pony express territory walking & driving tour brochure

WA L K I N G A N D D R I V I N G T O U R S

DISCOVER LIFE A

LONG

THE TRAIL.

TABLE OF CONTENTSIntroduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2WALKING TOURSThe Town of Fernley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5The Town ofDayton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Walking Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

The Town of Fallon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Walking Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

The Town ofAustin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Map. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28Walking Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

The Town of Eureka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Map 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Walking Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Map 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42-43

The Town of Ely . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Walking Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48-49

DRIVING TOURSThe Pyramid Lake Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54The Lahontan, Fort Churchill, andMason Valley Tour. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55The Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge andStillwater Wildlife ManagementArea Tour. . . . . . . . . . . 57The Grimes Point Petroglyph Trail andHidden Cave Tour. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58The Sand Mountain RecreationArea,Sand Springs Pony Express Station, andDesert Wildlife StudyArea Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59The Overland Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60The Reese River Valley andBig Smoky Valley Loop Tour. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61The Toquima Cave and NorthumberlandNatural History Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62The Ward Charcoal Ovens and Cave Lake Tour. . . . . . . 65The Great Basin Tour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

DISCOVER LIFE ALONG THE TRAIL 1

PONY EXPRESS TERRITORYPonyExpressNevada.com

(888) 359-9449

FERNLEYFernleyChamber.org

Fernley Chamber of Commerce(775) 575-4459

DAYTONDaytonNvChamber.org

Dayton Chamber of Commerce(775) 246-7909

FALLONFallonTourism.com

(800) 874-0903 or (775) 423-4556

AUSTINAustinNevada.com

Austin Chamber of Commerce(775) 964-2200

EUREKAEurekaCounty.com(775) 237-5484

ELYElyNevada.net

White Pine CountyTourism&Recreation Board(800) HY6-9350 (800) 496-9350

WA L K I N G A N D D R I V I N G T O U R S

DISCOVER LIFE ALONG THE TRAIL 32 DISCOVER LIFE ALONG THE TRAIL

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Owyhee

RoundMountain

InclineVillage

Las Vegas

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Fer W H I T E P I N E

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Carlin

Snow WaterLake

Jiggs

Lee

White Rock(site)

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Duckwater

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ElginAlamo

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Glendale

Bunkerville

Logandale

Overton

BoulderCity

Goodsprings

BlueDiamond

Jean

Tempiute

Rachel

Indian Springs

MercuryAmargosa Valley

Johnnie(site)

Beatty

Rhyolite(site)

Lida

Silver PeakGoldfield

Nivloc(site)

Dyer

Coaldale Tonopah

WarmSprings

(site)

Basalt(site)

Mt CharlestonPahrump

Sandy Valley

Mina

LuningHawthorne

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Belmont

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Dixie Valley(site)

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Seven Troughs

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Rochester(site)

Unionville

Mill CityImlay

Jungo(site)

Winnemucca

Golconda

Valmy

Battle Mountain

Beowawe

Midas

Paradise Valley

McDermitt

Chimney DamReservoir

WilsonRes

Tuscarora

Willow CreekReservoir

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Nelson

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Cal NevAri

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Panaca

Ursine

Leeville

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CottonwoodCove

WalkerLake

Stillwater

Berlin(site)

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Gold Point

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Arthur

Wells

Halleck

SpringCreek

Lamoille

Ruby Valley(site)

Shantytown

Carp

Caselton

AnahoIsland

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Denio

Carvers

Wilkins(site)

Lake

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TO GARRISON

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Hiko

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he Pony Express Trail, The Old Lincoln Highway, andThe Loneliest Highway inAmerica: with a variety of

names, you would think that Highway 50 might have anidentity crisis but just the opposite is true. This route cutsthrough the middle of Pony Express Territory, an expanse ofNevada’s most historic and picturesque country.

Pony Express Territory is home to some of the OldWest’s liveliest towns including Fernley, Dayton, Fallon,Austin, Eureka, and Ely. Each of these communities has itsown story to tell with heroes and villains and times of boomsand busts. The country surrounding these communities is

just as colorful. Side roads and highways branch fromHighway 50 and lead to destinations like Pyramid Lake, FortMason, Soda Lake, The Toiyabe Mountain Range, and GreatBasin National Park.

Today’s travelers can walk in the footsteps of goldminers, cattlemen, gunmen, and the area’s first farmers.They can drive the routes of explorers, pioneers,AmericanIndians, and Pony Express riders. Pony Express Territoryoffers a glimpse of Old West history along with wide-openvistas and a variety of recreational opportunities.

Highway50. It’smore than ahighway—it’s an adventure.

P O N Y E X P R E S S T E R R I T O R YP O N Y E X P R E S S T E R R I T O R Y

T

THE PONY EXPRESSTRAIL


orn as a result of railroad construction, theCity of Fernley was established in 1904 and

later developed into an agricultural and ranchingcommunity. Today, its proximity to Reno has helped thecity continue to flourish.

