Ione, Nevada

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Ione, Nevada is a ghost town in Nye County, Nevada, about 23 miles east of Gabbs. It sits in a desert region with hot summers and cold winters.

History
Ione came into existence in 1863 after silver was found in the Shoshone Range. It grew as a trade and milling center. When Nye County was formed in 1864, Ione was given funds to build the county’s first courthouse. In 1867, the county seat moved to Belmont.

The town had a revival in 1896 with a new 10-stamp mill. In 1897, Anson Phelps Stokes bought many mining and milling interests in the district, helping Ione’s recovery. The silver market dropped in 1898, and Ione declined again.

In 1912, attention turned to cinnabar deposits, bringing one more boom. Mercury mining continued in the district into the 1930s. Ione’s population was about 40 in 1940. The post office closed on April 30, 1959. In the 1970s, Hugh Marshall bought most of the town and the surrounding 24 square miles.

Name
Ione was named after the mining district created by P. A. Havens in 1863. It took its name from a mining district in California. The exact origin of the name isn’t certain.

Climate
Ione has a desert-like climate with hot summers and cold winters. It gets very little precipitation, and snow can occur in winter.

Current status
Today Ione is considered a ghost town, with only a few buildings remaining from its mining days.