Buckeye Mine (Nye County)

Nye County

Not much is written about Summit Canyon in the Nevada Ghost Town books. Although still limited, a little more is written about the Buckeye Mine specifically.

The North Twin River Mining District formed in 1863. The Buckeye was discovered in 1865 by Broadhead and Davis. It was owned by the Buckeye Mining Company out of New York. In those days, likely due to severe weather conditions and remoteness, mines were allowed to lie dormant during the winter and spring months. In order to keep claims active, work had to resume on the mine by the first of June. By late May of 1866, the Reese River Reveille reported that the Buckeye was removing "... ore so rich, that it is almost pure bullion." Plans for a mill were also in discussion. A man by the name of Captain Stephen Kidd was the superintendent. The mine was so promising, that Kidd planned to keep a steady work force through the winter. Kidd was said to be a very experienced miner. In early 1867, Kidd presented specimens from the Buckeye, Highland Maid and Dilliner mines in Summit Canyon to the Committe on the Paris Exposition. The intended purpose was to have the finest mining specimens presented at the Paris Exposition. These specimens would be seen by the most prominent capitalists in the world. By Spring of 1867, the Buckeye was being included in the conversation regarding the best mines in Nevada. By June of 1867, a wagon road was being completed up the canyon to access the mines. Many people were also living in Summit Canyon with permanent homes being built. Mine buildings and a mill site had also been completed at the Buckeye. However, an abundance of water in the canyon was becoming problem. The Buckeye was reporting that the lower levels of the mine were filling up with water. Plans were being made to create a tunnel that would help drain the mine... ***We did find a modern, active claim labeled the "Buckeye". There is a vertical shaft near the relics at this site. It was covered with overgrowth and was very hard to see. There used to be a small fence around this shaft to keep people from walking into it, but it was knocked down long ago. We could hear active, flowing water in the shaft. I say this because one wrong step down into that vertical shaft would be a guaranteed horrible fate. Any chance of rescue or recovery of a person's remains would be nearly impossible. Please be extremely careful! ***... Veins of mid-grade and high-grade ore continued to be removed throughout 1867. One specimen was of such high quality, that it was presented as an exhibit by the Mercantile Library Association in San Francisco. In March of 1868, the Buckeye became so successful that an article titled "Remarkable Mine" was featured in the American Journal of Mining. While the article praised the exemplary specimens that the Buckeye produced, it also criticized the mine for its irregularity in ore quality. The Reese River Reveille was not happy about the AJM write-up: The Reveille stated: "We are satisfied that Captain Kidd, the superintendent of the mine, a life-long miner of unusual intelligence, will not thank the editor of the American Journal of Mining for his gush of witty explanation. That is a real disparagement of the property." (While the Reveille seemed disappointed with the write-up, it appears that the AJM was at least partially correct). June of 1868 was the last real article about the Buckeye that I found. 16 tons of ore was treated at the Mettacom Mill outside of Austin. (See the Mettacom Mill- Lander County- page). Boalt and Stedefelt assayed this ore at $267 a ton. After this, articles on the Buckeye became almost non-existent. Captain Kidd had also left the area. The new superintendent was Major George Clendon. The Gold Hill Daily News was still hanging on to hope and reported that the Buckeye "is destined to become one of the permanent and valuable mines of the region." As with so many other promising mining locations in Nevada, today's next great thing would become tomorrow's deserted location... The USGS reported that 9 tons of $283 per ton ore was mined in August of 1869. They didn't report any further production until 1941. By June of 1869, I found an article stating that Captain Kidd was now over at the boom in the White Pine District to the east. Maybe Kidd saw the writing on the wall and left for more silvery pastures... Summit Canyon has seen some modern revivals. These include the April Fool, New Moose and Summit Canyon Mines, to name a few. There are still active mining claims in the canyon today. These appear to be simple prospector operations though, rather than big corporate endeavors.

Post Office:  None.

Last Trip/ Road Conditions:  July 2017. We took quads. Summit Canyon is a typical canyon road in the Toiyabe Mountains. Steep and overgrown with creek crossings. I can't say what it would be like in a full-sized vehicle, but we didn't run into any substantial problems on quads. I can say that I wouldn't go up in anything less than a backroads type of vehicle.

Sources: Reese River Reveille (Newspaper); Belmont Silver Bend Reporter (Newspaper); Gold Hill Daily News (Newspaper); Preserving the Glory Days- Ghost Towns and Mining Camps of Nye County, Nevada (By: Shawn Hall); Nevada Place Names- A Geographical Dictionary (By: Helen Carlson).