[citation needed] In recent years the operations of a nearby mine have improved the road so that even non-4WD vehicles can reach the town site.

Crude homes and businesses were constructed using mud and other local materials or were easily imported.

The biggest rush of population was in the Spring of 1863 after the Wide West Vein provided many jobs.

After it was built, the Esmeralda Toll Road connected Aurora to San Francisco through Carson Valley.

This allowed for Aurora to receive supplies directly from San Francisco, which contributed to its growth.

[11] Aurorans quickly learned that the climate was harsh and the weather unpredictable, making life difficult for its residents.

Gambling houses and brothels were common and provided late night entertainment to the men of the town.

There were numerous Chinese brothels that existed on the most public of streets and roughly half the women in the town were prostitutes.

Family life was almost non existent due to the low number of women and children in the town.

The most notable destruction was the headstone of William E. Carder, a notorious criminal and gunfighter who, on the night of December 10, 1864, was "assassinated" by a man whom he had threatened in the preceding days.

[12] The headstone erected by his wife Annie was toppled by thieves who attempted to steal it, and broken into several pieces, where they now lie sunken into the ground.

[5] Because of its isolation—Aurora was miles from any major city and surrounded by rugged mountainous terrain—furnishing supplies for the town became difficult.

The town was dominated by a harsh climate with violent and unpredictable weather, which made a permanent settlement increasingly difficult without outside support.