About a three hour drive from Carson City, and located near Interstate 80, ghost town aficionados will find the old mining town of Unionville. Here in northwestern Nevada, Unionville dates back to the late 1800s and is often referenced as a ghost town. You've got to wonder what its 20 town residents think about that misnomer. The Old Pioneer Garden Country Inn, a bed and breakfast, and the wonderfully restored Hadley House Inn live on among the ruins of Unionville.
   Divided between Union and Southern sympathizers in 1861, the town's name of Dixie was changed to Unionville by a tight vote. The name change only fueled disputes between the opposing political factions. During its ten years of good times, the mine produced over three million dollars of silver, enough to support nine saloons, various hotels, stores, a school and church.
   Unionville's most famous prospector was Mark Twain. Then known as Samuel Clemens, Twain soon discovered mining consisted of nothing but hard work. The only real remnants of Twain's stay are found in his book Roughing It. Written in 1872 about his wild west adventure, Twain remembers his brief stay in Unionville, and especially the cruel Nevada winter in Humboldt Mountain Range.

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