Cortez is a ghost town on the western slope of Mt. Tenabo in central Nevada. Silver ore was discovered on the east slope of Mt. Tenabo in 1863. By 1880 the focus had shifted to the west side of the mountain, and the new town of Cortez was born. Its most productive period was from 1887 to 1891, with activity continuing off and on for several more years.

Large scale production at the mines ended in 1930, but the town lingered on until the 1940s.

There are a few buildings still standing, plus numerous ruins. Just above the townsite are the ruins of the Tenabo mill, which was built in 1886. A fire in 1915 destroyed a large portion of the mill. Lumber salvaged from the burned out mill was used to build a new mill higher up the slope. I was unable to visit the second mill site during this trip.

I visited Cortez in 2020 and got some great video of the site:

Posted February 2021.

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