Gold was discovered here in 1889, and within a few years Delamar was home to more than 1500 residents. The town had an opera house, a hospital, churches, businesses and a school. Most of the structures were made of native stone. 

The mines of Delamar used pneumatic drills to bore holes for blasting. Water had to be hauled in by wagon from a well 12 miles away, so these drills were operated “dry”, allowing copious amounts of rock dust to fill the lungs of the miners. This in turn resulted in death from silicosis, and the town earned the nickname, “The Widowmaker”.  At one time there were 400 widows in Delamar!

The town began to fade in 1902 as residents moved on to the next big strike at Tonopah. The town died when mining ceased in 1909. There was some new mining activity between 1929 and 1934.

As of 2009, the site contains extensive ruins spread over a wide area.

Posted August 2009.

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