There are hundreds of ghost towns throughout the Silver State. It can be hard to keep track and differentiate between them. However, each one has a unique story about how it came to be and how it ultimately failed. It’s easy to forget that these abandoned towns were once home to actual people with actual lives and stories to tell. It would be a tragedy if these stories were to ultimately become forgotten. The remote ghost town featured here had a tumultuous past filled with violence, sickness, death, and sadness. It’s almost as if this place was destined to fail from the very start. The remnants of this town, although few, are beautiful and makes for a memorable trip. Keep scrolling to see for yourself.
Hiding in an isolated region of western Nevada is a little-known ghost town that you don't hear about very often. It might be its location or it might be the fact that there's barely anything left of this town, but Candelaria isn't very well-known.
You'll find Candelaria along a dirt road in Nye County, in between Highway 95 and Highway 360. It makes an excellent stop for the next time you find yourself traveling from Las Vegas to Reno and you might find yourself pleasantly surprised at the state of the town's remnants.
The town initially roared to life in 1879 with the discovery of a massive silver strike. Candelaria's location was far from ideal. With no water sources in close proximity, water actually had to be transported in via wagon and it was quite expensive. In fact, whiskey was far cheaper and became the more popular choice of beverage.
By the late 19th century, Candelaria was booming with a population of 3,000 and several saloons, hotels, and stores. However, the town definitely had its faults. Any town where whiskey is easier to get than water is going to be rough. Fires, robberies, shootings, and murder were all common occurrences.
Today, the town looks a lot different than it does in the pictures above. Few buildings remain and the ones that do have been almost completely demolished. Just a handful of stone and wooden structures remain to remind visitors of the town that once was.
The mining life is a rough n' tumble life and that couldn't be more apparent here. Mining accidents in which miners were severely injured or killed were common. The town used a water-less mining technique which produced a fine dust that ended up killing both miners and residents with "miner's consumption" (dust in the lungs).
By 1900, the mines had officially closed and most of the remaining population had moved on. With a lack of water and an abundance of violence and death, it seemed as if Candelaria just wasn't meant to be.
You can visit the ghost town today and try to imagine what the buildings originally looked like in their glory days. It's quiet here. You can almost hear your own heartbeat. It's hard to believe people both lived and died here—their stories now on the verge of disappearing forever. As long as the town's few buildings still stand, they'll continue to be remembered.
Not much is left of this remote ghost town but its history will never be forgotten. If you love exploring Nevada’s ghost towns, then you won’t be able to pass up this Road Trip To Nevada’s Most Abandoned Places. There sure is a lot of history behind these places!
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