The plaque at the site tell you everything you'd want to know.
NINE MILE RANCH
The history of the Nine Mile Ranch has a long and interesting past, beginning with the Paiute Indians who inhabited the area long before John C. Fremont's expedition into Nevada in 1843-1844. According to Fremont's journal, he camped in this area along a little creek now known as "Rough Creek in January 1844 on his way to California. Fremont's camp was in the approximate location of the Nine Mile Ranch today. With the discovery of gold in Aurora in 180, this area was destined to become a main route from Carson City to the booming mining camps of the Esmeralda mining district, of which Aurora and later Bodie were featured destinations. Along the route stage stops were established for the convenience of travelers. Over the years, the Nine Mile has been known as [Lafayette M.] Cobb's Rancho, Nine Mile House, Nine Mile Station, Greens Station etc., but Nine Mile Ranch is what shows on most modern day maps. Notable people in history are known to have visited the area, including John C. Fremont, Kit Carson, Mark Twain, Governor James Nye, and J. Ross Browne, to name a few.
-E Clampus Vitus plaque
A brief write-up n the Hawthorne paper explains:
Known to be the oldest standing building left in Mineral County the homestead began as Utah territory in the 1860’s, known as the Cobb’s Ranch. Only one historic notation on a map documented this, with no evidence left on the property. State Park Ranger Aide Larry Spickert explained: “Then the Gardener family took ownership, back when Aurora was busy with miners digging for gold and Mark Twain mentioned in his writing that “John Nye is sick, so I am going to help nine miles from Aurora” – which is possibly how it became the Nine-Mile Ranch.” Spickert explained that stage stops were known as mile houses. It was a place to water horses, trade out horses and accommodate people coming through. See that root cellar? It sustained some light damage in the earthquake but it’s one of the older structures. Being built into the hillside saved it, unlike the main house which seems to be held up by the front porch, added on in later years. It’s keeping the building stable for now.” Spickert went on to explain that it was Amos Green who built the historic stone house on the property he purchased in 1870. Originally a logger, then owning a saw mill in the Bridgeport area, he was a businessman with a vision. Research shows that Green brought in the sandstone blocks from a local quarry around Rough Creek, about 22 miles from Hawthorne. Green’s burial site remains, off to the side of his rustic home, with a rock headstone among the fenced-off family plots. It clearly reads 1806-1890, showing he lived a long life for men within that era of time. “This was also a toll road, as the elbow stop from Aurora to Carson City. They even had a pay station along this roadside.”
-Mineral County Independent-News, Jul 17, 2018
Mark Twain was a famous visitor.
About the middle of the afternoon, as I was coming out of the post office, I met a Mr. Gardiner, who told me that Capt. John Nye was lying dangerously ill at his place (the “Nine-Mile Ranch”), and that he and his wife were not able to give him nearly as much care and attention as his case demanded. I said if he would wait for me a moment, I would go down and help in the sick room. I ran to the cabin to tell Higbie. He was not there, but I left a note on the table for him, and a few minutes later I left town in Gardiner’s wagon.
-Roughing It, Mark Twain
A Map of public surveys in the Nevada Territory from 1862 shows "Nyswanger" where Nine Mile Ranch is located.
There was talk of building a railroad with its terminus at Nine Mile House, but that obviously never materialized.
A NEW NEVADA RAILROAD.