Much of the farmland in the Fernley area wasdeveloped as a result of the Newlands ReclamationActof 1902. The Newlands Irrigation Project established anirrigation system that delivers water to an areastretching from Derby Dam, along the Truckee River,to the Lahontan Reservoir near Fallon. Constructionand expansion of the system took place from the initialinception through the 1960s.

In 1965, the Nevada Cement Company beganoperation in a new plant built on the north side of thecity between Fernley and Wadsworth. This was the firstsignificant non-agricultural or ranching business tocome to Fernley, aside from the railroad. Primaryemployment in Fernley transitioned to an industrialand commuter base, and areas of agricultural andranching lands evolved to housing subdivisions in orderto support the growing population. Close proximity toInterstate 80 and abundant land for housing madeFernley an attractive alternative to the Reno-Sparks area.

Beginning near the established parts of the town,growth moved to the Fremont Street area in the mid tolate 1970s, then migrated nearer to the farming areas inthe 1980s, and has continued along Farm District Road.Numerous subdivisions now exist alongFarm DistrictRoad including an 18-hole golf course and a newelementary school.

In 1999,Amazon.com opened a 750,000 square footorder fulfillment center in the industrial park located onthe northeast side of the city. Since that time, morecompanies have opened facilities in the park includingTrex Inc.,Allied Signal, UPS Worldwide Logistics(Honeywell),ARE Campers, Johns Manville, andSherwin Williams.

BF E R N L E Y N E VA D A

LAHONTAN STATE

RECREATION AREA

FERNLEY, NEVA

DA

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6O PIKE STREET


ld Town Dayton lies at the mouth of GoldCañon on the Carson River. It’s the site of

Nevada’s first gold discovery and a contender for beingthe state’s earliest Euro-American permanentlyinhabited settlement.

After gold was discovered in California, thousandsof fortune seekers trekked West. Those following theCarson River Route often camped at the mouth of GoldCañon (Dayton) while waiting for snow to melt in theSierra Nevada.

In the spring of 1849 frontiersmanAbner Blackburn’spack train campednearGoldCañonon theirway toCalifornia’s goldfields.With a breadpan andbutcherknife, heprospected the creek bed, finding smallquantities of placer gold. That day, his company continuedprospecting, findinggoldvalued at about $10.

The following year, 1850, a Mormon pioneer, JohnOrr, found a nugget weighing 19.4 grams. Nevada’sgold rush was on!

Hundreds of miners moved to Gold Cañon, locatedin Utah Territory. Soon their tent camps became asettlement where Dayton developed. Working their wayup the canyon, prospectors struck it rich when theydiscovered the world-famous Comstock Lode in 1859.

Remnants of the rock wall of the 1861 Pony Expressstation, called Nevada, still stands today. In the sameyear, Congress created Nevada Territory. The livelytown became the first Lyon County seat in 1864.

Emigrants, Pony Express riders, Wells Fargo andOverland stagecoaches, and two railroadspassed throughthe fertile Dayton Valley which is also the site of Nevada’sfirst Chinatown.

Due to the Carson River, Dayton flourished as amilling and trade center, also serving as the breadbasketof the Comstock, supplying fresh produce, hay, grain,wood, and charcoal, from its piñon trees. Daytonremained a regional trade center into the 20th Century.

Old Town Dayton’s structures haven’t changedmuch since the late 1800s—it’s a place where you canstep back in time.

OD AY T O N N E VA D A

FORT CHURCHILL

DAYTON, NEVADA

6

ODEON HALL

1 1865 SCHOOLHOUSENevada State HistoricalMarker #262135 Shady LaneDayton’s grammar school was built in 1865 and used until 1958. In 1880 therewere eighty pupils, and it is the oldest schoolhouse in the state still located atits original site. It was later used as the Senior Center until the 1980s.In the 1990s it became Dayton’s Museum.

2 OLDWAGON/CARRIAGEHOUSE130 Shady Lane (private property)This bucolic barn and wagon/carriage house is one of the oldest buildings inDayton. Today it is a privately owned garage.

3 HISTORIC CREEKGold Cañon Creek was the site of Nevada’s first gold, discovered at thecanyon’s mouth in 1849. Today the mouth is barely accessible due to a sandand gravel pit. Portions of the original creek channel were partiallyobliterated by a mining pit dredged in the 1930s.

4 HALL’S STATION (site)Nevada State HistoricalMarker #200This is near the site of Hall’s Station, operated by Andrew Spofford Hall circa1852. The trading post was later sold to James McMarlin and calledMcMarlin’s Station. Miners and emigrants purchased their supplies here.The exact station location was obliterated by a mining pit.

5 EARLYHOME400 Cemetery Road (private residence)This residence was built circa 1850. In the 1870s it became the residenceof the Stevensons, whose descendants still live in Dayton today. It remainsa private residence with an art studio and gallery business on-site.

6 DAYTONCEMETERYNevada State HistoricalMarker #233Established in the 1850s, this is one of the oldest constantly maintainedcemeteries in Nevada and still remains in active use. In addition to being thefinal resting place for many early-day pioneers and miners, also interred are86 known veterans of war (including some from the Civil War), a formergovernor, and numerous politicians.

