The town of Jungo is named for Jungo Point, a survey peak located 11 miles away;[3][4] in 1888, Jungo Point was a stage stop on a mail route between Winnemucca and "Denio's".[5]
The post office at Jungo was in operation from January 1911 until May 1952.[6] Jungo was a station on the Feather River Route of the Western Pacific Railroad.[3]
In 1913, Jungo consisted of twelve buildings that included the station, a freight shed, a pumping station, a hotel and a saloon.[7]
George Austin lived in Jungo in 1915[8] and operated the hotel, filling station and general store at Jungo in the 1930s. In 1935, Austin purchased the Jumbo Mine,[9] located 36 miles away, from two prospectors by the names of Grover Staggs who went by Red Staggs and the others name was Clyde Taylor, for $10,000.00 ($222,000 today) with $500 due immediately. Mining engineer and former U.S. President Herbert Hoover visited Jungo in 1936 and advised Austin to retain ownership of Jumbo. Austin offered to pay Hoover for the advice and Hoover replied, "That kind of advice is free." Austin received many offers for the mine and stated that if he sold the mine for $1,000,000, then he would owe the $420,000 in taxes, but that the taxes don't apply if the gold is in the ground. Austin was also concerned about his sons becoming "loafers" if they were rich.[10][11]
In 1937, a group of Texas oilmen including H. L. Hunt placed an option to buy Jumbo Mine with a $250,000 ($5,299,000 today) down payment.[12][13]
^Robert Trego (October 23, 1955). "Black Rock Desert Roads Lead to Humboldt County". Nevada State Journal. p. 10. Retrieved January 9, 2016. The article includes low-resolution photos of the Black Rock Desert and Sulphur, Nevada.