One of a few Buildings remaining in Minerva
Another Minerva Building
Minerva Buildings
Abandoned Mining Equipment
Minerva was started in 1917 by the Minerva Tungsten Corp. Minerva sporadically existed until the 1950's. Sixty people called Minerva home in 1937. A post office and a school known as Shoshone were located a little over a mile north of the town. Silver was discovered here in 1869, but separating it from the rock was difficult because of a heavy white mineral which was in the silver ore itself. Eventually this substance was identified as scheelite, an ore containing tungsten. World War I created a demand for tungsten to harden steel. When the war ended, demand dropped, and tungsten mining in the area ceased. During the depression years, the Tungsten Metals Corporation started to mine and mill the tungsten in the Minerva district. A Mill was constructed in 1936 and continued operation until 1945. Minerva consisted of a company office and apartment, the mill forman's cabin, ten 2 man cabins, a boarding house, a dry room (change house) complete with showers and a laundry room, a bunk house with a reading room, and the mill and shop buildings. The powerhouse held two large diesel engines that drove the electric generators. Minerva is completely abandoned today.
Inside one of the Houses
Unknown Model of Car
The Rear of the Car and part of a Military Half Track
A Military Type Half Track Truck
See THINGS (pages 14 & 15) for more pictures