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SCHOOLHOUSE

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iii Union Hotel, 75W.Main Street, was built circa 1870 after the 1861 hotel,originally located at site “M”, burned. Union Hotel boasted a two-storyouthouse that connected to the back doors of the hotel. Known as the GruberHotel prior to the Civil War. Private residence.

iv Old General Hardware and Grocery Store, 65W.Main StreetThis building is currently being considered for multiuse restoration.Private property.

v Formerly a Saloon, 55W.Main Street Private residence.vi Butcher Shop, 45W.Main Street Built by Chinese laborers, the former

butcher shop is now occupied by a business.

12 PONY EXPRESS STATIONWhat’s left of this freestanding rock wall is part of the original wall for thePony Express remount station called “Nevada.” A Pony Express monumentdedicated in 2001 is located in a parking lot across the street.

13 OLDWATERDITCHRose Ditch (a.k.a. Chinese Ditch) was hand-dug by Chinese laborers in 1857 tocarry water to Gold Cañon placer miners. The ditch also carried water to theDayton Reservoir and was used until a new water system was installedin 1982.

14 FRATERNALORGANIZATION (site)234W.Main StreetThis was the original location of IOOF (Odd Fellows) Hall. Later the buildingbecame the Druids Hall.

15 OLDRESERVOIRThe Dayton Reservoir was located at the end of Rose Ditch (a.k.a. ChineseDitch). Water from the reservoir traveled through 4” wood pipes wrappedwith wire to various underground water storage cisterns for firefighting. Thissystem was used until 1982 when Dayton’s new county water system cameon line.

16 LIVERY STABLE15W.Main StreetThe livery stable was used in the 1870s and was just one of many located inearly Dayton. Over the years this building has contained various businesses,including a florist shop and an antique parlor.

17 CHINATOWN LOCALEThe center of Nevada’s first Chinatown, where as many as 200 Chinese lived,was located in this area starting in the 1850s. Later the area was used as aflea market, until the mid-1990s. Today the corner has several historicalmonuments and markers. A service station/mini-mart complex is located here.

18 CHINAMARY’SHOUSE65 Silver StreetThis is the only known remaining structure from Nevada’s first Chinatown.Often referenced as “China Mary’s house,” it is rumored to have once beenthe site of a Chinese gambling house and opium den. It was placed on theNevada State Registry of Historic Places in 1990. Today it houses a business.

7 NARROW-GAUGE RAILROADThis was the route of the narrow-gauge Dayton, Sutro and Carson ValleyRailroad. It extended from the mouth of Gold Cañon to Douglass Mill,then reversed itself and extended across the area of today’s dredge pit to SixMile Canyon. Nothing remains today except portions of the old railroad bed.

8 HAND-QUARRIED BUILDINGNevada State HistoricalMarker #257235W.Main StreetThis 1860s building was constructed with hand-quarried local sandstone.Originally the Birdsall Mercantile, it was later the Wells Fargo & Co. Agency,then the Bluestone Manufacturing Company. It fell into disrepair but waseventually donated to Lyon County in 1984 and restored. Today it is theDayton Justice Court complex.

9 OLDMILL (site)River Street (private residences)Site of Douglass Mill, which, in 1869, was converted to a tailings mill.Remnants of the mill’s rock foundation remain evident on the hillside alongwith Rose’s Ditch (a.k.a. Chinese Ditch). Today, private home sitesproliferate in the area.

10 OLD SALOON160W.Main StreetOriginally the Europa Saloon built in 1885 (first located at site #22), it wasrumored to have been one of Mark Twain’s haunts. It was moved to itspresent site in the early 1900s and used as a bar and restaurant throughthe years. A bar/steakhouse occupies the premises today.

11 MAIN STREET BUILDINGSSouth side ofMain StreetThis tight cluster of buildings was rebuilt after the July 1870 fire ragedthrough Dayton.Going from River Street to Highway 50 East (right to left):

i Fox Hotel, 95W.Main Street, was known as the Occidental Hotel from1889 to 1907. The smaller building on the left was once a house. Multiuserestoration is currently pending.

ii Post Office (former post office behind the Fox Hotel in the 1950s. Whenmoved the room became part of the Union Hotel.

10 DISCOVER LIFE ALONG THE TRAIL


MAIN STREET BU ILDINGS

235 W. MAIN ST.



25 FIREHOUSE/JAIL90 Pike StreetThe current structure was a firehouse with 1860s wrought-iron mail-order jailcells in back. Earlier firehouses at this same location were destroyed by fire in1866 and again in 1870. The current structure was built in 1875. At one timethis location served as a Wells Fargo stage stop.

26 OLDCHURCH140 Pike StreetThis spot was the site of a confectionary and toy store. In 1937 the YeringtonRoman Catholic Indian School Church was moved here and renamed Dayton’sSt. Ann’s Catholic Church. In the late 1950s the building underwent remodeling.Although a larger church was built, the church still maintains this structure.

27 EARLY COMSTOCK STRUCTURE60 Pike Street (private residence)This building features architecture and construction typical of many earlyComstock buildings. The front portion was originally a storeroom for thenext-door mercantile. Several lean-to structures were incorporated into thebuilding, which then became a residence. Eventually a shop was added tothe back portion and connected to the icehouse.

28 COURTHOUSE AND SCHOOL (site)Nevada State HistoricalMarker #127170 Pike StreetThe 1864 Lyon County Courthouse was here until burning in 1909. Legislaturemoved the county seat to Yerington in 1911.The high school was built in 1918,and in 1959 was converted to the elementary school until the new school wasbuilt. In 1972 it was reactivated as a junior high school. It later became theDayton Community Center.

29 EARLY “JOLLITY” SALOON165 Pike StreetThis building was the local “Hurdy Gurdy House.” The early-day saloonprovided female employees who danced with customers. Today the buildinghouses a restaurant.

30 HISTORIC CHURCH (private property)This was the site of the Methodist-Episcopal Church, built in Gold Hill in1876 and moved to Dayton in 1903. It was used until the 1950s. Lyon Countydemolished the structure in 1974. During the 1960s this area was used asrodeo grounds during filming of TheMisfits movie.

31 CAMELCOMPOUNDNevada State HistoricalMarker #199200 Pike StreetThe Leslie Hay Barn was built in 1861. Over the next ten years, camels werecorralled at this site. They were used to haul salt, wood, and other miningsupplies to mines and mills in the Gold Hill and Silver City areas. Today it isa business and private residence.

19 STATIONMASTER’S HOUSE200 Railroad Street (private residence)The Carson & Colorado Railroad station master’s house is still on its originalsite. This private residence is not open to the public.

20 RAILROADDEPOT20W.Main StreetThis Carson & Colorado Railroad Depot was the first station built on thenarrow-gauge line. When a portion of the line was abandoned in 1934 thedepot was converted to a private residence at its original location (near site#19). Around 1954, when Highway 50 East was constructed, it was movedto this present location.

21 1860S STONE BUILDING30 Pike Street at corner ofMain StreetThis 1860s building was originally M. Meyer and Co., a grocery store. In themid-1870s it was Meyer and Clegman Hardware and Supplies, then Braun &Loftus Mercantile. In the 1930s the back of the building was an auto repair,and the front the Old Corner Bar. Today it is a dinner house and bar.

22 ANOTEWORTHY CORNERThe first residence at this location burned down in 1866, and was later theoriginal site of the Europa Bar (moved to site #10). In 1906 M. Quilici built ahotel and saloon that became the Quilici Mercantile, destroyed during a1980 fire. It is now a parking lot with a Pony Express Monument.

23 ODEONHALL65 Pike StreetOdeon Hall, built in 1862 by the Odd Fellows is one of Nevada’s earliestsaloons and billiard parlors. It was also once the Howe and Gallatin Hardwarestore. Upstairs, in the Grand Ballroom, dances and theatrical fare highlightedDayton’s social life. Today it is a saloon and dinner house.

24 MEDICINAL SITE175 Tyler Street (private residence)This was the site of a doctor’s office, a drugstore, and Dr. John Clark Hazlett’sresidence. Dr. Hazlett was an attorney, state senator, and Lyon County districtattorney. A 1907 map noted a post office was also located there. Today onlythe house structure, which is a private residence, remains.


D AY T O N WA L K I N G T O U RD AY T O N WA L K I N G T O U R

F DREDGE PITThis dredge pit was started in the 1930s. At that time some homes wererelocated to the main part of Dayton. Today it is a partially water-filled piton private property.

G EARLIEST STRUCTURESMany of Dayton’s earliest structures were built in this area using lumber fromsurrounding forests, brick, native stone, and locally manufactured lime mortar.

H ROBERT CAPLES RESIDENCE175 Silver Street (private residence)Robert Caples was an artist known for his paintings of Great Basinlandscapes and charcoal portraits of this region’s Native Americans. Most ofhis artwork was completed in the small studio at the rear of the house.The residence was recently listed on the Nevada Register of Historic Places.

I C&CRAILROADDEPOTThis is the original site of the Carson & Colorado Railroad Depot. The depotwas relocated in the late 1950s when Highway 50 East was constructed.

J ROUTE OF CARSON&COLORADORAILROADThis was the route of the Carson & Colorado Railroad through Dayton. Notethe spur that went up to the Rock Point Mill. The tracks were removed in1934. Very little of the old roadbed remains visible today.

K “DINGCAMP” (private property)In the 1930s, “Energy Relief Society” crews, including laborers with theWorkers Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps(CCC), set up an encampment south of 4th Avenue between Ziller Way andPike Street. It was known locally as “Ding Camp.” These crews builtouthouses and worked on public service projects.

L FIREFIGHTINGWATER CISTERNSThe map shows the locations of various 500-gallon underground cisterns usedfor storing firefighting water that came from Dayton Reservoir (#15). Thewater traveled via gravity flow through buried (wire-wrapped) wooden pipes.

M BLACKSMITH SHOPThis was the original site of the Union Hotel that burned in 1861. After thehotel burned, the Silas I. Cooper Blacksmith Shop was located here (circa1883). Today the site is occupied by a local bar.

