There are few landscapes in the United States lonelier than that of western Nevada. Towns — remote outposts connected by endless, thin ribbons of highway — are named for what miners used to pull out of the ground: Coaldale, Silverpeak, Goldfield. But the mining industry in places like Mineral County has largely disappeared, and with it, the towns it gave birth to. Those that aren’t ghost towns already cling precariously to life, burned-out and abandoned structures at their margins creeping inexorably toward the center like some scabrous and fatal disease. For many, it’s just a matter of time; even those hamlets that still have a few hundred people living in them are sometimes left off of state road maps. For someone who’s attracted to desolate places and question marks on big, empty-looking maps — someone like myself — this was a part of the country I had to see for myself.
There are many ghost and near-ghost towns in Mineral County — a county that boasts just 5,071 residents, or about one per square mile. 261 of those people live in Mina, a town named for a railroad executive’s daughter 100 years ago, which in Spanish means “ore.” The railroad and mining operations are long gone, and from the looks of things, at least half the town sits abandoned. Best known for a 1921 murder scandal that resulted in the world’s first execution by lethal gas, today Mina is a perfect example of a desert town on its way out.
Above: inside the first house I saw in Mina. (Yep, that’s a tumbleweed.) Below: its charming exterior.
What’s left of a trailer:
I didn’t see a working gas station, and the motel, obviously, is closed.
There is, however, one restaurant. It’s called the Desert Lobster, and it’s inside a boat. I have no problem clambering around inside abandoned and possibly unsafe buildings, but I was not man enough to eat at the Desert Lobster.
A charming little peaked-roofed number on the other side of town.
Written with a stick in wet cement 65 years ago, just two weeks after the Nazis finally surrendered.
The quintessential shack.
Inside, I learned that LaMona loves Tony.
I also liked this vantage, through the backdoorless back door.
For the life of me, I couldn’t figure out what the few people who still lived in Mina did. How do people live in a town without an economy, 35 miles from the nearest gas station? To make matters even more confusing, I noticed there was an airstrip on the outskirts of town, and while it wasn’t bustling, it definitely wasn’t abandoned. Why would people need to fly in and out of this place — and who in this post-apocalyptic town could even afford to? Another mile down the road outside of town, and I had my answer: the Playmate Ranch.
You can check out more Strange Geographies here.
If you’d like prints of any of these photos, they’re available here.
Comments (25)
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Great photos, but you have one small error in your text… “mina” means “mine” in Spanish, not ore (mineral).
posted by David on 10-21-2009 at 3:17 pm
Ah! Thanks, David. That’s what I get for trusting wikipedia once in a while …
posted by Ransom Riggs on 10-21-2009 at 3:35 pm
Hmmm…almost completely abandoned town with a working airstrip and bordello… Nope! No idea what *cough* goes on *cough* there!
posted by Helenann on 10-21-2009 at 3:42 pm
When you say Playmate Ranch, do you mean the Moonlight Bunny Ranch? The Bunny Ranch isn’t affiliated with Playboy, and though the girls there will certainly play with you, none of them are Playmates.
posted by Nai on 10-21-2009 at 3:51 pm
I’ve lived in Nevada for 32 years. I’ve traveled US 95 from Las Vegas to Reno so many times. I, too, have wondered what the people in the outback do. I never noticed the brothel, though. By the way, there is a reason why brothels are located in the counties, such as Mineral County, that Nevadans call “cow counties.” (More cows than people.) Prostitution and brothels are illegal in Clark County (Las Vegas) and Washoe County (Reno.) Nevada law allows for brothels in the other counties.
Something to think about: those people who choose to live in the outback find coming into the cities a challenge, even if it’s for supplies at Costco or Sam’s Club. They wouldn’t have it any other way – or they wouldn’t live there for long.
posted by Peggie on 10-21-2009 at 4:36 pm
You should have checked out the Desert lobster. There is a pretty good story about their fight to serve Desert Lobsters (crayfish that they are raising out there)
posted by Rick on 10-21-2009 at 5:03 pm
Love your posts, Ransom. Keep them coming!
posted by Alicia on 10-21-2009 at 5:10 pm
Great photos – and added bonus: I know where the Playmate (Moonlight Bunny) Ranch is now! ;-)
But why didn’t you go inside the Desert Lobster? It doesn’t look too bad!
posted by Steve from San Diego on 10-21-2009 at 5:17 pm
Nai,
It’s not the Bunny Ranch. The Bunny Ranch is just outside Carson City (Close enough for all the Legislators to frequent it during session).
They are all over Rural Nevada.
posted by CCNevada on 10-21-2009 at 5:53 pm
These are my people. My great-great-grandfather founded one Central Nevada town (to locals this area is not Western Nevada) – Kingston, NV in the 1850′s.
There are many reasons why people live in these dusty, dying towns. As for Mina, and it’s nearby sister twon Luna, most of the people work at the very large Army munitions dump in Hawthorn 30 miles away or in the nearby mines – which are still operational.
