In 1867, a half-wit shepherd boy named Jervis Dismul located a mineral rich ledge near the eastern side of Pyramid Lake, just west of the boundary of modern day Black Rock City, Nevada. When unemployed miners from Aurora, NV picked up on the rumor that there was ore to be found in the area, they flocked northward to the dusty playa and began prospecting. Preliminary assays proved the ore worthless, but by that time the small city had taken shape.

After the excitement of silver fever died down, the area residents either moved on or eeked out a starvation-level existence mostly by offering funeral services to the nearby towns, them mostly consisting of mining camp eccentrics and pioneer families passing through. The town became known as Dismal, in honor of its slow-witted founder. Quite a dubious honor it was, considering they hadn't bothered to spell his name correctly. By the time the spelling error was found out it was too late to switch as county records had already been published.

The cemetary/mortuary workers toiled 3 shifts per day to keep up with all the dead resulting from the frontier encroachment. As belligerent stinkhole communities like the neighboring Vileburg kept the fresh supply of corpses coming, Dismul became known as the "greatest final resting place in Washoe County". Mourners from as far away as Panamint City came to bury their deseased in the picturesque " town of eternal rest".

By 1877, it became obvious to town officials that they faced a serious "over-population problem"--the total land occupied by graves, memorials, mausoleums and monuments had already greatly exceeded the town limits. They were, in effect, the victims of thier own success. A meeting of townsfolk was convened at the "Olde West-Style Saloon", but to all it was apparent that, hemmed in by a body of water, rolling hills and hostile natives, the city had little room for growth.

From records published in local newspapers:

The little child of Phil and Mythral Cox was removed to the home of its grandparents after diphtheria was pronounced to be in the home of Miss Amy Miller, in the hopes that it might escape the dread disease. But the monster followed it and the child died Monday, aged 2 years.

Diphtheria is epidemic at Dismal, Washoe County. Mrs. Tryntje Rapalje, aged 82 years, who was partly insane, threw herself in her neighbor's cistern at Gerlach and was drowned. She had long planned death in this manner. Kent Cates who had been in jail at Reno since last fall, charged with burning several buildings in the town of Edison, was adjudged insane by County Judge Ebineezer Laramie and taken to the asylum.

A woman who gave her name as Collision died at Vileburg from a criminal operation performed upon herself. Her parents live near Warm Springs...her brother took charge of her remains. The woman was young and pretty and visited every physician in Vileburg to accomplish her object, but without success...

"Calamity Jane", of window breaking fame, attempted to throw a satchel through one of F. Rinne's Clothing Store windows at Bloody Head...She was arrested (and) ...given 5 days jail time.

The Bank of Dismal, capital $10,000, has closed.

Diphtheria is reported to be epidemic in Washoe County...Bloody Head is in a state of quarantine. The schools of Jessup, Dismal and Hard Scrabble have been closed...Bill Von Dismal died in at his home in this town Friday last...from the effects of the Ackerman anti-dipsomania gold cure which he was taking...he contacted the the drink habit and it so obtained the mastery of hm that he was much of the time incapacitated for labor. He was aged 36. He was so anxious to break the fetters that enslaved him... that he risked and lost his life. He was a great sufferer throughout the treatment.

Calamity Jane, the Dismal window-smasher, has put in an appearance at Bloody Head. She was taken into custody by a policeman as she was about to wreck a fine plate glass window.