N HISTORICHOUSE (private residence)505 Pike StreetThis historic house from the 1900s was formerly the residence of Justice ofthe Peace Zenas Walmsley. It remains a private residence and is not open tothe public.

O SCOTT RESIDENCE170 2ndAvenue (private residence)This house was moved here in the 1930s when homes were relocatedfrom the mouth of Gold Cañon. In 1917 Bertha Cliff taught at Dayton’s 1865schoolhouse then married Will Scott, a bookkeeper for Rock Point Mill.This was their home, and after Will’s death, Bertha lived to be 103.

32 EARLYMININGCOMPANYOFFICE60 SecondAvenue (private residence)This was the location of the Como Mining Company office, and before thatthe Nevada Mineral Reduction and Processing Company. It is a privateresidence today.

33 MILL (site)The Rock Point Mill Site was the first quartz mill in Nevada. It was destroyedby fires in 1882 and 1909 and then rebuilt. It was closed in the 1920s, thendismantled and moved to Silver City. The upper area of the site was used as adump. When today’s Highway 50 East was constructed in 1955 it bisected thesite. Today the site is part of Dayton State Park and has artifacts located onboth sides of the existing highway.

i Rock Point Reservoir (site) Today it is a tree-ringed area.ii Cyanide Plant (site) The original location (actually closer to #32) is now

covered by U.S. Highway 50 East.iii Rock Point Dam A ditch from here ran to Rock Point Reservoir; no trace

remains today, however.

*Please note that all sites noted as “private residence” or “private property” arenot open to the public unless otherwise stated.

O T H E R P L A C E S O F I N T E R E S T

A SUTRO TUNNELSutro Tunnel and town of Sutro (private property)The groundbreaking for Adolph Heinrich Joseph Sutro’s 3.8-mile-long tunnelwas in 1869, construction in 1872, and completion in 1878. Planned as ahighway for transporting ores using water and gravity, its only real value wasfor water drainage. Sutro’s dream of developing a milling center and townnever happened.

B EMIGRANT TRAILSThe map shows various routes of early emigrant trails.

C LINCOLNHIGHWAYThe route of Lincoln Highway (circa 1913) and the original Highway 50through Dayton. By the mid-1920s the Lincoln Highway was graded andgraveled and in the 1930s Dayton’s Pike Street was paved as part ofPresident Roosevelt’s New Deal program.

D BOARDINGHOUSEGolden Eagle Boarding House was built in 1862 and was one of severalboarding houses in town. This one once housed 80 boarders. Destroyed byfire in the 1980s, the site is now a vacant lot.

E EARLY RESIDENCE (private residence)145 Shady LaneThis old residence was built in the 1860s. Miss Bernice Johnson, Dayton highschool principal and teacher, lived here. It remains a private residence today.


D AY T O N WA L K I N G T O U RD AY T O N WA L K I N G T O U R


F A L L O N N E VA D A

SAND MOUNTAIN

t the turn of the 20th century, Fallon wasa dusty crossroads between St. Clair and

Stillwater. The localAmerican Indians referred to it as“Jim’s Town.” Jim Richards operated his store nearMike and Eliza Fallon’s ranch house and post office,which had been established in 1896.

In 1901, President Theodore Roosevelt signedpapers that established the ReclamationAct of 1902 toreclaim the land from the desert and settle the west withsmall farms. Mike Fallon sold his ranch to Warren W.Williams that same year. He proceeded to divide theland and began advertising the sale of lots. Williams laidout the west side of the new town and named thecentral street after his native state of Maine. Other streetslike Bailey,Allen, and Taylor were named for his friends.While Williams was busy on the west side of town,John Oats laid out the east side. In 1908, Fallon wasofficially incorporated.

In 1910, a portion of Maine Street was destroyed byfire. Some homesteaders found work as carpenters andmasons as the community rebuilt. Mining was also onthe upswing, and others worked to develop Fallon’s richagricultural industry.

In the 1920s, “Hearts-O-Gold” cantaloupes weregrown and shipped across the nation. Farmers had anear monopoly on cantaloupe sales in Nevada andnorthern California and their jumbo-sized melons wereof unmatched flavor and quality. Turkeys raised inChurchill County gained a similar reputation duringthese years, and alfalfa has long been a stable source ofincome. The city continued to grow but was rocked byearthquakes three times in 1954. The strongest oneregistered 7.2 on the Richter Scale and damaged manytown buildings.

Fallon became home of the Fallon NavalAuxiliaryAir Station in 1944. In 1959 the runway was extendedand the base became a full-fledged NavalAir Station.In 1984, the command became the Naval Strike andAir Warfare Center and, as of 1996, “Top Gun” and “TopDome” pilots train at the base.

AFALLON, NEVAD

A

FRAZZIN I FURN ITURESTORE

ST ILLWATER

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1 WOODLIFF STORE1050 S.Maine Street

Built circa 1904, this building is said to have featured Fallon’s first bay windowfor displaying merchandise. Over the years, the store was moved from theeast side to the west side of Maine Street. It was moved to the museumgrounds in 1982 from its Carson Street location.

