Bonnie Claire

Steve Ricketts and Gary Bombalicki

 


this one is made of area rocks
One of Bonnie Claire's Several Buildings

not much left here
The Remains of the Bonnie Claire Mill

some interesting exploring here
More Bonnie Claire Buildings


The Town of Bonnie Claire was born in 1906.  A small camp began to form in the Bonnie Clare district in the 1880s when a stamp mill was built at a site known as Thorp’s Wells.   The mill operated into the twentieth century and the Bonnie Clare Bullfrog Mining Company purchased it soon after the turn of the century.  In 1904 another mill was built, the Bonnie Clare, to treat ore from all over the district.  The camp continued to function at a slow level until 1906 when the railroad came to the area.  In 1906 the town was renamed Bonnie Clare.  Soon after the arrival of the railroad, Bonnie Clare reached its peak with a population of 100.  Mining activity declined in 1909 and the railroad traffic dropped.  A new mill was built during a revival in 1913.  Activity soon dropped again, and the post office was removed in 1931.  There was some minor activity from 1940 to 1954 but Bonnie Clare has been abandoned ever since.  There is wood for camping, and some abandoned buildings across the road.   The site is close to a two lane paved road.

more recent activity??
One of the Buildings Across the Road

converted to mining use
This used to be an Automobile Engine

one of the engines turned this
Homemade Mining Equipment

mining ore cart
Ore Cart by the Mill



Back To Main Page