Silver Reef: Then and Now
This article is a collection of old and new photographs that can be compared by sliding a vertical bar back and forth. The pictures will give you a good idea of what was once here in Silver Reef during its boom years, and what it looks like today (2026).
Use your mouse to click and hold over the vertical bar, then slide back and forth to reveal different portions of the then and now picture.
Wells Fargo Building (Front)
The Wells Fargo & Express Office building serves as Silver Reef’s museum. The historic picture was taken in 19?? when this building served as a residence?? Oh, and the horse’s name is Clown.
Wells Fargo Building (Rear)
This the backside of the Wells Fargo & Express Office building. The historic picture was taken in 1968. You can see there was a rear deck, which was replaced with full-length rear deck you see today.
In the “now” picture of 2026, the Cassady Powder House, which is where the town’s dioramas reside, was built in the 1980s and was not part of the original building. You might think, is that the same tree? No, it isn’t.
Main Street
These are two different views looking north up Main Street. The contemporary view was taken in 2026, whereas the historic view was taken about 1881.
In the 1881 scene, you can see the Wells Fargo and Harrison House buildings on the left side of Main Street. However, this is before the fire of 18??, which is when the Harrison House burned and was rebuilt of rock. The rock walls remain and are visible just beyond the Cosmopolitan.
View of Silver Reef
These are two different views looking down onto the town along Main Street. The scene is from atop Tecumseh Hill looking to the northwest.
Savage Mine
Before and after view of the Savage Mine on the west side of Tecumseh Hill. The mine sat up on a small rise where wagons would load up ore that was lifted up from the hoisting works and then transported to one of the nearby mills of Silver Reef. The Salvage Mine used a steam engine to lift buckets of ore through a vertical shaft from the various mining levels some 200-300 feet below.
