The Duplex Mine sits in the heart of Searchlight, NV, overlooking this small desert town, perched high on a hill.  The mine was founded in 1897 by a prospector named George Colton (sometimes the mine is referred to as Colton’s Mine).  George found gold and established his mine.  He named it Duplex because of the two separate layers of ore he discovered.  The mine has an 800′ vertical shaft and 8 layers of horizontal shafts.  Mr. Colton’s discovery and mine helped spurn the gold rush that created Searchlight, NV, where there are hundreds of mines dotted around the landscape.

By 1901 the Duplex Mine had produced $7 Million in gold and other precious metals.  With the explosion of mining in the area, the town of Searchlight grew to 1,500 residents.  In the mid-1910’s the railroad connected Searchlight with the towns of Needles, CA and through the Mojave.  This was Searchlight’s hey-day…it was larger than its now-more-famous neighbor to the north, Las Vegas.

Like most boom/bust towns of the gold rush era, Searchlight was on the decline by 1917.  It saw a small revival in the 1930’s with the construction of the Hoover Dam, but that was short-lived.  Today, it’s a small desert town bisected by HWY US-95, sitting between Las Vegas, NV and Needles, CA.  It offers plenty of great mining history, along with wonderful prehistoric history (petroglyphs, etc.).  From a recreation perspective, there’s Lake Mohave to the east, the Mojave National Preserve to the west and beautiful Mojave desert all around.

Today, the Duplex Mine is still owned by the Colton family.  But, it’s for sale and comes with 216 acres, patented mining claim, several acres of frontage on HWY US-95 and connection to utilities.

Please click the images below: