Robinson Mining District

Nearest town: Ely, Nevada 5 miles.
Location: Mountains west of Ely on Highway 50.

The famed open-pit copper mines of eastern Nevada's Robinson Mining District, including the Liberty Pit (largest in the state) are located between Ely and Ruth just south of Highway 50. Through the first half of the 20th century, this area produced nearly a billion dollars in copper, gold and silver. The huge mounds visible from the highway are waste rock that was removed to uncover the ore.

The Robinson District was named for one of the people who found the area, Thomas Robinson, in 1869.

The "Elijah" mine near Lane City (between Ely and Ruth) was the first mine discovered in the Robinson Mining District.

Early settlements in this area were located in an area called Copper Flat and included the towns of Copper Flat, Kimberly, Ruth, Reipetown and Veteran. Most of these original towns were moved several times as the mining operations moved around the area. Many of the houses in Ely and White Pine County came from "Old" Ruth. 

The Nevada Consolidated Copper Co. began underground mining in 1904. By 1907, steam shovels began stripping the overburden (unuseable ore) above the Eureka mine. The underground mine closed in 1914.

Kennecott Copper Corporation acquired full ownership in 1958 and replaced the 14 miles of railroad tracks and trains in the pit with trucks. Magma Nevada Mining, Co. purchased the property in 1991 and BHP merged with Magma in 1996. BHP ceased operations in 1999 and there is little activity in the area now.

Sources: Ruth Historic Marker.
Ely Interpretive Site.