During the Comstock mining boom, the risks and cost of sending large amounts of bullion by wagon and train to the "old" United States Mint in San Francisco led to the construction of a new mint in the tiny hamlet of Carson City in 1869. (The original San Francisco mint had been built in 1852 to accommodate the California Gold Rush.)

The United States Mint in Carson City was the first structure to be constructed from the plans of Alfred Bult Mullett, Supervising Architect of the Treasury Department from 1866 until 1874.

"His tenure of office coincided with an accelerated government building program following the Civil War, and Mullett was responsible for the design of many public buildings throughout the country. The buildings erected by the Treasury Department while Mullett held the office of Supervising Architect are unexcelled by any American structures of their time in scale and solidity of construction."

Other structures in the West designed by Mullett were the Custom House in Portland, Oregon, and the "new" San Francisco Mint also built in 1869.

Source: NRHP Nomination Form

The former mint is now the home of the Nevada State Museum and is commemorated by Nevada Historical Marker 196.