The townsite of Washington is one of those places that nobody really seems to agree on. It's not to be confused with the Washington in Nye County. It started out in Esmeralda County and-- as borders were changed-- found itself in Lyon County, but most likely long after its demise.
Written descriptions are vague and maps somewhat inaccurate.
Listed in GNIS as a historic locale, this settlement's post office operated from 1879-1880 (Gannet & Paher, 1983, 134). the place, called Morgan Ranch on some maps, is two miles NW of Mitchel Spring in SE Lyon County.
--Nevada Heartland, The Place Names of Carson City, Douglas, Lyon, and Storey Counties
The USGS Domestic Names lists no such town in Lyon county, but does show the Washington Mining District in the same general location on the west side of the Walker River. The District was formed in the mid 1860's.
Other data I have shows the Morgan Ranch about three quarters of a mile to the NW, and the [Anecito] Grulli Ranch [more recently, the Flying M] one quarter mile to the SE.
Grulli later moved to a ranch north of Yerington.
A Holt's map of California and Nevada dated 1876 shows the location where we have it marked above, as does a General Land Office map of Nevada from 1879. However, the latter also shows it to be roughly halfway between Cory's Peak and Moore's Peak. Couldn't find any reference to Moore's Peak, and Cory's Peak is about 11 miles to the SE, and it would have to be below that. So for the time being, we'll assume the GLO map got the site location correct and the mountain locations wrong.
An April 1879 Post Office application specifically states that Washington is 300 feet west of the Walker River. But it also states it's in 8N 27E between the border of sections 16 and 21, which would place it about 6,000 feet west of the Walker River, so someone screwed up somewhere.
A 1919 Nevada state road map shows Washington to be in what we're assuming is the correct location.
This article speaks of the Washington Mining Distrct, which is west of the Walker River, and claims that a townsite was laid out "at the mines" but there are no mines near our site, so we have to assume they're talking about some other townsite.
The following items we take from the Virginia Enterprise of the 26th: The lately discovered district of Washington, near Pine Grove, on Walker River, is attracting the attention of capitalists, and from information from what we consider reliable sources and from assays made of the ore, we have but little doubt as to the extent, richness, and permanency of the mines in this district. A town has been laid out at the mines and christened Washington. There is plenty of wood and water in the immediate vicinity of the mines. Buildings are being erected, the mines are being worked, and the most encouraging feature of the camp is, that the present owners are not on the sell.
-Daily Alta California, April 29, 1867
This appears to be on the property of one of the local ranches, which has a sign that says "Go Away" so I could only get close enough to take a shot from far away.