Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park was established in 1957 to protect North America’s largest concentration of ichthyosaur fossils. Additionally, the park preserves the 20th-century mining town of Berlin. This place truly holds some of Nevada’s oldest and most special treasures – and it makes for the perfect weekend nature escape.
The town of Berlin
Berlin, Nevada, began as a small mining camp high in the Shoshone Mountains. Silver was first discovered in Union Canyon in 1836, leading to the creation of the Union Mining District, which included Berlin and other nearby camps. The Berlin Mine wasn’t officially established until 1896.
At its peak, the town thrived with about 250 residents working as miners, charcoal makers, doctors, forest rangers, and more. But like many boomtowns, Berlin’s success was short-lived. When the mine’s resources ran out, residents left in search of richer prospects. By 1911, the town was abandoned.
Even though small, the Berlin Mine managed to produce 42,000 troy ounces of gold. That totaled $849,000, worth around $2,300,000 today.
Visiting Berlin, a Nevada ghost town
Berlin truly earned its title as a ‘ghost town’. Many of the original 130-year-old buildings are still there, as well as an impressive 30-stamp mill, preserved in a ‘state of arrested decay’. Moreover, some of their original occupants lie in a nearby cemetery. If you’d like to catch a glimpse of what local life was like here, you can take a self-guided tour that takes you straight to the late 1800s.
Ichthyosaurs remains
Just a stone’s throw away from the abandoned ghost-town, you’ll find the most abundant concentration, and largest known remains, of Ichthyosaurs. Of what, you wonder? Ichthyosaurs were ancient marine reptiles that swam in a warm ocean that covered central Nevada. That was 225 million years ago! These prehistoric marine reptiles differ from all other known reptiles. They look similar to fish, are carnivorous, and can be compared to whales and dolphins. Size-wise, they can go from 2 feet to 50 feet in length. They are the most highly specialized reptiles to have ever existed.
Even with all the mining activity in the area, the people living in this central Nevada region had no idea that these fossils were sitting right beneath them. Nevada State Parks now protects all of the history in Berlin, but originally it was just meant to protect and display this concentration of the fossils. The area was rediscovered in 1928, and excavations began in 1954, unveiling a total of nearly 40 ichthyosaurs in the Nevada State Park. Until 2004, these remains included the largest number of ichthyosaurs ever discovered worldwide.
Besides exploring this unique ghost town and the fossil collection, you can also hike, have a picnic or go camping in this Stake Park. It contains 14 units suitable for tents or RVs, with fire rings, BBQ grills, covered tables, drinking water, and restrooms. The Fossil House offers organized tours – check the website for the latest dates.