Location: From Hwy. 50, 25 miles east of Fallon, turn north at Hwy. 121 to Dixie Valley. At approximately 2.8 miles there is a graded gravel road going both left and right. To the right is the way to Wonder and to the left is the way to La Plata. Turn left and drive another 8.5 miles. You should see a cattle guard and a dirt road heading in a northerly direction. GPS: 39º 23.76' by 118º 17.34'. Follow the road into the hills for approximately 4 miles. At this point you will see a split in the road. A historical plaque and an old building mark the site (GPS: 39º 26.93' by 118º 18.66').
History: Silver was discovered here in the Stillwater mountain range in 1862. A mining district named Mountain Wells was established and a camp with many stone buildings was quickly erected amid the hills. The Silver Wave Mining Co. built an expensive mill and set up a wood ranch in the vicinity. They also owned the townsite itself. In 1864, La Plata was named the county seat for Churchill county. A year or so later, the town could boast of being the counties largest town and consisted of a post office, several businesses, and 3 mills. When the discoveries were made at White Pine, the camp was quickly abandoned. By 1868 the county seat was transferred to Stillwater.
The district tried to revive with new discoveries in early 1906 but the ore was not rich nor extensive enough to continue the development. The historical plaque at the split in the road states that the large building in front of you is the building for the county seat. Historical records do not support this assertion and in fact most people believe that the county was too poor to afford to build such a building. Looking at what is left of the building supports the statements that it was one of the mills instead. Above the building is a road along the edge of the hillside that goes to some of the mines and refuse lying about the back of the building relates to either assaying or milling.
The mill(?) building (seen in the upper right of the photo) located at the road split in La Plata.
Reference: Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps by Stanley W. Paher
The book that is a must have for exploring Nevada is the book by Stanley W. Paher, is
Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps Ilustrated Atlasby Stanley W. Paher