Golconda is a one time Utah Territory mining town whose hot springs, a landmark on the California Emigrant Trail, were of more enduring fame than its gold and silver boom.

In 1868, Golconda became an ore shipping station on the new Central Pacific Railroad. Renewed activity in 1897 resulted in the narrow-gauge Golconda and Adelaide Railroad to the Adelaide mine. Golconda grew to 500 inhabitants by 1899, but the next year the mine and mill closed and railroad service ceased.

The hot springs (97 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit) flow at about 100 gallons per minute. A rare occurrence of tungsten in the silica deposit of a fossil vent, one mile east, was once mined. Active vents north of the railroad tracks were the site of a famous health resort hotel which burned in 1961.

Notes on this marker:

Golconda is a small stop on I-80. Haven't actually explored the area itself.