N38.917909° W117.553968° USGS Ione Quad

We Visited: September 2010
Our Breakfast: Camped at Berlin- we ate like pigs.
Our Dinner : Camped at Berlin- we ate like pigs.

From Fallon: Take Highway 50 E for about 47 miles; turn south on SR 361 for 29.7 miles; turn east on SR 844 for 21.3 miles; head east up Knickerbocker Canyon for about 3.4 miles.

With our present workings, on development work alone, we are advised by report on property, that we can extract from ten to twenty tons daily.
Ten tons of Cinnabar averaging 7% or $105.00 per ton - $1050.00
One superintendent, at $8.00 per day; One foreman at $6.00 per day; Five miners, at $5.00 per day; Three furnace men, at $6.00 per day; wood for five furnaces which will treat ten tones in twenty-four hours. Twenty cords at $3.50 per cord; Net daily profit in ten tons- $923.00
-Prospectus of the Nevada Quicksilver Mining Company, Date Unknown (1907?)

Los Angeles Herald, Volume 37, Number 208, 27 April 1910

IMPROVEMENTS: These consist of a 50 ton Scott furnace, crushing plant, dryer plant and a full set of condensers, power plant consisting of one 50 H.P. gas engine, electric generators and several motors, electric lighting plant for the entire camp. All machinery is run by electricity. There is also a battery of retorts and a fully equipped blacksmith shop. All of the equipment is in A1 condition.
CAMP EQUIPMENT: Superintendents dwelling, large mess hall and seven (7) good cabins for sleeping- large enough to house from 2 to 4 beds; shower bath and an 8-car garage.
WATER: There are several springs of very fine water on this property, three of them piped to the mill and living quarters, furnishing plenty of water for all purposes.
FUEL: An abundance of wood is to be had near by on the mountain sides and can be contracted at the mine for $8.00 per cord delivered.
-Report on the B&B Nevada Quicksilver Mining Company's Property , Lewis T. Buck, Geologist, June 28, 1930

I visited this property on July , 1940 in company with the parties that control it. I was greatly impressed with the possibilities of the property at the time... I am advised the the tailings run from 2 to 5 pounds of mercury per ton. One hundred and sixteen samples of these tailings, collected by Mr. Zannette, are said by Mr. Wise to have averaged 5.01 lobs per ton. One can readily believe these statements, as the old Scott furnace and big condensers were clearly not very efficient... The improvements consist of a partially wrecked old Scott furnace and six brick condensers. These are valulable only for the contained mercury in the bricks. There is a Hanley furnace fully equipped, ready for operation and filled with ore, but it is the belief of most engineers who examined it that it is no adapted for economical operation at this mine. Two Thousand dollars will put this furnace in working order, according to Mr. Wise.It can be operated as a pilot plant pending further testing of the property if necessary. Other equipment which can be used is a 12 x 16 crusher with a rated capacity of about 20 tons per hour or more, and a good switchboard with necessary attachments. There are several good mining cars on the premiese, also the tramway with switches is in good condition. There is a 50 h.p. Sampson semi-diesel engine slightly out of order, but which can be put in shape easily. All the machinery is run by electricity. The camp consists of superintendent's quarters, a large mess hall and several good cabins for sleeping, large enought o house from2 to 4 beds, and a shower bath, also an 8-car garage. These buildings have been recently reconditioned. Although there is wood to be had on the mountain sides of this region, it is believed that it will be better to haul in oil for fuel. This can be brought in from Fallon, teh best rail head, as the roads between this town and the mine are better than those between Mina and the mine.
-MEMORANDUM RE: Quicksilver Property Nye County by Ralph Arnold July 7, 1940

The Nevada Cinnabar Mine, formerly known at the Shoshone Quicksilver Mine, is situated at the head of Sheep Canyon near the crest of the Shoshone Range at an elevation of 7,800 feet. The mine is about five miles by road southeast of Ione. The property is owned by Mrs. B. Cislini of Ione and the estates of S. Lompa and J.M. Doonan. Discovered in 1907, the deposit was purchased by the Nevada Cinnabar Company of Salt Lake City in 1912 and produced 3, 462 flasks of mercury, from 1914 to 1918 in a 50 ton Scott furnace erected by the company. The mine has been idle since then, except for a period of high mercury market during World War II when lessees treated hand-sorted ore in a 2 pipe retort. Total production has been about 4,200 flasks of mercury. It is reported that some processing equipment and several buildings remain on the property.
- University of Nevada Bulletin - Geology and Mining Series No. 50 - Mineral Resources of Nye County, Nevada - Victor E. Kral, Mining Engineer January 1951

There is a very photogenic collection of cabins and ruins here. Worth the trip. About 2 miles north of the site is another collection of probably unrelated buildings and ruins which we've included here, although we have no idea what the hell they're doing there. As near as we can tell, this place has had many names but the descriptions seem to all match the same site. If we're wrong, write your complaint on the back of a $100 bill and mail it to us.