American Flat remembered at film, photo show, lecture

There will be a free event called “Remembering American Flat” this Saturday on the Comstock. The event includes three parts – a screening of a new documentary that covers the history of the American Flat mill from its inception in the 1920s to its demolition in 2014; a short lecture about the unique qualities of the mill by consulting architectural historian and industrial archaeologist Ron Reno; and a pop-up show with locals’ rare photos of the site.

The United Comstock Merger cyanide mill at American Flat was the largest of its kind during its operation. After being abandoned in 1926 due to the collapse in the price of silver, the unusual architecture of the remaining ruins became an attraction. Over the decades, the site drew artists, photographers, film-makers, paintballers and others who re-imagined the industrial ruin as a place of unusual beauty and freedom.

The public is invited to the free event which will be held on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 1 p.m. at the Silver City School House (community center) at 385 High St., in Silver City. Silver City is located within a national historic landmark three miles from Virginia City, 12 miles from Carson City and 29 miles from Reno.

“Remembering American Flat” is sponsored by the Silver City Arts group in partnership with the Bureau of Land Management (Carson City District) and the Silver City Volunteer Library.

For information, contact Quest Lakes at 775-847-0742.

The Silver City Arts group is composed of volunteers whose mission is “to encourage the arts, build community, and share our unique town through free, public events.” The group draws on the town’s own wealth of resources for programming, and also connects with other groups to bring public programming from well known artists, writers, musicians, etc., to the community. Silver City has been declared an “Arts and Culture Resources Production Center” due to its support for arts and culture, and for its own residents’ high output of art, music, publications, and historic preservation resources over the last 50 years.

The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 Western states. The agency’s mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. Diverse activities authorized on these lands generated $96 billion in sales of goods and services throughout the American economy in fiscal year 2017. These activities supported more than 468,000 jobs.