39° 13' 38"N, 115° 29' 05"W  USGS Treasure Hill Quad

Directions: East from Fallon on US-50 for 221.3 miles; right on County Road 11, generally south for 13.3 miles

From Fallon: 234.6 miles

Treasure City sprang from a plate of beans. Apparently, in 1867, an Indian who wanted to apologize for sneaking into a miner's cabin and eating his leftovers, showed him where an outcropping of silver was, and it snowballed from there. About 6,000 people lived here at its peak, and the town stretched for about a mile. Life was hard at 9,000 feet in altitude, and the winters were cold and miserable. The city peaked in 1869, but union troubles, lawsuits, and shallow veins caused its decline. By 1870 most had left, and a fire in 1874 nailed the coffin shut. Paher reports the 1880 census "showed only 14 voters left in the town where 11 years earlier the mines were allegedly so rich that they threat ened to glut the world money market."

A BAD PLACE FOR WATER DRINKERS
The Territorial Enterprise says: Treasure City, White Pine Mining District, must be a rough place for Good Templars, as a gentleman hailing from that camp informs us that water sells there at eight cents a gallon. (About $1.40 gallon in 2014 dollars) There is no water in the vicinity, and all that is used there must be packed three or four miles up a steep trail. A bath in the that town is a luxury in which not even those "bloated aristocrats" who have millions of silver piled up at their mines, ever think of indulging in.
1868 September 20, Daily Alta California

Apparently this did not sit well with the populace and they planed to pipe in water.

In the Assembly, [Thomas J.] Tennant gave notice of a bill granting the franchise of right of way to lay down water pipes from Hamilton to Treasure City, in White Pine.
1869 January 15, Sacramento Daily Union

ADVICES FROM TREASURE CITY AND ELKO
Passengers who left Hamilton on Monday contradict the report of several cases of small pox at Treasure City. The snow that fell there Friday soon melted, and prospecting continues. There was a very heavy wind storm at this place today, which blew down several cloth houses.
1869 February 13 , Sacramento Daily Union

A look into the daily life at the camp-- by this time a "city."

A private correspondent, writing from Treasure City on the 7th instant, says : The past week has been a very pleasant one at White Pine, almost like spring, and as a consequence everything has been lively. Miners have been busy developing their claims; prospecting, as well, has received Its share of attention. On the morning of March 4th the Stars and Stripes were hoisted for the first time on Treasure Hill, and it made one's heart leap good to see the Old Flag flung to the breeze. Strangers are arriving in large numbers daily, and our population it increasing very fast. The snow is fast disappearing and will soon be gone except in places on the hill top. The south side of the hill is free from snow. This is Sunday, and a quiet day it is for a mining camp. Most work is suspended, and miners can be seen in groups discussing the events of the week. Several rich strikes have been reported, and many are in good spirits over their prospects. If the present fine weather should continue, you may expect to hear of some rich developments in this vicinity before long. San Francisco is well represented in Treasure City, and every day we see some new faces from the Bay City. There is nothing of importance to communicate as general good order has prevailed during the past week. The Masons and Odd Fellows each have an association here for benevolent purposes. Both associations meet weekly at Treasure City, and each have a large membership. Many large buildings are in course of erection, and preparations are being Bade to accommodate the rush expected by and by from all quarters. Let tbe rush come. Many will make their fortunes; and. on the other hand, many will leave here discouraged. New towns are talked of. and, I suppose before long we will have one or two more cities in this neighborhood.
1869 March 13, Daily Alta California

And cities, of course, have city problems.

John Daily , Dave Williams, and C. Pauly had a "little dispute" with knives and pistols, at Treasure City, about town lots. Daily received a severe cut on the head.
1869, June 31, Daily Alta California

Looking at the census, I can find someone named Tescore in the 1940 census, so perhaps the camp was originally named after an ancestor or relative?

C.F. Meyers, of the firm Halleck and Myers, has been appointed Ppostmaster for Treasure City (Nev). The name of the office has been changed from Tescore to Treasure City.
1869 July 9, Daily Alta California

Finally got serious about getting water.

To-day the water of Allapah (Illiphah?) is pumped in the reservoir of this city. Raised nearly eighteen hundred feet, it reaches the highest altitude to which any water is forced on this globe (nearly ten thousand feet above the sea). A grand celebration in honor of the enterprise has occupied our citizens to-day, and to-night a dinner and ball will be given to Colonel Head, Superintendent.
1869, October 14, Sacramento Daily Union

Things are humming now.

