The Searchlight Historic Museum was established for the purposed of reporting the history of one of the most fascinating boomtowns in Southern Nevada. There was a time when Searchlight has surpassed Nevada in terms of population and it even came close to receiving the designation as the Clark County Seat.

The Museum depicts the history of the area starting from the Searchlight Post Office being established in October 1898. In 1902, Searchlight began to boom and it reached its peak in 1907. This typical mining town had a population of 1,500 people. It was then that it became larger than Las Vegas. Searchlight underwent its busiest times in 1907 to 1910. There were a lot of gold and silver mines that became excellent producers in the Mining District of Searchlight. In 1902 to 1916, it was reported that there were 246,997 ounces of gold that were produced from the lode mines. Searchlight was able to support many stores, saloons, and hotels. When the cost for gold and silver mining production went up, the people began moving on the next boomtown and by 1927, the population of the town had decreased to 50 people.

Today, the Museum tells the story of the town through photographs, exhibits, artifacts, and an outdoor mining park.