The eastern Eagle Valley was largely empty and unpopulated in the 19th century, but civilization could be found in a few spots. One was here along the Carson River, just before it enters the Carson River Canyon. This was the site of the town of Empire City, as well as a couple of mills that processed ore from the Comstock. This large mill was the Morgan Mill. The tracks of the V&T Railroad pass right by the mill; loads of ore would be brought to the mill by railroad, and processed silver taken away.
There were nearly a dozen mills like this along the Carson River, but after the Big Bonanza dried up, there wasn’t much ore that needed to be processed anymore. The mills shut down and were dismantled or left to be consumed by the elements. Nothing remains of the Morgan Mill, however its memory still lives, as the street that was built atop the railroad grade is named Morgan Mill Road. This view from Deer Run Road shows the flat that the mill was located on, on the banks of the Carson River.
