McDermitt is a very small town on the Nevada-Oregon border. The mainstay for the economy throughout the years has been ranching and farming. Mining operations have come and gone. The newest venture is being taken up by Gold Canyon Resources Inc. The Cordero Gallium Project would bring new hope to this small town.
McDermitt Combined School currently has 192 students from kindergarten through 12th grade. Ten years ago it had 240 students. The Paiute-Shoshone Indian Reservation has about 300 people with a jobless rate at 50%. It can be said that the economy of the town is dead.¹
Like water, gallium expands upon freezing and cannot be stored in rigid containers. This propterty is not common in other metals.
Over the last 15 years, gallium compound semiconductors have revolutionized electronics applications such as analog/digital integrated circuits. There are no commodities market for the metal which is a bluish-silver color that was first discovered in 1875 that melts when held in the hand.
Unlike Mercury, Gallium is non-toxic and is found widely in trace amounts of 30 parts per million. It is found in higher concentrations of 400 parts per million at the Cordero site and is currently produced only as a byproduct of aluminum and zinc processing.²
View from Oregon side coming into McDermitt.
The town is located 242 miles north of Reno on Highway 95 and 184 miles southwest of Boise.
White Horse Inn.
This Bar and Hotel has been closed down for quite a few years and has been
set for demolition but was never torn down. The stateline goes right through the building. When
it was open you could order your food on the Oregon side and not have to pay Nevada sale tax.
The Orevada Club is up for sale!
The owners Marv and Carol Johnson want to retire and see the country.
The Orevada Club in the old days.
The name Orevada is short for Oregon and Nevada.
The White Horse Inn when in operation.
University of Nevada, Reno