Disclaimer – I am no longer a small-town dweller; the family gradually migrating to larger towns through the generations. Kingston -> Austin, NV -> Fallon -> Reno.
posted by n2y2 on 10-21-2009 at 7:43 pm
Yeah, I used to live south of Carson City, and went to college in Phoenix, so I drove that stretch many times. I rolled a car between Mina and Luning in the middle of the night, and it took 2 hours and 45 minutes before another car came by, and I just about got run over trying to flag them down. The sun was up before the sheriff finally showed up, and he was pissed because he’d had to get up early.
posted by RC51 on 10-21-2009 at 8:01 pm
I live in Reno and would like to clarify what some have written. The Moonlight Bunny Ranch (and Kit-Kat Ranch) are in a town called Moundhouse which pretty much connects Carson City and Dayton. Moundhouse is a very small town that is mostly trailers and bars, but it is NOT the middle of nowhere because Carson and Dayton are decent sized towns with plenty of services. The Bunny Ranch shouldn’t be confused with the Playmate Ranch because they are hundreds of miles away from each other and in different counties.
posted by Rich on 10-21-2009 at 9:42 pm
Check out Lamont WY sometime. Population: 3.
Of course, that’s back when I drove through it which was in the 1990s.
I completely missed it when I drove through the first time (en route to the Grand Tetons). On the way back, I set my tripometer from the nearest town and when it read the correct mileage, I pulled over …. in thorough disbelief.
posted by Tom on 10-22-2009 at 1:01 am
You Desert Lobster pic rung a bell for me. Here is a link to a story about what a desert lobster is (Australian Red Claw Crawfish) and why the state is trying to shut down that business. Short version, the owner sold a potentially harmful alien species as pets, rather than just cooked food.
Thanks for these articles on wasteland stops.
http://articles.latimes.com/2009/jul/02/nation/na-desert-lobster2
posted by Kristian Boruff on 10-22-2009 at 1:19 am
kinda disappointed in ya for not trying the desert lobster, gotta be honest. but still love this new installment in your signature series.
posted by Seth on 10-22-2009 at 4:04 pm
Ransom Riggs you are by far my favorite writer on MentalFloss!
recatcha: lawabiding scourges
posted by kat on 10-22-2009 at 4:12 pm
MOAR! (please) Your trevel pieces are wonderful.
posted by Ken on 10-22-2009 at 7:41 pm
I lived in Mina for 7 months through 30 below winter months in 1990-91. I moved there with my ex-husband. His family lived there. then moved to Hawthorne 30 miles away. I got to know a lot of old timers that are long gone now. They longed for the big strike in the hills to revive the poor little town. The people are \real\. I still talk to a man that lives there. It is about the same now. People drift in and out of town, not unlike the tumble weeds. I miss it sometimes. There was always a new dirt road to check out, new cabins in the hills to explore, and wild mustangs running on the hillside. I have not been back for about 10 years thanks so much for the Pics. By the way my friend says the food is good at the Desert Lobster.
posted by MIchelle on 12-8-2009 at 1:54 pm
The Playmate Ranch was closed almost as soon as it was opened. No one seems to know what happened to the owner ,Bill. The brothel next door though, has been there forever,formerly known as Billie’s Day & Night. Now,it’s the Wildkat Ranch. I helped Bill remodel the Wildkat when he was managing it & then he built the Playmate. It’s been empty ever since he disappeared. I’ve been told it’s for sale,but the permit process is major.
posted by Rick O'Brien on 2-3-2010 at 12:24 am
hi I just wanted to say I like mina and i did bussiness in mina with Bill paymate he was a Gambler he owed mager taxes he sold billys day and night for 950000 lost it all in about 8mounths I just wanted to let you know the real story
posted by joe on 4-15-2010 at 9:53 pm
Hi there,
I worked briefly at the playmate ranch in october of 2005, i left soon thereafter and next thing i hear is that Billhad disappeared and never to be heard of again, does anybody know what happened to him? He was a great guy and after all this time i would love to know that he is okay, he really looked after me out there and i really thought his business was going to be a success, what a loss…
posted by S F on 7-30-2010 at 9:15 pm
I am still alive and kicking just not as high..The ranch is for sale I just can’t run it right now. And for those people that say they know the real story it’s not real at all they have me confused with the tourist.
posted by LiL. Bill playmate on 12-2-2010 at 12:27 am
Hey, “lil” Bill,remember me? Helped put in the jacuzzi with your good buddy, Larry. Long time,no see. I’m gonna try to get to the El Crap on New Years…depends if I can scrounge up enough gas money, Construction isn’t what it used to be. Been a REAL struggle for the last 2 years. Glad to hear that you’re “still kickin”.You were chained to an O2 bottle last time we met.Gotta quit smokin’.E mail me @rickobrien58@verizon.net
posted by Rick OBRIEN on 12-8-2010 at 5:49 am
Ah, Mina. Such a strange little town. I have the oddest connection to it, too: an ancestor of mine owned and operated the Mina Hotel in the late 1800s; there’s an old thermometer in our house that says “Mina Hotel” and the proprietor’s name (I think his name was AJ Littell) on it. I’ve also driven from Reno to Vegas many times, so many of these sites are familiar to me.
For those curious: even though Mina is derived from a Spanish word (like Nevada is), locals pronounce it as if it were the English word “mine” with an “uh” at the end. :)
posted by Noelle on 12-9-2010 at 1:15 pm
Hey we have a response from Bill (hopefully the correct Bill!)
This is Suzie here, i am so glad to read that you are okay, please add me on Facebook, i would like to catch up with you, my ID: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1594274717 (or search for Susan pointon)
posted by S F on 11-29-2011 at 12:11 pm