Berlin-Icthyosaur State Park, Part I

Surrounded by the sweet desert perfume of giant sage and pinon pine, we settled in to our campsite in the late afternoon and enjoyed the sunset. It's very quiet up here in the hills, far away from any city lights. The sky is intensely blue, and the stars especially bright. We planned for several days to relax and explore. There is some limited cell access, so we can do a bit of email, but not much else.

Berlin-Icthyosaur State Park (henceforth known as the BISP) is high up in the Nevada mountains, at about 7,000 fee, so days are a bit cooler than down on the flat lands. The campground spaces are generous, and far apart, so it's almost like not having any neighbors at all! (more about the campground in Part IV)

The town of Berlin, huddled against the mountains right at tree line, was for a brief time a very productive part of the Union Mining District. Silver was discovered around 1895.

Within three years the town was formed and by 1905 there were about 250 residents - stores, saloons, a post office, assay office and a school house - all the services a civilized city could offer were here. The story of most mining towns was repeated here however.

In only a few years the mines were depleted, the mill was closed and much of the metal was sold for scrap during WWII. Fortunately the mining company paid for a watchman so many of the buildings were saved from the ravages of vandals.
In the 1970's the site was acquired as a park and has been protected in a "state of arrested decay" since then.

They've done a marvelous job of maintaining the atmosphere of a town just recently deserted. Informative placards describe most of the buildings and sites in the town, so a self-guided tour is easy. Some of the buildings are residences for the park staff, adding to the feeling that is still an occupied town.

The Berlin mine has washed out many times so though the entrance is visible it's not possible to go inside it. We were lucky enough to be around on one of the few days the rangers give tours of the nearby Diana mine however, and so quickly signed up as the spaces are limited.

Our guide did a marvelous job of providing detailed history of the mine, the town, and the tools and processes used at the time.  We even used the same check-in and check-out medallion system the miners used as we traded our sunhats for hardhats, picked up a flashlight and headed into the inky cool darkness. Some of the gold bearing quartz vein they were following is still visible, but again, the value of the ore was not adequate to make a profit over the cost, so after only a few years it was closed. Timing is everything. If the work had been attempted only a few years later, after the invention of more productive and safer mining methods the story might have been very different.

A gravel road to the south of town leads up Union Canyon to the day-use area and the Union town site.  Union itself was for a short time a successful mining town,  but the Union Mines Co. closed in 1918, so there's not much left but a few foundations and the old adobe, but it's still an interesting area to visit.

Also in the same location is the cabin of  Dr. Camp, the paleontologist who worked for many years to uncover the fossils here.  His cabin is attached to a small railway box car, making a little presentation area for discussions of the fossils that are featured here.

 There are picnic facilities here, as well as a trail that leads up and over the hill to the shelter that covers the large fossil excavation. It's a two mile hike, and fairly steep.

 We have a lot more photos of the Berlin and the Diana mines here