2 CHURCHILL COUNTY JUNIORHIGH SCHOOL650 S.Maine Street

The original south half of this building was completed in January 1918, at acost of $75,000. For many years it served as the Churchill County High School.Now a junior high school, the new addition was completed in 1995.

3 LAWANATHEATER360 S.Maine Street

Friday night was a time of cowboy drama and action at the Lawana Theater.For couples, double love seats were located at the end of each row. Built in1941 by Walt and Ana Hull, its name was created by taking “W-A-L” fromWalt, reversing it, and adding Ana’s name.

4 J.C. PENNYCO.290 S.Maine Street

The store was completed in 1949 and served its customers from this site until 1994.

5 FRAZZINI FURNITURE STORE270 S.Maine StreetBuilt in 1920 of rock from nearby Mt. Toyeh (Rattlesnake Hill), this three-storystructure was home to a furniture store. Mrs. Vienna Frazzini cooked manymeals in order to feed the stonemasons who came from Dayton, Nevada, andSacramento, California, to construct the building. Visitors can enter the storeand explore the building’s construction.

6 AUTOREPAIRGARAGE250 S.Maine StreetIn 1938, Heck’s Meat Company took occupation of this building, which hadbeen an auto repair garage. Heck’s has continued to serve Fallon citizens witha fine array of meats for over seventy years.

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LAWANA THEATER

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13 FALLON’S CITYHALL55W.WilliamsAvenueConstructed in 1930, Fallon’s City Hall is an example of Spanish Missionarchitecture, with red roof tiles, bell tower and window grille work. Still inuse as the City Hall, most of the floors, doors and hardware are original.The building once housed the volunteer fire department.

14 DOUGLASSMANSION ANDCOTTAGEHOSPITAL10 and 22 S. Carson StreetWrap-around porches and ornamental gingerbread help identify this house asVictorian. Robert L. Douglass built this home in 1904, the only two-story,Queen Anne Victorian residence in Fallon. Dr. F.E. Nichols owned the Douglasshome in the 1920s, and now the City of Fallon has purchased the building foruse as a meeting and hospitality center.

15 CHURCHILL COUNTY TELEPHONE COMPANY50W.WilliamsAvenueChurchill County has the only county-owned telephone company in the nation.What began as a telegraph operation in 1889 has evolved into a full servicetelecommunications company offering the latest technologies to customers inChurchill County and other remote areas. The company’s first office buildingonce stood at this site.

16 COUNTY JAIL/SHERIFF’S OFFICE30W.WilliamsAvenueThis stone building was completed in 1906, with rock quarried from the localarea, at a cost of $4,477. The 1954 earthquake caused the visible cracks in itswalls. The structure continued to be used as the county jail until 1973.

17 CHURCHILL COUNTY COURTHOUSE10W.WilliamsAvenue1903 was the year that Churchill County citizens constructed a newcourthouse. The neoclassical styled, redwood-sided building was renovated in1998 and still serves as a courtroom.

18 BENADUM’S BLOCK105N.Maine StreetCharles L. Benadum arrived here from Colorado in 1907. He established afreighting business, stage line, blacksmith shop, and auto garage on this site.

19 WINGFIELD CREAMERY ANDMILK PRODUCERSASSOCIATES325N.Maine StreetMuch of Lahontan Valley’s milk production passed through this plant. It wasbuilt in 1914 and operated until the 1960s.

20 DODGECONSTRUCTION346N.Maine StreetThis building was completed in 1937. The Dodge Construction business wasformed in 1923 using the heavy construction equipment of the time—horseteams. After many years in business, the company liquidated in 1967.

7 SITE OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL200 S.Maine StreetIn the early 1900s this corner was a convenient setting for a school. Formerstudents recalled that the street was their playground and they told of theirfascination with the fire station behind the schoolhouse.

8 SITE OF THE CORNER BAR200 S.Maine Street (Colonial Bank Drive-Up)The blocks on the west side of Maine Street from this site, and north toWilliams Avenue, were home to most of Fallon’s bars that provided localentertainment. The “Corner Bar” stood here for twenty years before closingits doors, and the building was demolished in the summer of 1955.

9 FALLON SLAUGHTERING&SUPPLY178 S.Maine StreetThis building was Fallon Slaughtering & Supply Co. The meat locker still existsin the rear of the building and the original pressed tin ceiling is still in place,though not visible today.

10 WOODLIFF BUILDING126 S.Maine StreetOne year after the 1910 Maine Street fire, the building was constructed withoffice space upstairs and retail downstairs. In its early years, one side of thebuilding housed a clothing store while the other side served as a pharmacy.The upstairs area was converted to a hotel in 1930.

11 SAGEBRUSH BAR AND OTHER BARS70 S.Maine StreetWhile this 1912 building originally housed a cigar factory, it was later used asa bank, bicycle shop, grocery store and pool hall. The “Sagebrush” served as aduck hunters’ meeting place for years. During hunting season, hunters atebreakfast here as early as 4 a.m. before traveling to Carson Lake.

