Around 1891, John and Olivia Ferguson discovered gold twelve miles south of here and established a camp originally called Ferguson. It was later renamed Delamar after John DeLamar, an entrepreneur who bought the best mining claims in 1893 for $150,000. Eventually more than 1,500 residents settled in this isolated place, which had a newspaper, hospital, school, churches, saloons, stores, a theater, and professionals. Entertainment included brass bands, dance orchestras, and stage attractions at the opera house. Water came from Meadows Valley Wash 12 miles away, and all other materials were hauled through the mountains by mule team 150 miles from the railroad head at Milford, Utah. For 16 years, most of the bullion was hauled out the same way. Dry milling processes used before wet methods produced a fine silicon, or "death" dust, that caused the deaths of many residents and gave the town its nickname. Delamar produced $15,000,000 in gold and was Nevada's leading producer at the turn of the twentieth century.