Halloran Hills, Shadow Mountains, and Silurian Hills

The Halloran Hills, Shadow Mountains and Silurian Hills lie within an area circumscribed by Interstate 15 on the south, State Route 127 on the west, Kingston Wash on the north, and Clark Mountain on the east. As depicted by early maps, this area is devoid of mines, and there are no contemporary reports of mining activity before 1900. As early as the 1870s a road passed through here, running from Soda Lake via Halloran and Francis Springs, to the mining town of Ivanpah, northeast of Clark Mountain. The Solo or Reil Mining District, that was established February 18, 1889, embraces the portion of this area south of a line from Halloran Spring to the north end of Silver Lake. The Solo Mining District extended from the north end of Cronese Lake southwest to Crucero, northeast to Marl Spring, northwest to Halloran Spring, west to the northwest end of Silver Lake then southwest back to Cronese Lake. The mining district was established by miners working properties just a few miles due west of Baker. However there may have been mines near Halloran Spring at this early date. According to a 1908 account the Riggs mine was worked continuously from about 1875, the first discoveries in the Shadow Mountains were made in 1894, and turquoise was found about 6 miles northeast of Halloran Spring in 1896. Gold was discovered near Halloran Spring shortly later and by 1911 the talc mines east of Silver Lake were first worked.