Hardin City was a short lived mining town in the Black Rock Desert during the 1860s. It was named after James Allen Hardin, a member of emigrant party in 1849 who a made an accidental silver discovery in that vicinity by picking up a rock there, but did not realize until later when he resided in Petaluma. Thus, another lost mine story began. In 1859, Peter Lassen and others made an expedition in search of the mineral deposit and it was a fatal mistake for him and his companion, Edward Clapper. Lassen was only several miles from where Hardin City would spring up.

Anyhow, while sorting through my file on Camp McGarry, I came across this article of Modoc Independent of Alturas dated 11 September 1884. Its an account from Alturas resident, H.L. Spargur,  who was one of many prospectors in the Black Rock Desert back in the 1860s. I thought some might enjoy it.

”Black Rock — H.L. Spargur who has been on a prospecting trip through a portion of Nevada, relates some stories which cannot fail to be interesting to them who some eighteen years ago believed that the Black Rock mines were the richest in the world, and braved all sorts of dangers and hardships in efforts to develop that section, but at last were forced to abandon the mines and see all their golden dreams fade away. Mr. Spargur was one of the those who, in 1866, went to the Black Rock mines and, with his family, stayed there as long as there was a ghost of a show, and was among the last to pull up camp and seek new fields.

“Many of our readers will remember that a quartz mill was built, and that no less than three towns were laid out, and for a time the Black Rock country was a lively one. Mr. Spargur says that although it has been sixteen years since he left Harden City, (one of the three towns referred to) he found it looking natural as the day he left it. The houses, which the miners built for themselves and families were of adobe, and although for 16 years they have been deserted by human beings, they are now in as perfect a state of preservation as they were when they were abandoned in 1868. Mr. Spargur speaks of the wonderful preservative qualities of the water of that place and the peculiar state of the atmosphere, and gives it as his opinion that “a man would never die at Black Rock.” He says that in the year 1867, when the quartz mill was built a wooden pipe was laid to convey the water from one of the springs to the mill, and that when a year afterwards the mill was torn down and hauled away, this pipe was left undisturbed and that at the time of his visit to Black Rock, some three weeks ago, the water was still running
through the pipe and the material of which it was made was as sound as it was the day the water was turned in. Mr. S. says that while strolling through the streets of Harden City he noticed pieces of boards and even the smallest splinters of wood which has been there exposed to the elements all these years, are still as firm as when they left there by the miners years ago. “[Note: The quartz mill was moved to Hayden Hill]

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