There were 37 railroad projects in the Mojave Desert and southeastern Great Basin between 1870 and 2017. These railroads were near or were built to 114 mining districts in California and Nevada. Some of these proximities were planned. Others were fortuitous. This report is a chronological description of railroad developments in relation to mining and mineral deposits The early transcontinental routes through our study area were the San Joaquin line of the Southern Pacific (1876), the Atlantic and Pacific (1882) and later the San Pedro-Los Angeles and Salt Lake (1905). The Carson and Colorado (C&C) was originally planned to connect Carson City with Fort Mojave on the Colorado River. That destination changed to Tonopah, then Candelaria and finally to Keeler in the Cerro Gordo Mining District.
These lines gave a framework upon which railroads with mine destinations flourished. Most of the early railroads were initiated with the goal of servicing specific mining areas. The early transcontinental railroads were initiated by the gold discovery in Coloma, California on the American River in 1848. Other mining district discoveries were made in the Mother Lode. After that other mines were found progressively eastward in Nevada and in the Mojave and Arizona. After this initial mine-driven phase of transcontinental and mine railroad construction, the railroad companies expanded their freight and passenger lines to include farming, cattle raising and urban developments. Many mines with the good fortune to be near the railroads were more profitable because of reduced costs for freight going in and coming out of those mines. They often started production earlier and lasted longer than their competitors. Some railroads, like the Boulder City Line (Six Companies), while they were not dedicated to a particular mining district, encouraged mine development in other areas because of their need for mineral commodities (iron, cement, aggregate, etc.). Changes in United States monetary policy and the exhaustion of high-grade deposits led to booms and busts that affected the railroads. Competition from trucks and automobiles also contributed to a reduction in demand for railroad services. Many went bankrupt or were assimilated or merged to survive. During WWII almost all of the mining-dedicated railroads in the Mojave Desert and Great Basin were scrapped for much-needed iron to support the war effort. Today only the original transcontinental lines remain in operation and only a few active mine railroads are left. The Golden Age of mine railroads and mining is but a coda of our memories.
These lines gave a framework upon which railroads with mine destinations flourished. Most of the early railroads were initiated with the goal of servicing specific mining areas. The early transcontinental railroads were initiated by the gold discovery in Coloma, California on the American River in 1848. Other mining district discoveries were made in the Mother Lode. After that other mines were found progressively eastward in Nevada and in the Mojave and Arizona. After this initial mine-driven phase of transcontinental and mine railroad construction, the railroad companies expanded their freight and passenger lines to include farming, cattle raising and urban developments. Many mines with the good fortune to be near the railroads were more profitable because of reduced costs for freight going in and coming out of those mines. They often started production earlier and lasted longer than their competitors. Some railroads, like the Boulder City Line (Six Companies), while they were not dedicated to a particular mining district, encouraged mine development in other areas because of their need for mineral commodities (iron, cement, aggregate, etc.). Changes in United States monetary policy and the exhaustion of high-grade deposits led to booms and busts that affected the railroads. Competition from trucks and automobiles also contributed to a reduction in demand for railroad services. Many went bankrupt or were assimilated or merged to survive. During WWII almost all of the mining-dedicated railroads in the Mojave Desert and Great Basin were scrapped for much-needed iron to support the war effort. Today only the original transcontinental lines remain in operation and only a few active mine railroads are left. The Golden Age of mine railroads and mining is but a coda of our memories.