12 WILLIAMS BUILDING70 S.Maine Street (Nugget Parking Lot)By 1906, Warren Williams had added a second story to his stone businessbuilding. Through the years the structure housed, among other things, a thriftstore and a liquor store. The building survived the 1910 Maine Street fire onlyto be torn down after the 1954 earthquake.



WOODLIFF BU ILD ING

TELEPHONECOMPANY

27 JIM RICHARDS’STORE1 S.Maine StreetRichards’ store stood on this site and became the first commercial building inFallon. Built in 1894, over the years the store was used as an office and lateras the newspaper printing plant for the Churchill County Eagle. Richards’ storewas torn down in 1936.

28 EAGLENEWSPAPER BUILDING42 E.WilliamsAvenue1929 was the year that Del and Neva Williams built the red brick building thathoused their newspaper, the Churchill County Eagle. While the ground floor ofthe building housed the newspaper office and printing presses, the upper floorconsisted of apartments.

29 FALLON’S FRATERNALHALL31-45 S.Maine StreetBuilt in 1927, the upper floor of this building served as the headquarters of theFallon Fraternal Hall Association and the following fraternal orders: Masons,Eastern Star, Odd Fellows, Rebekahs, Knights of Pythias, Pythian Sisters, and theFallon Eagles. Later, the building served as a skating rink and garment factory.

30 FALLON THEATER71 S.Maine StreetOnce known as the Rex Theater, this 1920 building has providedentertainment for nearly every man, woman, and child in the county. It waslater remodeled into the double theater it is today.

31 AZORES STORE93 S.Maine StreetThis clothing store was established by former Portuguese sheepherderF.J. Penque in 1926.

32 MORRIS AND LORINGDRUG STORE105 S.Maine StreetCounty residents cured many ills when they had their prescriptions filled atthis drug store. Business partners H. Morris and E.B. Loring opened this Fallonstore in 1909. Eventually buying his partner out, Mr. Loring continued to serveas the store’s druggist until his death in 1941.

21 SITE OF THE FALLON FLOURMILLCO.306N.Maine StreetThis building was constructed in 1915, and at the peak of its operation, 12,000tons of grain were stored here. The building was razed in January of 1962.

22 KENT’S LUMBERYARD260N.Maine StreetEstablished in 1892 in Stillwater, Ira Heber Kent family members continue tooperate this business. With a railroad spur running through the yard, Kent’swas the center for shipping hay, cantaloupes and turkeys from LahontanValley in the early decades of the 20th century.

23 CITY OF FALLONWATERDEPARTMENT190N.Maine StreetIn 1939 a well was drilled within Fallon’s city limits to provide potable waterto its citizens. When the well was completed, this building was built around it.Today this structure has been enlarged to house Fallon’s Public WorksDepartment and its mechanics’ shop.

24 OLD POSTOFFICE90N.Maine StreetBuilt to conform to the U.S. Postal Service standards in 1929, this brickstructure features carved woodwork and marble floors. This post office servedthe community until 1978. It was restored in 2007 and contains offices today.

25 FALLON’S FIRST SCHOOL76N.Maine StreetBuilt in the 1880s, this building served as Fallon’s first school. In the yearsafter 1902, the structure was remodeled for use as a saloon, harness shop,shoe shop, and as office space.

26 DRAPER SELF-CULTURE CLUB FOUNTAINWilliams andMaine Street IntersectionConstructed in 1914, this water fountain was originally located in the centerof the intersection and provided water for people, animals, and automobiles.In addition to horses and mules, dogs drank at the bottom of the structure.In 1930 the street was paved from curb to curb and the fountain removed.



AZORES STORE

J IM RICHARDS’

38 KOLHOSS CASH STORE263 S.Maine Street

After years of delivering groceries by horse and buggy from their home,Harvey and Nanny Kolhoss built this brick building in 1920. The store claims tohave sold the first pair of Levi jeans in western Nevada. After sixty years,brothers Munsey and Harvey Jr. closed the store in 1984.

39 FIRSTNATIONALBANK295 S.Maine Street

Constructed in June of 1950, the First National Bank building was one ofmany new structures that were built on Maine Street during the boom of thatdecade. The Fred Venth Harness and Upholstry Shop was removed from thissite to make way for the modern bank.

40 HILLYARD’SDRUG STORE301 S.Maine Street

After being employed by Olds Drug Store, Ted Hillyard opened the doors to hisfamily drug store in August of 1949. Ted and his wife, Grace, were proud ofHillyard’s Drug Store, a locally-owned business where the owners recognizedtheir customers and welcomed their patronage.

41 LIKES RESIDENCE395 S.Maine Street

Leo Likes was the last tenant to live at this address. The home was moved inthe early 1960s and ended the era of single-family dwellings on the centralportion of Maine Street.

42 CHURCHILL COUNTY LIBRARY553 S.Maine Street

Built in 1967 with the help of money from the Fleischmann Foundation, theChurchill County Library moved from a tiny building downtown to thisspacious facility. Now, more than thirty years later, the library is again feelinga space crunch and is planning to expand its present facility.

