Mine helps Midas hang on
By Don Cox
Midas isn't easy to find.
The historic mining town that survives as a summer getaway is at the end of a long dirt road that starts in Humboldt County and ends in Elko County.
Gold was discovered near here in 1907. As it did in most northern boomtowns, eventually mining died. But Midas got lucky. With help from technology, gold was discovered again in 1994.
Throughout northern Nevada, mining is in a slump. But Midas is coping. It's got a gold mine. More important, it's got a gold mine that's making money.
"You can if you can find a rich enough ore grade," said Craig Haase, chairman of the two companies that operate Midas Joint Venture.
Despite the new mine, where production started this year with 115 employees, Midas restaurant owner Les Matson is struggling. There aren't enough customers to keep his business going.
Midas isn't really a mining town. It's more a place for part-time residents and tourists.
The overall downturn in northern Nevada mining has cut into Matson's business. Visitors from Winnemucca and other communities who used to make the drive to the picturesque former ghost town and eat at his Midas Saloon and Dinner House don't come anymore.
"Some days we have nobody," Matson said. "We sat here for seven days and never sold one product. I never sold one beer. I sold a few beers on the Fourth of July."
He estimates 20 people live in Midas. Some come only for the summer.
Even if those locals all eat at his restaurant, Matson still needs the visitors from outside to survive.
"Food is what we do,'' Matson said, before pausing to correct himself.
"It's what we used to do, not any longer. We went from a gourmet restaurant to a hamburger joint. It's sad to see it going down like this.''
For Matson, Midas has no golden touch.
A short walk down the single dirt street in Midas, Don Mellen operates the Gold Circle Bar. His outlook is a little more optimistic.
"We get driller business," Mellen said. "Midas Joint Venture, they are in good shape. All the rest (of the mines) are laying off."
When Mellen is asked how is bar is doing, he flattens his right hand and moves it through the air in a straight line.
"We're just doing this,'' Mellen said. "We (usually) stay open in winter. I don't know if we will this year.''
He estimates tourist traffic in Midas has dropped by 20 percent.
Matson said the new mine doesn't help. The miners, he said, come in from outside to work. When the day is done, they return home. They don't stay in Midas. They don't eat at his restaurant.
RENO GAZETTE-JOURNAL