The waters from Alkali Springs (SW¼ SE¼ NE¼ Sec. 26, TIS, R41E) originally rose at a number of small seeps, but in the early 19th century, Combination Mines Co. drove a 12-m adit into the slope to concentrate the flow into a single channel. The water was pumped to the Combination mill at Goldfield (about 16 km southeast). The temperature at the face in the adit was 60°C (Ball, 1907, p. 19, 20). Reed and others (1983) reported the temperatures of two springs to be 60ºC and 50ºC with flow rates of 223 L/min and 95 L/min, respectively. A low dome of gray-brown travertine is present 91 m north of the adit. The spring is reported to contain lithium although Alkali Flat, unlike Clayton Valley (see Silver Peak Hot Springs), does not (Albers and Stewart, 1972). The springs were operated as a spa by the Joe Guisti family during Goldfield's heyday, and a large building and an indoor wooden swimming pool were on the site (Rosevear, 1976). Williams (1996, p. 51-51) referred incorrectly to this spring as Silver Peak Hot Spring. He reported one man-made pool about 1.8 m in diameter made of concrete and brick which locals and visitors reportedly use for bathing. The pool temperature is approximately 40ºC.
Photos
Old Bathhouse at Alkali Spring, Esmeralda, Nevada.