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Willow Creek rises on the slopes of Willow Mountain west of the town site of Ward, Nevada, which is, in turn, located about twenty miles southeast of Ely, Nevada, on U.S. Highway 50. Because the stream has water all year long it has long been an important stop for animals and travelers moving through the area. In the middle of the nineteenth century freighters depended on it and the grazing land nearby to recruit their teams of oxen, mules and horses. In March 1872, two freighters, John Henry and William Ballinger, discovered silver ore in the area and soon thereafter the town of Ward was born. Ward was a rough and ready mining town with considerable lawlessness. Order was kept by the 601 vigilantes - 6 feet under, 0 trial, 1 rope. As the original ore deposits petered out, the town began its long decline. In 1885 a fire destroyed most of the downtown area. Today about all that is accessible are the kilns.
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