A few of the original buildings from Sheridan remain today, but even the ghosts are gone.

          Silver ore was discovered at Sheridan in 1897. Today Sheridan is a "ghost town" all on private land. A few cabins have been repaired for residences and mother nature is quickly taking its toll on the rest.

          W.M. Jennings and Fred Mayes started the Zella M. Mine and along with others built a reduction mill near the town of Sheridan. The ore was sent down to the mill in a chute built of poles. This chute could still be seen in places about fifteen years ago and some of the old mill foundations can still be seen today.

          This milling didn’t turn out to be very profitable and the mill closed after just a few years and the people moved away. At its peak a few over 200 people lived at Sheridan.

          Rumor was that Lieutenant Phil Sheridan located the Phil Sheridan Mine when he was through the area in about 1880, but nothing indicates this in his reports to the army.

          A mill was built in 1914, but the recovery was not successful, so most of the ore was continued to be shipped, although a few hundred tons were processed at the Bodie Mill in 1917. The fall of 1917 saw the closing of the Phil Sheridan Mine.

          Guy Helphrey, who had a general store at Sheridan, is the only businessman known to be in Sheridan at this time, although there was a hotel, the remains of which can still be seen today. Also the remains of the Helphrey Store are still there. The mill buildings of the Phil Sheridan Mine are still there. The Sheridan Mine produced $75,000 of silver in its time.


          Curlew Store at the Sheridan Mine east of Toroda