Preserving The History of
Big Smoky Valley
FOUNDING FATHERS
Mining and Ranching have stood the test of time in the Smoky Valley and are considered the main industries to this day. The Founding Fathers, like the Berg family, toiled in the Nevada heat and dust to make the Valley their home.
This home as well as an ice house built to hang beef and deer and a bottle cellar are on the Nevada and National Historic Register and are owned by the Sunnyside Historical Society.
Although mining was not always
Big Smoky Valley’s primary support
system, it has been a large part of the picture since gold was discovered in 1905. In the mid to late 1800’s settlers moved to Big Smoky Valley with ranching and farming as the driving force for families who have called the valley home through generations.
In 1914, William H. Berg built a house for his family of seven to live in during the harsh winters on the ranch.
Things changed a bit in 1906 when a substantial amount of gold was found on the Toquima Range and the town of Round Mountain was established. By 1907, stagecoaches were running between Round Mountain and Tonopah regularly and by 1909 the town had a jail, bank, saloon, school, library, hospital, and some stores and hotels.