Battle Mountain grew and thrived because of two factors: the gold mines in the area and the railroads serving these mines. Since 1870, when the dwellers of the Argenta mining camp reestablished themselves at the Battle Mountain Station on the Central Pacific Railroad, the town has existed on a combination of the elements. Gold mines that were served by Battle Mountain in the 1870's were Galena, Jersey City and Lewis, followed by Pittsburgh in the 1880's and Dean in the 1890's. Through the turn of the century, all the gold strikes in the area were shipped through Battle Mountain.
When the gold mines stopped producing their fortune during the 1930's, Battle Mountain experienced a slump that lasted more than 30 years. This all changed when the DuVal company invested over $20 million in the development of large copper ore bodies, located in the southern hills. Battle Mountain suddenly became a very attractive place to live and the town prospered - the schools filled up, the municipality finally got much-needed funding and Battle Mountain regained some of its previous glory.
Battle Mountain's economy is also centered around livestock and agriculture. Lawn turf is a very productive crop in the town and is generally retailed in Reno. Ranchers and buckaroos earn a keep by minding their cattle on the rugged mountainsides. Battle Mountain is full of western flavor, and offers the visitor a wide range of recreational activities such as fishing, game hunting, camping, backpacking and golfing.
Battle Mountain presents visitors with endless opportunities to escape from the hectic toil of the modern world and be absorbed into the natural beauty of the sparsely populated northern Nevada region. National parks, picnic areas, swimming pools, golf courses and hiking are some of the leisure activities available. Tourists also have ample choices for accommodation, ranging from hotels, inns, camping areas and RV parks.
For an alternative form of entertainment, Battle Mountain is famous for hosting annual bike races. The town's location on the long stretch of Highway 305 just out of town, offers bikers a flat, straight and scenic biking route.
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