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Aurora
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Aurora, circa 1934
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| Nearest city: | Hawthorne, Nevada |
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| Built: | 1860 |
| Governing body: | Private |
| NRHP Reference#: | 74001147[1] |
| Added to NRHP: | July 30, 1974 |
Aurora is a ghost town in Mineral County in the western central part of the U.S. state of Nevada, approximately 22 mi (35 km) southwest of the town of Hawthorne and three miles from the California border.
Today the townsite is a far cry from what it once was, having gone through heavy damage from vandals over the years. After World War II many of the buildings were torn down for their brick.[2]
The road leading into Aurora was once quite difficult to navigate except via four-wheel drive, as often the winter snows and spring run-off rutted out the road in the canyon leading to the town. However, in recent years the operations of a nearby mine have improved the road so that even non-4WD vehicles can reach the town site.
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The town was founded in 1860, and at one point had a population of around 10,000. Aurora's mines produced $27 million worth of gold by 1869. The town was governed by both California and Nevada until it was determined that the town lay entirely in Nevada. At one point it was simultaneously the county seat of both Mono County, California and Esmeralda County, Nevada. Its California assemblyman was the speaker of the house while the Nevada legislative member was elected as president of the Nevada Territorial Legislature.[3]
The town cemetery has suffered from vandalism over the years; the most notable destruction being the headstone of William E. Carder, a noted criminal and gunfighter who on the night of December 10, 1864 was "assassinated" by a man whom he had threatened in the preceding days.[4] The headstone erected by his wife Annie was toppled by thieves who attempted to steal it, and broken into several pieces, where they now lie sunken into the ground.
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