Eldorado Canyon Mine Tours, where they first went to strike gold

NELSON, NEV. — Long before Las Vegas was incorporated in 1905 -- and even longer before the arrival of casinos -- the desolate, inhospitable and therefore unsettled desert of southern Nevada was known for just one thing: its mineral-rich rock. The land is pockmarked with the remains of old gold and silver mines, most of which petered out almost as quickly as they were dug.

The Techatticup mining camp was one of the exceptions, a place where men "chased the vein" for more than 80 years. From 1861 until the start of World War II, men toiled underground in Eldorado Canyon near the hamlet of Nelson, about 40 miles southeast of what's now the Vegas Strip.

Having operated a canoe rental business along the nearby Colorado River for many years, Tony Werly was looking for a fixer-upper -- a place where he could one day retire -- when he and his wife, Bobbie, bought the dilapidated remains of the Techatticup encampment in 1994.

"Everything had fallen apart. There were no doors or windows," Bobbie recalls, adding that the only residents of the ramshackle, trash-strewn buildings were mice and pack rats.

While exploring the 51-acre property, Tony struck his own pay dirt. Two days before closing escrow, he discovered a long-obscured mine entrance, hidden behind mud and rock.

It took the Werlys and their children five years to clear away the muck and to restore the old buildings. Their labors brought the old mine site back to life, creating an unusual tourist attraction. Here, adults and children can enjoy a tour of an actual gold mine and explore the lovingly renovated buildings.

Bill Ferrence, a visitor from nearby Boulder City, Nev., likes that the attraction -- known officially as Eldorado Canyon Mine Tours -- isn't overdeveloped. Folks in search of a burger and fries will have to look elsewhere; all that's sold here are soda and bags of chips.

"It doesn't appear that they're trying to make a living doing what they're doing. They do, but they don't appear that way," Ferrence says of the business, which attracts about 10,000 visitors a year.

Bobbie Werly gives a tour to seventh-graders visiting on a field trip, beginning with a talk about the area's history before leading the kids inside the mountain.

"Everywhere that you'll see has been hand-drilled and totally done by candlelight," she explains. In the early years -- before dynamite reached these parts -- miners using hand tools could chip away only about 3 feet of rock a day.