Lane City is located on the north side of US 50 at a point three miles
northwest of Ely, Nevada
The Robinson Canyon Mining District was organized on March 16, 1868.
It was named for Thomas Robinson, an assayer at Pahranagat,1 who located the first
claim in the District in 1867. Assumption has been made that present day Lane City is on the original site of Mineral City. Logic does not support this assumption. Old maps, old trails and the former location of the creek, show that Mineral City was located south of the present Lane City. A large portion of Lane City was also located south of the present Lane City! All that remains of Lane City are a few buildings on the north side of Highway 50. A waste dump covers the location of Mineral City west of a lone stone cabin. Nothing remains at the site of the Chainman mill but waste dumps.
The mining camp of Mineral City sprang up in 1869. After a decline, the district
revived because of the gold strikes in the Chainman mine, one of the principal producers in the area.
Established in 1869, by 1870 Mineral City had a population of 400 and a floating population
of nearly 600 people by 1872. Mineral City was thriving with saloons, stores, restaurants,
livery stables, boarding houses and blacksmith shop. Joseph Featherstone conducted the first post office and stage station in Mineral City.
The post office served the camp from August 9, 1870 until December 28, 1876, when the town declined.
Theron Fox, Nevada Treasure Hunters Ghost Town Guide, shows a population of 400 persons before 1880. The mailing address for this settlement at that time was Ely.
June 27, 1885 White Pine News at Taylor referred to the town as “the usually quiet little burg at Robinson.”
Evidently, the News felt young Sadie Watson’s bid for independence
worthy of a ˝ column article.
Sadie was the daughter of A.R. Watson. One evening Sadie donned her brothers
clothes, saddled one horse and leading another, “sallied forth to plunge into
the great, unknown world.” Her attire was complete down to the regulation six-shooter at her side,
and those that saw her thought she was just a cowboy.
When Sadie arrived at Wells, she sold the horses, dressed as a lady,
and took the train to Ogden. It was believed that she was making her way
to an aunt who lived in the Wood River country. Sadie’s brothers went after her
, but were a day behind her. When they realized she had already taken
the train, they returned to Robinson. At first, it was believed a man might
be involved, but a friend of Sadie informed reporters that “Miss Watson is fully
competent to paddle her own canoe.”
Charles B. Lane purchased the famous Chainman Mine in 1896.
He invested heavily and installed a water ditch, power plant and cyanide mill.
The camp took the name Lane City. There were no large gold veins to be found and the ore that was mined would not respond to cyanidization. All his efforts were in vain.
Lane post office was active from October 21, 1902 until September 30, 1903. It was again activated May 12, 1906. The Ely Mining Expositor December 20, 1906 predicted Lane City would be a model town. It was felt that the location in Robinson Canyon in the heart of the great mining district would ensure its future. Lane City was located within a short distance to the mines and the railroad had been completed through it. Lots were to be sold only to “desirable people” and no particular effort would be made to attract residents other than the class for which the city was being built. The townsite had recently been purchased from Thomas Rockhill, of Ely and was incorporated with G. L. Rickard, President, W. S. Elliott, Vice President, M. C. Clay, Secretary and Treasurer, and A. J. Fesler, General Manager. Track for switchyard was being laid with plans for a depot. Plans were to have an attractive city that would offer advantages to people with children. They were hoping to attract a permanent group of mining men in place of transient workers but had no affiliation with the mining companies. Unfortunately for this group, the mining companies built their own company towns and satellite towns grew up around them. The post office remained open until July 31, 1911.
The Complete Official Road Guide to the Lincoln Highway, published in 1916,
listed Lane with a population of 100. This number was unchanged in the 1924 Guide. Lane offered drinking water, radiator water, campsite, telephone, telegraph and one railroad for travelers on the Lincoln Highway. It was listed as a mining town.
1. Pahranagat Mining District. This district was in Lincoln County. Most of the mines were abandoned when the rush to White Pine began.
