 historical topographic maps published 1886–2006; public domain (CC0). A feature is a map symbol, not a field-verified site, and the map does not say whether it was still worked.
  2. USGS Fact Sheet 2025–3003, The Abandoned Mine Inventory of the United States
    States that as of 2025 there is no comprehensive national inventory of abandoned mine features, and that the detailed national database now being built will not be published.
  3. OSMRE, Abandoned Mine Land Inventory System (e-AMLIS), public Problems layer
    One row per abandoned mine land problem in a problem area, with its type, funding program and reclamation status; mostly coal mined before the 1977 Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. Coordinates are the problem area's.
  4. MSHA, Mines dataset (Mine Data Retrieval System)
    Every mine registered with MSHA since the 1970s; a mine reads Abandoned or Abandoned and Sealed when its operator reported that status. Refreshed weekly.
  5. US Census Bureau, 2023 cartographic county boundaries (1:500,000)
    Each feature's county is assigned by its coordinates against these boundaries, not copied from the source file.
  6. GAO-20-238, Abandoned Hardrock Mines (March 2020)
    Federal agencies had identified at least 140,000 abandoned hardrock mine features on federal land and estimated more than 390,000 more not yet captured in their databases.
  7. Abandoned Hardrock Mine Reclamation (AHMR) Program, US Department of the Interior
    The program the USGS inventory is compiled for. Its appropriations and the 674,000 field-confirmed feature count on this page were provided by the program manager, Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance, and are cited with permission (2026-09-08).
  8. IMCC-NAAMLP Hardrock AML Report
    Page 48 carries the two figures this page leans on: USGS estimates 633,181 of the 725,690 mine features it recorded from historic topographic maps, 87 percent, are hardrock; and state and federal agencies have submitted more than 724,000 AML features to the national database being built, already more than the historic maps hold. Year-by-year AHMR funding is on page 35.