Digging Up Money and Murder on an Underground Mine Tour Near Las Vegas
Visit the Techatticup Mine in Nelson, where the west was definitely wild.
Around the same time 13 colonies were forming a more perfect union in 1776, Spaniards were exploring territory that would later become Nevada. They struck gold—quite literally—in a place dubbed Eldorado Canyon, about 45 miles outside where Las Vegas stands today.
The Techatticup Mine would go on to become the largest and richest gold mine of its era, representing the Wild West in the late 1800s by attracting rough-and-tumble types in search of fortune and anonymity. It was also a place where both Union and Confederate deserters could escape the scrutiny of commanders and hazards of the battlefield. Murders were common and rarely recorded as mining camps took shape with minimal oversight under the hot Nevada sun. These lands were lawless and untamed for generations but today they’re ripe for exploration by locals and visitors alike through gold mine tours.
Bruce Kniola leads tours of Techatticup Mine, which is now far less intimidating, but remains a fascinating piece of Nevada history. The excursions are just $20 and last nearly 90 minutes with availability up to three times a day.
The tour begins with an explanation of how the mines were built. Miners drilled into rhyolite, a rock so hard that it was considered a good day if you made three feet of progress. The tour explains the evolution of the process, from chisels and explosives carried out in candlelight to jackhammers in later years that led to an outbreak of silicosis, an irreversible lung condition from inhaling dust particles.
Guests explore a limited area of the underground tunnels, which are now illuminated—spare a brief moment when the guide shuts off the lights for maximum effect. The temperatures are cool and you never feel uncomfortable, but walking by a slim mine-shaft elevator above ground can give off a greater sense of claustrophobia. It's hard not to feel a chill when learning about the questionable working conditions. A phony skeleton beyond a tunnel gate is a playful touch, but drives home the danger of digging underground.
"They did it for 30 cents an hour," Kniola says about the miners. "But three bucks a day was awesome in the 1800s."
The tunnels follow the shapes and paths of underground rock formations with wood beams, sheet metal bridges, and railings that weren't even considered years ago. Lanterns light the way. Guests are welcome to snap photos, but drop your phone in the wrong place and it could be lost for good. Consider yourself warned.
Along the way, you'll hear stories about ghosts, claim jumping, and how canaries were actually used to detect carbon monoxide in a mine. It's a major part of Nevada history. Even today, the state produces 80% of all gold in the United States.
As groups weave through dark corridors, Kniola shares about the lawless life and cut-throat world of mining in the late-1800s. The camp near Techatticup Mine was home to Hank Parrish, a Jesse James-esque outlaw who wouldn't hesitate to shoot somebody over a game of cards.
The sights above ground are just as captivating as those below. Tony and Bobbie Worly bought the property 30 years ago, believing the location would help their canoe and kayak rental business. Nelson's Landing, a beach that's popular for cliff jumping and swimming, is just five miles away on the Colorado River, which separates Nevada and Arizona. It's the same spot where more than a century ago, riverboats dropped off prospective mine workers, who were brought to camp by horseback.
The couple spent six years restoring the buildings on property, adding their own antiques and oddities, effectively creating an environment that feels like a historic site and movie set at the same time. In fact, it's used frequently as a filming location, most famously the 2001 Kevin Costner movie 3,000 Miles to Graceland, which left behind the "wreckage" of a plane crash that's still visible today.
"When we bought it, it was all falling apart," Bobbie Worly says about the site and its buildings, which housed nearly 150 works at one point. "No doors, no windows. Everything was full of trash and mice."
It's an oddly beautiful collection of vintage signs, cars, gasoline pumps, and other slices of Americana that blend cowboy culture with the road trip boom of the mid-1900s. The main office, which includes a snack counter and gift shop, was originally a dining and recreation hall for the miners with wood ovens in the kitchen. The oldest building, a holdover from the 1880s, was burned down. Sad to say, vandalism is an issue. It's a problem that comes with being a photogenic location in the middle of the desert.
The owners are quick to stress: this isn't a public park and despite being known as "Nelson Ghost Town" (just outside Nelson proper), it isn't actually an abandoned ghost town. It's 51 acres of private property. Photos aren't allowed without permission. But people pull over and take them anyway. Others are even less considerate, breaking glass and destroying items without hesitation.
Today, the Worlys are easing out of the kayaking business. Most of their revenue is generated by the site itself, which continues to be in demand for weddings, video shoots, and tours. The mine is patented, which means the Worleys have the rights to anything underground, including mining, mineral, and water.
There's still gold in 'dem hills. Could the current owners go after it? "That's not going to happen," Bobbie Worly says. It could be more expensive than it's worth to extract it. And besides, the value of the land lies elsewhere these days.