Silver Peak, Nevada
Encyclopedia
Silver Peak is an unincorporated community
in Esmeralda County
, Nevada
, United States
. It lies along State Route 265
south of U.S. Route 6 and west of Goldfield
, the county seat
of Esmeralda County. Its elevation is 4,321 feet (1,317 m). Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office
, with the ZIP code
of 89047. The estimated population of Silver Peak in 2009 was 376.
bed that is rich in lithium
and other minerals. The Chemetall Foote Lithium Operation in Clayton Valley is currently the only operating source of lithium in the United States. The mine is being expanded to double the capacity of its lithium carbonate
production. The project is funded in part by a $28.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to expand and upgrade the production of lithium materials for advanced transportation batteries.
The community gained some fame during California
's 1999 electric power crisis. In the first major act of the power crisis causing an outage, on March 25, 1999, Enron
energy traders allegedly rerouted 2,900MW (megawatts) of electricity destined for California to this small Nevada community. This caused a large shortage on the California power grid because the largest power feeder (intertie) from this area to California had a capacity of 15MW (about 0.5% of the required wheeling
capacity).
News accounts claim this single action created an estimated $7 million dollars of revenue for Enron. The company was fined $25,000 for their action, suggesting to some that this was a viable way for the firm to make money.
, and one year after silver was discovered nearby and mining began. A 10 stamp mill
was built in 1865, and a 20 stamp mill by 1867. The Silver Peak Railroad was built by the Pittsburgh Silver Peak Gold Mining Company after it bought a group of mining properties in 1906 and established a 100 stamp mill at Blair, Nevada
in 1907. Blair's mill closed in 1915, and Blair was a ghost two years later. Silver Peak maintained a population, however, even though it burned in 1948. It began to thrive again when Foote Mineral Company began extracting Lithium from below the floor of Clayton Valley in 1966.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in Esmeralda County
Esmeralda County, Nevada
Esmeralda County is a county in the west of U.S. state of Nevada. Its county seat is Goldfield. Its 2000 census population was officially 971, making its population density 0.1045 inhabitants/km² , the second-lowest of any county-equivalent outside of Alaska. As of 2010, the population had...
, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It lies along State Route 265
Nevada State Route 265
State Route 265 is a state highway in Esmeralda County, Nevada, USA. Referred to as Silver Peak Road, it connects the community of Silver Peak to U.S. Route 6 and U.S. Route 95 . The route formerly existed as State Route 47.-Route description:SR 265 starts at Silver Peak Road just southwest of...
south of U.S. Route 6 and west of Goldfield
Goldfield, Nevada
Goldfield is an unincorporated community and the county seat of Esmeralda County, Nevada, United States, with a resident population of 440 at the 2000 census. It is located about southeast of Carson City, along U.S...
, the county seat
County seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
of Esmeralda County. Its elevation is 4,321 feet (1,317 m). Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, with the ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
of 89047. The estimated population of Silver Peak in 2009 was 376.
Economy
Silver Peak lies near a dry lakeDry lake
Dry lakes are ephemeral lakebeds, or a remnant of an endorheic lake. Such flats consist of fine-grained sediments infused with alkali salts. Dry lakes are also referred to as alkali flats, sabkhas, playas or mud flats...
bed that is rich in lithium
Lithium
Lithium is a soft, silver-white metal that belongs to the alkali metal group of chemical elements. It is represented by the symbol Li, and it has the atomic number 3. Under standard conditions it is the lightest metal and the least dense solid element. Like all alkali metals, lithium is highly...
and other minerals. The Chemetall Foote Lithium Operation in Clayton Valley is currently the only operating source of lithium in the United States. The mine is being expanded to double the capacity of its lithium carbonate
Lithium carbonate
Lithium carbonate is a chemical compound of lithium, carbon, and oxygen with the formula Li2CO3. This colorless salt is widely used in the processing of metal oxides and has received attention for its use in psychiatry. It is found in nature as the rare mineral zabuyelite.-Properties:Like almost...
production. The project is funded in part by a $28.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to expand and upgrade the production of lithium materials for advanced transportation batteries.
The community gained some fame during California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
's 1999 electric power crisis. In the first major act of the power crisis causing an outage, on March 25, 1999, Enron
Enron
Enron Corporation was an American energy, commodities, and services company based in Houston, Texas. Before its bankruptcy on December 2, 2001, Enron employed approximately 22,000 staff and was one of the world's leading electricity, natural gas, communications, and pulp and paper companies, with...
energy traders allegedly rerouted 2,900MW (megawatts) of electricity destined for California to this small Nevada community. This caused a large shortage on the California power grid because the largest power feeder (intertie) from this area to California had a capacity of 15MW (about 0.5% of the required wheeling
Wheeling (electric power transmission)
In electric power transmission, wheeling is a term used to describe either of the following:* the act of transporting electric power over transmission lines, or;...
capacity).
News accounts claim this single action created an estimated $7 million dollars of revenue for Enron. The company was fined $25,000 for their action, suggesting to some that this was a viable way for the firm to make money.
History
Silver Peak is one of the oldest mining communities in Nevada. It was founded near a well in 1864, two years after the founding of surrounding Esmeralda County, NevadaEsmeralda County, Nevada
Esmeralda County is a county in the west of U.S. state of Nevada. Its county seat is Goldfield. Its 2000 census population was officially 971, making its population density 0.1045 inhabitants/km² , the second-lowest of any county-equivalent outside of Alaska. As of 2010, the population had...
, and one year after silver was discovered nearby and mining began. A 10 stamp mill
Stamp mill
A stamp mill is a type of mill machine that crushes material by pounding rather than grinding, either for further processing or for extraction of metallic ores. Breaking material down is a type of unit operation....
was built in 1865, and a 20 stamp mill by 1867. The Silver Peak Railroad was built by the Pittsburgh Silver Peak Gold Mining Company after it bought a group of mining properties in 1906 and established a 100 stamp mill at Blair, Nevada
Blair, Nevada
-History:Today a historical marker commemorates Blair along State Route 265 just north of Silver Peak. At one time Blair was a thriving, albeit short-lived, mining boom town. As mining reached a fever pitch in Nevada during the Tonopah boom, the effects spidered out in all directions to revive many...
in 1907. Blair's mill closed in 1915, and Blair was a ghost two years later. Silver Peak maintained a population, however, even though it burned in 1948. It began to thrive again when Foote Mineral Company began extracting Lithium from below the floor of Clayton Valley in 1966.