In 1905, Charles Montgomery discovered gold near Lander, Nevada on the eastern slope of the Shoshone Range. This new find became the site of Tenabo.[2]
In 1907, there was a rush of prospectors to the site.[2] The Tenabo mining camp was established soon after, east of the mines. Within a few months, Tenabo had a population of 1000,[2] a hotel, restaurant, school, saloons and brothels. The scarcity of water was always a challenge for the mining community, and needed to be hauled from springs miles away.[3]
From 1907—1910, multiple productive mines kept a mill running, but after 1911, mining operations started to decline. The post office opened in December 1906 and closed July in 1912.[4] In 1916, a miner named A.E. Raleigh discovered placer gold in Mill Gulch nearby.[2] Placer mining continued in the area for the next twenty years.[3]
Etymology
Tenabo may have been named by New Mexicans after an ancient pueblo, or Tenabo may be a Paiute word, meaning of "dark colored water".[5]