Eastern Nevada’s copper boom was known locally as the “Age of Kennecott“, after the Kennecott Copper Company, which was the world’s leader in copper output throughout much of the twentieth century.
The Liberty Pit was the largest copper mine in the state at an elevation of 7,001 feet. It started production in 1907. The ore that was mined in the area consisted of copper, chalcocite and fluorite. The minerals in the area can be traced back to the Upper Cretaceous period, which was from 100.5 to 66 million years ago.
Historical Marker Inscription
The famed open-pit copper mines of Eastern Nevada including the Liberty Pit, largest in the state, are located two miles south of this point. Through the first half of the twentieth century, this area produced nearly a billion dollars in copper, gold, and silver. The huge mounds visible from here are waste rock, which was removed to uncover the ore.
Two miles east of here, near Lane City, was the Elijah, the first mine discovered in the Robinson Mining District. Lane City, originally called Mineral City, was settled in 1869 and had a population of 400. At Mineral City was the Ragsdale Station, one hotel and a stage station.
Nevada Centennial Marker No. 9
State Historic Preservation Office
Location
Intersection of U.S. 50 and Nevada Route 267, near Ruth, Nevada
39° 17.015′ N, 114° 57.855′ W
Historical Markers of the World 