Aurum is located in north-west Spring Valley, White Pine County, Nevada.
From Ely - Highway 93N forty-three (43) miles to Schellbourne Station.
(There is a Pony Express Exhibit at this junction.) Turn east for 14.8
miles to stone house. (This road takes you along portions of the Pony
Express trail.) At stone house, turn south on Nevada 893 for 3.5 miles.
Exit right and follow this rough road for three miles to Aurum.
Aurum Cemetery is situated on land which is managed by the Bureau of
Land Management, Ely District. BLM personnel can tell you the road conditions
and advice on travel in this area. Aurum is accessible with a two-wheel
drive most of the year - depending on weather conditions.
Foundations, mill ruins and the cemetery are all that remain of the
once thriving camp of Aurum at the mouth of Silver Canyon. The presence
of approximately fifteen graves can be seen at the cemetery. Mark Henderson,
Archaeologist, Bureau of Land Management, Ely states there is a possibility
of three more graves located under the road put in by vehicles cutting
across to the cemetery. Only four stones can now be read.
The mining camp of Silver Canyon (Aurum) sprang up in 1878. The Post
Office objected to the name Silver Canyon and opened Apr 4, 1881 under
the name Aurum. Aurum was split in two sections. Upper - where the boarding
house for the miners was located, and Lower with residences, businesses,
mill, post office, etc.. The upper was referred to as "Doughburg." February
11, 1884 tragedy struck in Silver Canyon. A snow slide came down the
canyon above the boarding house of the Sadie L Mine killing three people.
Two - Mickel & McCrimmon were buried at Aurum. John Fox was taken into
Cherry Creek for burial.
The camp went through several periods of boom and bust with the population
occasionally getting down to only one inhabitant - Simon Davis. The
post office closed May 31, 1938.
- Donna Frederick
Cameron, Jacob, b. Germany, d. 26 Oct 1897 Muncy NV, "Tis finished!
The confilct is past, The Heaven-Born Spirit is Fled", First reading
of this stone was in 1986. Since that time it has been vandalized and
reads ERON.
Doherty, James, d. 21 Oct 1891, age: 51 Yrs, Cross at top of
marker
Hughes, N. L., b. Missouri, d. 11 Mar 1896 Spring Valley, Nevada,
age: 63 Yrs
Killam, M., b. 1 Jul 1820, Pennsylvania, d. 9 Feb 1897
McCrimmon, Wallace, d. 11 Feb 1884 Silver Canyon, "Killed in
avalanche - White Pine News, 23 Feb 1884 - Ward Reflex 28 Feb 1884"
Mickel, H. W., d. 11 Feb 1884 Silver Canyon, "Killed in avalanche
- White Pine News, 23 Feb 1884 - Ward Reflex 28 Feb 1884"
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