Mackay School of Mines Records

Founded as the School of Mines in 1888, the Mackay School of Mines (MSM) was created in place of the "Mechanic Arts" requirement for the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862. Although the original University of Nevada in Elko lacked a mining department, in 1882, Professor Jules E. Gignoux began teaching Assaying and Mining Engineering. In 1874, the university relocated from Elko to Reno. By 1894, the School of Mines finally had its first home in the State Mining Laboratory.

In 1906, Clarence Mackay donated money to construct a new mining building in the name of his father, John Mackay. Designed by Stanford White of McKim, Mead and White, the Mackay School of Mines building became the permanent home of the school, opening on June 10, 1908.

Although the director of the MSM reported directly to the President of the University, the MSM was part of the College of Engineering and not an independent department. It was not until 1951 that the Mackay School of Mines became a separate college. Other departments under the umbrella of the Mackay School of Mines have been the Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, the Hydrologic Sciences Program, and the Seismological Laboratory. Additionally, in the 1990s, the Burrus Student Mine was also operated.

[Information partially adapted from Larson, E. R. "Mackay School of Mines: Reminiscences on the Growth of a College," 1974-1975 (accessed April 25, 2022); Doten, Samuel B. History of the University of Nevada, 1924; and Hulse, James W. The University of Nevada: A Centennial History, 1974.]