NHS Artown Talks - On The GO! Nevada’s First Mine, The Mormon’s Potosi Lead Mine

NHS Artown Talks - On The GO! hosted at Nevada Sunset Winery.

Every Saturday in July, we will feature two amazing History talks from 1-2pm and 2:30-3:30pm at our community partner's location. Our Artown talks are free to the public.

July 12, 2025, from 1-2 pm

Nevada’s First Mine, The Mormon’s Potosi Lead Mine.

In May 1855, a group of Mormon missionaries left Salt Lake City to establish a Mission at Las Vegas in what was then western New Mexico Territory. They arrived at the Las Vegas site in June and began to plant crops and build a “fort” for living quarters. Almost a year later, in April 1856, they discovered lead in the Spring Mountains northwest of the Mission and near Cottonwood Springs. Why was a productive mine abandoned?

Learn about this fascinating Nevada mine with guest speaker Joe Tingley, an NHS Docent. He worked as a research geologist at the Nevada Bureau of Mining and Geology, where he remained until his retirement in 2004. Tingley authored several geologic guidebooks for NBMG.

You may also like the following events from Nevada Historical Society:

• Next Saturday, 5th July, 01:00 pm, Artown Talks - On The GO! Miss Wakayama, Nevada’s Friendship Doll: Impostor or Victim? in Reno
• Next Saturday, 5th July, 01:00 pm, Nevada History – On The GO! - Lake Tahoe & the Whittell's in Reno
• Next Saturday, 5th July, 02:30 pm, NHS Artown Talks - On The GO! EXTRA! EXTRA! Winters Family in the News once again! in Reno