Nevada State Museum (U.S. Mint)

The Nevada State Museum includes a permanent exhibit on the history of the U.S. Mint in Carson City, which operated from 1870 to 1893 in the building that now houses the museum. A historical marker on the building states that, "From its opening in 1870 to the closing of its coin operations in 1893, coinage amounted to $49,274, 434.30." Constructing a U.S. Mint in Carson City was initially necessitated by the Comstock mining boom.

The boom began with the discovery of silver in 1857 and lasted for the next two decades, although mining in the region continued thereafter. Before construction of the U.S. Mint in Carson City, silver and gold bullion from Nevada had to be sent by train or wagon on a difficult transit route through the Sierra Nevada Mountains to reach the U.S. Mint in San Francisco. The San Francisco Mint was built in 1852 following the San Francisco Gold Rush. By 1869, Nevada's Comstock mining boom more than justified the construction of a new U.S. Mint in Carson City.

Today, visitors to the Nevada State Museum can view the original "Coin Press No. 1," a machine used to mint coins from 1870 to 1893. Each coin that was pressed at the Mint during this period contained the "CC" mark, which stood for Carson City. During the 150th Anniversary of the Carson City MInt (celebrated in 2020), the Nevada State Museum issued special edition commemorative "CC" coins.

In addition to the Coin Press No. 1, the Nevada State Museum features other permanent exhibits. "Nevada's Changing Earth" is a display of rocks, fossils, and minerals from Nevada and the western United States. Another permanent exhibit is "Nevada History," which tells the story of how native peoples in the region mined salt and turquoise, wove baskets, and created art, while living lightly on the land.

The museum's temporary exhibits further tell the story of the region. For example, "Our Nevada Stories: Objects Found in Time" includes a collection of historic artifacts, natural history specimens, and American Indian art. Another exhibit features archival photographs of a Chinese community of woodcutters that supplied firewood and charcoal as fuel for the Nevada mining camps during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Along with these special exhibits, visitors can also view a re-creation of a Nevada silver mine in the basement of the museum. The building itself was constructed in gray sandstone blocks, quarried at the Nevada State Prison. On the roof of the museum is the original cupola. The Nevada State Museum opened in the former U.S. Mint building in Carson City in 1941. It is considered one of the premiere museums in the western United States.

Carson City Mint, U.S. Department of the Treasury. Accessed April 24th 2021. https://home.treasury.gov/about/history/curator/us-mint-buildings/carson-city-mint.

Clifton, Guy. Carson City Mint celebrates 150th anniversary Tuesday, Tahoe Daily Tribune. February 3rd 2020. Accessed April 24th 2021. https://www.tahoedailytribune.com/news/carson-city-mint-celebrates-150th-anniversary-tuesday/.

Mint 150: Special Anniversary Event, Nevada State Museum. Accessed April 24th 2021. https://www.carsonnvmuseum.org/mint-150/.

U.S. Mint, Noe Hill. Accessed April 23rd 2021. https://noehill.com/nv_carson_city/nat1975002127.asp.