One of the Few Remaining Buildings at Columbus
Another Columbus Building
Columbus was founded in 1865 by silver miners. A rich supply of salt was discovered nearby and by 1866 the population had grown to 200. In 1871 borax was also discovered and by 1873 there were several companies at work. By 1875 there was a school, a post office, an iron foundry and a weekly newspaper. The towns major borax company moved that same year and town began decline that summer. The town was completely dead by the mid 1880's. Numerous other operations have since tried to revive the borax mining up through to today but none have lasted. (written by Cat House) Steve Ricketts notes there is a small working operation nearby. Camping is not recommended.
Building Interior
Remains of More Recent Mining Activity
