▁ 1 6 , ▁ 1 8 6 4 . ▁That ▁county ▁was ▁entirely ▁created ▁out ▁of ▁land ▁that ▁used ▁to ▁be ▁part ▁of ▁Es mer al da ▁County . ▁Es mer al da ▁has ▁had ▁three ▁county ▁seats : ▁Aur ora ▁until ▁ 1 8 8 3 , ▁Haw th or ne ▁from ▁ 1 8 8 3 ▁to ▁ 1 9 0 7 ▁and ▁finally ▁Gold field . ▁ ▁At ▁one ▁point , ▁due ▁to ▁the ▁disput ed ▁border ▁with ▁California , ▁Aur ora ▁was ▁simultaneously ▁the ▁county ▁seat ▁of ▁both ▁Mon o ▁County , ▁California ▁and ▁Es mer al da ▁County , ▁Nev ada . ▁ ▁Samuel ▁C lem ens ▁( Mark ▁Tw ain ) ▁wrote ▁about ▁his ▁time ▁as ▁a ▁min er ▁in ▁the ▁Es mer al da ▁District ▁in ▁his ▁book ▁R ough ing ▁It . ▁ ▁Es mer al da ▁grew ▁from ▁a ▁gold ▁min ing ▁bo om ▁in ▁the ▁first ▁years ▁of ▁the ▁ 2 0 th ▁century . ▁The ▁mines ▁were ▁largely ▁t apped ▁out ▁by ▁the ▁end ▁of ▁the ▁ 1 9 1 0 s ▁and ▁the ▁economy ▁and ▁population ▁decl ined ▁afterwards . ▁ ▁Geography ▁According ▁to ▁the ▁U . S . ▁Census ▁Bureau , ▁the ▁county ▁has ▁a ▁total ▁area ▁of ▁, ▁of ▁which ▁ ▁is ▁land ▁and ▁ ▁( 0 . 2 %) ▁is ▁water . ▁It ▁is ▁the ▁fourth - small est ▁county ▁in ▁Nev ada ▁by ▁area . ▁A ▁very ▁small ▁part ▁of ▁Death ▁Valley ▁National ▁Park ▁lies ▁in