Lady Guardian of Old Belmont

Lady Guardian of Old Belmont. . The grand old building to the left, once known as the Philadelphia House was built by the Combination Silver Mining Company of New York in 1866. Constructed of native stone acquired from a nearby quarry, the building served as headquarters for mine operations, living quarters for the Superintendent, and for a brief period a temporary Sheriff's office and courthouse during the early glory days of Belmont. During this time, Belmont grew to a population of several thousand and over a 20 year span yielded 15,000,000 dollars in mineral production., Afterwards, the building had various residents, one of which was a tall, tough woman with severe blue eyes named Rose Walter. Born in Barley Creek, Nevada, Rose lived in Belmont as a young girl. She later married Jack, a miner, who succumbed to silicosis in the early 1950's. Not wanting to leave Belmont after his death, she remained for another thirty years, eventually becoming the sole permanent resident and self appointed protector of Belmont. Rose carried a .44 caliber pistol which she used to dispatch rattlesnakes ("I aim for the head and never miss") and dissuade human scavengers from plundering what was left of Belmont. "These old houses, such as they are, still belong to someone somewhere", she is quoted as saying., Known as the "Belmont Guardian" because of her diligent protection of town property, Ross Walter died in 1987 at the age of 93. Her photo can be found in the June, 1974 issue of National Geographic.