Gold Point

Overview

Hornsilver became Gold Point

The area was called Lime Point before silver mining brought the name Hornsilver. Nevada’s historical marker dates the important hornsilver discovery to 1908, when stores, a newspaper, post office and saloons accompanied the mining camp’s growth.

Gold later became more important than silver, and the town took its present name after 1930. Major mining ceased during World War II. Preservation by later residents kept a collection of buildings standing, and the town’s own lodging operation now offers cabins, houses and camping by arrangement.

Video

Gold Point in 30 seconds

Gold Point carries several chapters of Nevada mining history. Historic photographs and maps are dated on screen; current access is summarized in the guide.

History

How Gold Point grew and changed

1. 1868Lime deposits give the area the name Lime Point, according to Nevada’s marker.
2. 1908A hornsilver discovery produces a mining camp with a post office and newspaper.
3. After 1930Increasing gold production brings the name Gold Point.
4. 1942War production draws miners away and major mining ceases.
5. Late 20th centuryResidents repair historic buildings and develop visitor lodging.

On the ground

What remains at Gold Point

Wooden buildings line the town’s roads, including the former post office and commercial structures. The preservation project intentionally keeps weathered exteriors while adapting some interiors for guests. These are buildings in a lived-in community, not abandoned structures available for entry.

Before you go

Access and current conditions

The town’s operator offers houses, cabins and camping, with reservations made directly. Its posted rules keep private areas off limits, ask walkers to stay on roads and tell visitors not to disturb residents. Arrange accommodation and interior visits in advance; no reliable general opening schedule was established for the museum or saloon.

Reading the maps

The town in its landscape

The earliest sheets use Lime Point. Later sheets use Gold Point, allowing the change of name to be followed across the series.

Historic maps

Gold Point on USGS maps, 1908–1985

Crops from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, centered on the townsite. Each sheet shows what surveyors mapped that year; compare them with today's topo and aerial on this page.

19081:250,00019131:250,00019541:250,00019681:24,00019851:100,000

Map & directions

Getting there

The routes below use OSRM on OpenStreetMap data. Follow the access notes above and confirm current conditions before traveling.

Base map: USGS The National Map (public domain). Routes: OSRM on © OpenStreetMap contributors data (ODbL), computed October 2026. Times assume dry roads.

Photos

Gold Point in photos

Wooden commercial buildings along a Gold Point street, March 2009Buildings and open ground at Gold Point, October 2009An old car and weathered building at Gold Point; photograph date not recorded

Visitor reports

Been to Gold Point?

Been there lately? Tell the next visitor what you found: whether you could get in, the state of the road and what's still standing. Photos are welcome. We read every report before it appears here.

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Nearby

Other sites near Gold Point

Straight-line distance from the townsite to other mapped sites in our Nevada index.

• Lida10.2 mi NW · Esmeralda
• Bonnie Claire16.1 mi SE · Nye
• Palmetto19.1 mi W · Esmeralda
• Goldfield25.5 mi N · Esmeralda
• Cactus Springs29.3 mi NE · Nye
• Silver Peak31.4 mi NW · Esmeralda
• Alkali32.6 mi N · Esmeralda
• Blair34.1 mi NW · Esmeralda

Sources

Sources and credits

1. Gold Point, Nevada - Wikipedia: historical chronology, identity and location; read October 25, 2026.
2. Gold Point - Nevada Ghost Town: historical fact sheet and town history; read October 25, 2026.
3. Gold Point | SHPO: history, surviving features and visitor information; read October 25, 2026.
4. Gold Point Ghost Town, Bed & Breakfast - Goldpoint, Nevada: history, surviving features and visitor information; read October 25, 2026.
5. Elevation at the mapped point: USGS 3D Elevation Program query, October 25, 2026. Historical topographic sheets: USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).
6. Road routes and step distances: OSRM on © OpenStreetMap contributors data (ODbL), October 25, 2026. Route endpoints are shown separately where they do not reach the town point; estimates do not confirm current road access.
7. Wikimedia Commons, Gold point street.jpg: Wooden commercial buildings along a Gold Point street, March 2009; CC BY-SA 3.0. File description and image checked October 25, 2026.
8. Wikimedia Commons, Gold Point, NV.JPG: Buildings and open ground at Gold Point, October 2009; CC BY 3.0. File description and image checked October 25, 2026.
9. Wikimedia Commons, Gold Point, NV-Abandoned building.JPG: An old car and weathered building at Gold Point; photograph date not recorded; CC BY 3.0. File description and image checked October 25, 2026.

Photo and map credits

• Wooden commercial buildings along a Gold Point street, March 2009: Finetooth, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
• Buildings and open ground at Gold Point, October 2009: Vivaverdi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
• An old car and weathered building at Gold Point; photograph date not recorded: Vivaverdi, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0
• Area base map, topo and aerial imagery: USGS The National Map (public domain).
• Historic maps: USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain): Lida 1908, 1:250,000; Lida 1913, 1:250,000; Goldfield 1954, 1:250,000; Gold Point 1968, 1:24,000; Last Chance Range 1985, 1:100,000.