Guadalajara

Lander County

In early 1863 or possibly even earlier, Mexican prospectors located rich silver discoveries in the area. The Sante Fe District was organized by Spring. By Summer, over 3,000 mining claims had been staked in the area. By early 1864, the actual townsite of Guadalajara was laid out. The town would eventually reach a population peak of about 150 residents later that same year. Many active mines in the area included the Mother Lode, King, Santa Maria (original discovery), Florida, Maryland, etc. It was originally embellished that the area contained so much silver, that a city made of solid silver bricks could be constructed. The opposite held true. Good ore veins would be discovered but would quickly vanish. By the late 1860's, most of the mines had dried up. The remaining mines were only small producers. By 1870, the population had shrunk down to approximately 50 residents. By the early 1870's, the town still had a handful of residents. However, several of them were employed in the mines and mills of surrounding districts. Although no mining activity was taking place in the Guadalajara area in 1881, 37 people still called it home. The mill that was built in Kingston Canyon to process Guadalajara ore in the early days, was eventually moved to the Newark Valley east/northeast of Eureka. I haven't gotten to it yet, but a page is coming soon for that mill in Newark Valley. The reports are true that several of these stone buildings were indeed built with gun ports. It was said that these ports were built as a defense system against hostility. I'm sure that as many of these buildings collapsed, many other gun ports fell when the building did. However, there are still several left to this day. I have included them in the photographs below.

Post Office: None.

Last Trip/ Road Conditions: Although this site has been on my bucket list for almost a decade, my first trip here was in June of 2022. I tried once before about 5 years ago and decided against going any farther. I was alone, the road wasn't great, and it was late in the day. So I decided to turn around and save it for another day. Once I finally saw it in June of 2022, it instantly became one of my favorites. The road is not good. I would definitely suggest having four-wheel drive. Also, you should check your map and go in from the route that doesn't have you crossing private ranch property. The road going in from this direction is worse.