FROM TREASURE CITY, NEVADA
We are having pleasant weather here. The streets are alive with teams hauling ore to the different mills. The Stanford mill made another cleaning up, shipping to-night by Wells, Fargo & Co., through the agency of the Bank of California, consigned to J. Seligman & Co., San Francisco, seven bars of bullion, valued at $102,168, being about one-half of the amount obtained. They ship the balance to-morrow, tne product of about 456 tons of ore worked from the South Aurora. This mine is producing a large quantity of ore. Contracts have been made by the mine with two mills to crush 3,000 tons, at $20 per ton, independent of the 6,000 ton contract with the Stanford mill. Wells, Fargo & Co. also shipped yesterday for the Eberhardt Milling and Mining Company to Seligman & C., New York, six bars of bullion, valued at $6,000. Van Wyck & Co., assayers, yesterday turned out ten beautiful silver bars, valued at $12,000, for the Original Hidden Treasure Company, under the Superintendence of John Turner. This mine is yielding handsomely, having, during the month ot November, shipped bullion to the amount of $23,000. The examination of Biglow, Dows and Morrison, charged with the robbery of bullion from the Stanford Mill, was concluded before Justice Hetzel yesterday. Biglow alone was held to await the action of the Grand Jury, there being no evidence against the others to warrant a commitment.
1869, December 4, Sacramento Daily Union

DELEGATES ABOUT HAMILTON NEVADA
A spirited contest took place yesterday for choice of delegates to the republican County Convention. Hammilton will send fourteen, Treasure City twelve, and Shermantown nine.
1870 September 8 , Sacramento Daily Union

FIRE IN TREASURE CITY
A fire in Treasure City last night burned ten buildings. Some of them were unoccupied and one was used for a boarding house and others were used as soloons. No mercantile houses were injured.
1875 January 9 , Marysville Daily Appeal

Losses by the Fire at Treasure City, Nevada.
Hamilton, Nev., January 8th. The following is a list of the losses in the Treasure City fire last night. None of the losers were insured : Charles Karbstern, two houses, $4,000 ; Keller's saloon, $3,000 ; Bibbins' shoe-shop, $8,500; Mrs. Logan's dwelling, $3,500; Pat. O'Conner's saloon, $3,000; Chas. Smith, $5,000; E.M. Karbstern, butcher, $2,500: E. Meyers, two dwelling-bouses, $4,000; Capt. Drake's dwelling, $2,000; John L. Robinson's dwelling, $1,000; Mike Herron's dwelling, $3,000; Moses O'Hearn's dwelling, $1,500; Mose Line's dwelling $600; : Chas. Kimball's dwelling, $400; Levi Smith, damage to stock, $1,500 ; Pat. McElroy's dwelling, $800; John Young's dwelling, $500; Chas. Probt. barber, $500; C. Connover's dwelling, $500; Mrs. Lane's dwelling, $500; Albert Wilson's saloon, $3,500.
1875, January 9, Sacramento Daily Union

Now, the sad stories.

Snow lies to a depth of 20 feet on the mountain above Hamilton, where once was the famous mining camp of Treasure City. Its altitude is over 9,000 feet.
1887 April 4, Reno Evening Gazette

OLD WHITE PINE MINES
There has been a great change in the cities (for formerly one was pustified in calling them cities) of White Pine County. Hamilton and Treasure City, each of which had over 10,000 population, with fire departments, banks, express offices and large stores, are now practically deserted. there is no money in either place to bank, or anything to express. The mines are shut down and the population has drifted away. Yet there are residents there who have held out in spite of everything, hoping for some resurrection of the camp. Without capital themselves they have been unable to do much more than hog-root their claims. Their faith, however, remains supreme; not does it seem unlikely that a camp which had such bonanzas, and in which the surface has barely been scratched, should again produce large quantities of the rich ore which made hte place famous, and which caused the wild rushes of 1868 and 1869. If we heard today of a locality which produced $1,750,000 from 750 tons of ore, many of those who are now invading Alaska or Tonopah would be turned that way even if it were known at the time that there was no more ore in sight. This pocket was not the only one or the richest found. Ore, doubtless stolen from the mine, commanded a ready sale at $5 per pound. Of course in those days silver was $1.29 per oz. but even at the low price now obtaining, the rich chlorides would bring a higher price in the market than the gold-silver ores of Tonopah.
1903 March 11, Reno Evening Gazette

June 1869 - December 1880

The road from Hamilton to Treasure City is great on a quad- you could probably make it up there in a regular vehicle if you were careful. There are plenty of rock ruins and things to see- but beware the open mines which are not fenced off- you can see how unstable the earth is here, so I wouldn't stand too close. I'm told it's so miserable here in the winter that they developed the town of Hamilton a short jog down the road.

Look hard. Many buildings blend in with the native rock and outcroppings. This was a big place, and there's lots to see.