When you mention Carrara Marble, people typically think of Carrara, Italy. However, unknown to most people, Nevada also has "Carrara Marble."
About 100 miles north of Las Vegas, in 1904 prospectors found deposits of marble that were similar to the marble deposits found near Carrara, Italy. So, in honor of Carrara, Italy, the prospectors founded the American Carrara Marble Company to process and market the marble in the United States.
Transporting the marble from the quarry to the railroad was a problem because the marble deposits were located in an area of steep topography. Therefore, in 1911 it was decided to build a town (which they named Carrara) and a processing plant about three miles west of the quarry on lands that were fairly level and adjacent to the Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad tracks.
To transport the marble from the quarry to the processing plant, a rail system was built from the quarry to the townsite that was unique for its day because it relied totally upon gravity to move the ore carts. Slabs of marble weighing up to 15 tons were loaded onto the ore carts in the quarry and then gravity moved the loaded carts down to the plant, pulling the empty carts back up to the quarry.
The town of Carrara grew quickly and by 1915 there were about 40 structures and 150 people living in the area. Many people worked for American Carrara Marble Company, but others were involved with one of the support facilities, which included a post office, hotel, restaurant, school, newspaper, store and other typical businesses. The hotel was a first-class operation with running water, electric lights, and a telephone. Water for the town was piped in from Gold Center, about nine miles away.
Unfortunately, the marble boom was short-lived because it was discovered that the quarried marble contained impurities and was too fractured to be used for construction. Plus, large high-grade deposits of marble that could be mined more profitably were discovered in Vermont. Therefore, all mining activities at the quarry were shutdown in 1917 and most of the population had abandoned Carrara by 1924.
Then, in 1929 the Golden Ace Mining Company started quarrying marble at a nearby location and gave Carrara a rebirth, but the marble from the Golden Ace quarry also contained impurities and was also too fractured to be mined profitably. Therefore, within a short time period, Carrara was totally abandoned and all that remains today at the Carrara townsite are some foundations, walls, and remains of the processing plants. From the townsite, the abandoned quarry can be seen three miles to the east.
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