Battle Mountain will always be home for pharmacy owner
By Don Cox
Harley Mills can't quit.
No matter how tough the times get in Battle Mountain, he's got to stick it out.
"We're committed to it now," said Mills, who operates Mills Pharmacy with his son Clay. "We've got a big mortgage on the store."
Mills moved to Battle Mountain in 1985 after 22 years behind the counter of the Professional Arts Pharmacy in Sparks.
In 1985, Battle Mountain was booming. The town called itself the "barite capital of the world," as the area prospered digging for the mineral used in oil drilling. The high times continued with gold production.
"It's been just a good run with the gold," Mills said. "The prices weren't the greatest in the world, but they were good enough to hire a lot of people. It was a good economy."
The boom turned to a bust - just as Mills left his original location to open a big new drug store in Battle Mountain. He moved into a 7,500-square-foot store on Broyles Ranch Road last year.
"We invested with hopes (Battle Mountain) was going to keep growing," he said.
But the drop in the price of gold has hurt the longtime mining gown. Businesses, including the once-popular Owl Club casino, have closed. People are leaving.
"We've seen a few people move away without trying to sell (the homes) they were in," Mills said. "People lived there, then they were gone."
The just-finished summer season was the second for Mills at his new location. He figures he'll get a better idea of how the mine slowdown is affecting his store in the fall.
"It has been hard for us to assess," he said. "During the summer, so many people are coming and going. We are waiting for (fall)."
That's about all he can do.
"There are other minerals out there," Mills said of mining's future. "I have to hope it's going to come back."
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL