Austin, Nevada

Dreams of fortune buried deep in silver mines attracted over 10,000 people to Austin, Nevada, in the early 1860s. Located in the remote Toiyabe Range, this boomtown was soon deserted, leaving the buildings seen here to fall into disrepair. Clarence King led a team through Austin for the U.S. government sponsored Geological Exploration of the Fortieth Parallel, a survey that covered an expanse 800 miles long and 100 miles wide between the Sierra Nevada and Rocky Mountains. Timothy O’Sullivan’s photograph illustrates with precision and clarity the scientific findings of this major geological study.