A press dispatch from Virginia City, under date of August 25, contains some railroad news quite important to this region, as follows: "It has been decided to build a rail-road south immediately, and to push the work with all speed. It will run from Mound House to Dayton, thence via Sutro to Fort Churchill, cross the Carson there and thence by natural passes to Walker Lake, where steamers will probably be constructed. A branch will be extended to the Nine Mile House, at the foot of the grade up to Aurora. The road will be broad gauge, to connect with the Virginia & Truckee and Central Pacific roads. The distance is 59 miles to the head of Walker Lake. The length of the lake is 30 miles, and from Mason Valley to Aurora by land is 70 miles if run without steamers. This branch is intended to command the trade of Aurora, Benton, Lake District, Bodie and the Great Salt Marsh, and indirectly Marietta, Belleville, Candelaria, Columbus and the new districts toward Belmont, and to help open the country away down to Death Valley." The road proposed is simply an extension of the Virginia and Truckee road, owned by D. O. Mills and Wm. Sharon, who are virtually the Bank of California—the institution which within the past two years put all the life into that portion of Nevada's mining country south of the Comstock. It was Mr. Sharon's expressed determination several years ago to extend the road far down this way, and it would now seem that the important work is about to be begun. Since the ignominious failure of the Los Angeles people to build the Los Angeles and Independence Railroad, under every incentive and favorable circumstance that could possibly exist, it has been evident that if Inyo County ever gets a road at all it must come from northern capital and enterprise—and we may add, northern brains. When Senator Jones succumbed to the apathy of Los Angeles and the power of Stanford & Co., this vast mineral section lost all hopes of development from the southward. The Southern Pacific could control the trade anyhow, and it is not the habit of the anaconda corporation to construct branch roads anywhere. Should they ever want a route connecting the Central and Southern it would probably pass a hundred miles or so to the eastward, though the wealth of this country and its natural passes are well known to them. But the Nevada road coming this way, so far as can be learned from the rough outline presented in the above-quoted dispatch, will not approach nearer to Independence, about the central point of Inyo, than 135 miles. By stage road to Mojave from here it is 160 miles, or 130 by direct road. It thus appears that the new road will not control the Mono and Inyo trade further south than Benton or Bishop. But from the terminus of the branch, the Nine or the Five Mile House, there is about fifteen miles to the east of Aurora an easy grade over to the table lands on the east side of Mono Lake. And right there will be found inexhaustible supplies of the best description of timber for railroad ties. Thence on to Adobe Meadows, Blind Springs and Owens Valleys, and clear through to the Southern Pacific at Mojave, there is a natural road-bed easier to lay a track upon than an Illinois prairie. Without the plan of ultimately making this grand connection between the two great trunk lines, the road would not be built a broad-gauge. The route is destined at no distant day to become one of the most important arteries of commerce in the Union, connecting southern California, Arizona and New Mexico with the North and opening up the richest and most varied mineral region on the globe. Its entire length from the Mound House to Mojave would be 395 miles.
-Inyo Independent, August 31, 1878
It's remote location probably attracted thieves of the day.
A BUSINESS FAMILY
A few days ago a horse was stolen from R. C. Christin, near the Noonday, and a night or two later two more were taken from the Nine Mile House ranch, says the Bodie Free Press. Tommy Graney, formerly a cook of this place, and his brother have been arrested near Belleville, charged with the offense. It is said they had the missing animals with them at the time of their arrest.
-Reno Evening Gazette, September 24, 1883
George was one of Amos's four sons.
PIONEER NEARS END
George Green, one of southern Nevada's oldest and most highly respected residents, is critically ill and little hope is entertained for his recovery. He is at his old home, the Nine Mile House, situated about 15 miles from Aurora. He has a number of children. One of them, George S. Green, an attorney of Reno, is at his bedside and the others have been summoned.
-Tonopah Daily Bonanza, September 28, 1915
Nine Mile House has other problems besides saddle thieves.
A rabid coyote visited the Nine Mile House, and bit a number of sheep; every precaution should be taken by the people of Mineral County to protect themselves against the rabies. Governor Boyle has always used the power of his office for the protection of everyone, and will continue to help the various counties which are threatened by rabies.
-Walker Lake Bulletin, January 6, 1917
There are quite a few buildings here- the Nine Mile House itself is fenced off and in serious decay, with large chunks falling off.
In December of 2016 the Nine Mile Ranch (NMR) sequence began with three 5.4–5.6 earthquakes within one hour of each other in the remote area of Fletcher Valley, Nevada; only 4 minutes separated the first and second events. Field reconnaissance found that these earthquakes caused significant damage to the Nine Mile ranch house but no surface rupture.
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The 2016 Nine Mile Ranch Earthquakes: Hazard and Tectonic Implications of Orthogonal Conjugate Faulting in the Walker Lane