The Osceola Ditch 1890-1901

Gold was discovered in 1872 three miles northwest of what is today Great Basin National Park, and within two decades the mining town of Osceola grew to more than 1500 people and produced almost two million dollars worth of gold. Although great wealth lay in the gravel of Dry Gulch, too little water prevented large-scale operations. Construction began in September 1889 on an 18-mile aqueduct to collect water from Lehman Creek on the east side of the mountain range and divert it to the mining area. Completed on July 5, 1890, at a cost of $108,223, the Osceola Ditch was an expensive gamble in a business with no guaranteed profits. Gold production did not meet expectations, and beginning in 1892 placer mining was further hindered by water shortages caused by mild, dry winters. By 1901 the ditch was abandoned, but during its brief decade of use it made significant placer mining possible in a region otherwise too dry.

Baker, Nevada · United States