1976 Article Proclaimed, "Silver City Folk Do Their Own Thing"

Silver City, Nevada - Lenita Powers' 1976 article titled "Long Hair, Liberal Ideas: Silver City Folk Do Their Own Thing" is a lot of fun to read, especially if you've lived in Silver City very long. Many of the things that locals boasted about in 1976 still hold true - the community is still "close-knit" and "dedicated to its children," with a populace comprised of many "exceptionally creative people" who take "fierce pride in their volunteer fire department" and the town's very low crime rate.

Among the things that have changed? Age demographics. In 1976, town advisory board member Chan Laughlin (aka legendary radio commentator Travus T. Hipp) told Lenita Powers that roughly "one-third" of the town was composed of children. Today, the population has aged and many of the children of those responsible for the mid- 1960s and early 1970s "cultural re-population" of Silver City grew up and moved away, even as their parents remained in the historic Comstock community. (The U.S. Census data for Silver City is extremely unreliable and estimates by locals are more accurate, probably because Google and Yahoo maps for the town are in error, and Census takers are often not from Silver City and do not find most of the residences, many of which are located on steep drives or back lanes. For instance, 2015 Census estimates say more than 25% of the town is under 20. On the contrary, there are presently only about 12 children under the age of 18 in a population of about 170, so roughly 7% of the population are children. Most of the children you see in the 2015 town photo are out-of-town grandchildren and great grandchildren of current residents)

The people who stayed have produced a remarkable body of work during the last 50 years that has had a demonstrably positive impact on the town, the state and beyond. They've contributed their diverse talents and skills to produce regionally and nationally recognized work in archaeology; visual art; theater; music; historic preservation; and academic research and projects resulting in technical reports and a wide range of other publications. Many created hand-crafted items in silver, wood, gemstones, clay, etc. and examples can be found in diverse places, from the Smithsonian American Art Museum to the region's historic cemeteries, homes and buildings.

Accordingly, in 2014 the Silver City Advisory Board resolved to recognize the existing character of Silver City as an "Arts and Cultural Resources Production Center", and formally recognized the considerable work residents have contributed and continue to contribute to the production of important work in the areas of arts and cultural resources.

The Board also formally recognized the extraordinary support the entire community has given and continues to give to local arts and cultural resources production, events, and programming. Today the town has active arts and preservation groups, plus a resident artist program and a summer arts and science program.

Not surprisingly, the legacy of this town "dedicated to its children" is evident in the accomplishments of many of those who grew up in Silver City in the last 50 years, and in the accomplishments of their children as well. A 2015 re-staging of an iconic 1970s town photo by Jake Wise attracted current locals, as well as many of the children, grandchildren and even great grandchildren of the 1970s newcomers "who matriculated to the Comstock Lode to swell the tiny town's census to 150." The 2015 town photo, staged in the same spot, is evidence of the exceptionally sharp folks the little community presently includes and has produced: artists, musicians, documentary film makers, photographers, publishers, artisans, fire fighters,programmers, and a surprising number of people with PhDs and Masters degrees - archaeologists, writers, history consultants, teachers, librarians, editors, university professors.

1970s Jake Wise Town Photo and 2015 Town Photo


Following are photos of the 1976 Lenita Powers article on the community of Silver City, Nevada. Click on the images to enlarge.

SILVER CITY, NEVADA CHILDREN 1970s