Spruce Mountain- Ada H Mine

Elko County

Note: The Spruce Mountain area was a collection of different mines, camps, towns, etc. which were spread out over a very large area of Spruce Mountain. This specific page will mainly talk about the activity surrounding the Ada H Mine. See the page for Sprucemont for more details on this area.

The Ada H Mine was discovered in 1886. At the time that the Ada H was discovered, Sprucemont had not been part of the revival that was occurring in other parts of the district. By looking at production numbers from other mines in the area, it doesn't appear that the Ada H was one of the larger producers. However, it did create revenue in the mid to late 1880's. Shawn Hall discusses this mine being bought, sold and worked all the way into the 1920's. The following is an excerpt from USGS: "MINE WAS OPERATED IN 1930-31 BY THE SPRUCE STANDARD MINE OPERATING CO. (THE SPRUCEMONT CO.). MAPPING ACTIVITY WAS UNDER WAY BY AMAX CORP, DENVER, COLO, IN 1980."

Last Trip/ Road Conditions: July 2017. We had a plan to cover the entire Spruce Mountain area. However, my brand new truck broke down with about 1,400 miles on it and ended up in the shop for a month and a half. The lemon law involved here is a different story. The dealer gave us a four-wheel drive rental, but I was responsible for scratches, etc. This limited what we were able to do. We tried going beyond these points on the northern loop, but it started getting rough and overgrown. I wasn't comfortable going any farther in a rental that would cost me money if I brought it back with Nevada pinstriping. Therefore, we only saw Sprucemont, the Ada H Mine and the Standard Mine/ Mill before going home. Beyond these points, I would highly consider having the proper, four-wheel drive vehicle.