43 SILVER STATE CONSTRUCTION SITE869 S.Maine StreetAndrew Dellard Drumm, Jr. began his Silver State Construction Company herein 1922 as a subcontractor. He built the concrete garage and warehouse in1930. For over forty-five years his business provided employment for manyFallon residents. It’s now part of the work yards for the Churchill CountyTelephone Company.

44 SAFEWAY STORE1050 S.Maine Street

In 1957, the Safeway Company constructed their largest Fallon store, but in1967 they moved to an even bigger location. The building was purchased byMargaret and Alex Oser, and in 1968, a group of residents convinced theCounty to use the building to house a county museum.

33 CHURCHILL COUNTYNATIONALBANK/PALLUDANARCADE131-143 S.Maine StreetFinanced by Senator George Ernst in 1904, the Churchill County National Bankwas managed by R.L. Douglass, who built his Victorian home on CarsonStreet. After one of several redesigns in the 1950s, it became known as thePalludan Arcade.

34 I.H. KENT STORE165 S.Maine StreetWhen Fallon became the county seat of Churchill County, Ira Heber Kentmoved his mercantile business, established in 1876, to this Fallon site.Kent soon replaced his small wooden store with a substantial building madeof stone quarried from nearby Mt. Toyeh (Rattlesnake Hill).

35 OVERLANDHOTEL125 E. Center StreetConstructed in 1907 by Dan Griffin, the Overland was the major gatheringplace for politicians and miners as well as Lincoln Highway travelers. Guestsarriving in Fallon by train were met by horse-drawn carriage and brought tothe hotel. In 1999 it was listed on the Nevada Register of Historic Places.

36 FALLONGARAGE126 E. Center StreetBuilt in 1911, the Fallon Garage served the historic Lincoln Highway andlocal motorists for more than 60 years under the stewardship of theGeorge C. Coverston family. Janess Chevrolet conducted business herefrom 1974 into the 1990s.

37 PALLUDANBLOCK /GRAY – REID BUILDING201-257 S.Maine StreetFirst named the Grey-Reid building, this building was constructed around1914. J.C. Penny, Safeway, Sprouse Reitz, Grey-Reid Store, Fallon MercantileCo., and others have occupied the north part of this block over the years.Still visible on the north end of the building are the words “Gray Reid & Co.”



A U S T I N N E VA D A

ST. GEORGE’S

AUSTIN DEPOT


ustin was once the mother of miningcamps and a flourishing Old West town.

William Talcott, an agent for the Overland Mail andStage, discovered a ledge of silver ore at this spot onMay 2, 1862. Talcott came from Jacobsville, a stage stopsix miles to the west on the Reese River and the firstLander County seat. He was hauling wood out of PonyCanyon when he made the strike that set off the famous“rush” to the Reese River Mining District.

Within two years, at the peak of the boom, therewere 8,000 people.Another nearby town, Clifton,flourished briefly in Pony Canyon, but fast-growingAustin soon took over and became the county seat in1863.Austin miners produced $50 million in silver asother prospectors fanned out to more than forty othermining camps, butAustin outlived nearly all of them.By 1865Austin was Nevada’s second largest city, andmore than sixty mining districts were chartered byAustin-based prospectors.

DespiteAustin’s large silver production and relativeisolation, the town did not attract a railroad until 1879when construction of the Nevada Central line began atBattle Mountain. The railroad toAustin was completedon February 9, 1880, but by 1887Austin had hit bottomand the mines closed. The railroad continued to operateuntil abandoned in 1938.

Named afterAustin, Texas, the many landmarks intown are a testimony to its incredible history. Walkingthe streets ofAustin, visitors can see eleven buildingsand sites that are listed on the National Register ofHistoric Places. The town also serves as a base foroutdoor enthusiasts. TheAustin-Kingston Canyon areaoffers four maintained campgrounds and outdoorrecreational opportunities that include mining, rockhounding, fishing, hunting, and a variety of trails forhiking, backpacking, andATVing.

AST

AUSGUSTINE’S AUSTIN, NEVADA

26

1 OLDDEPOT OF CLIFTON below Austin (site)Austin RodeoGrounds

This was once home to the Nevada Central Railroad and the Austin City Railway.The Austin City Railway ran from Clifton through Austin to the Manhattan Mill.Two spurs ran to the mines. The Austin City Railway operated until 1889. Theengine was kept by the Nevada Central and ran for many more years.

2 EMMANEVADAHOME (site)115Water Street

Emma Wixom’s family moved to Austin in 1864, and because of her readilyapparent musical abilities, participated in many of the musical events of thetown. After attending college, she toured Europe and debuted under thename “Emma Nevada” at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London May 17, 1880.

3 OLDCOURTHOUSE (site)121 Court Street

The original wooden Lander County Courthouse was moved from Jacobsvilleto this site in Austin. It was set on a granite foundation and a stone portionwas built for offices. The building was used until 1871 when the currentcourthouse on Main Street was built.

4 REESE RIVER REVEILLE BUILDING (site)121Main Street Hwy. 50

The oldest continually published newspaper in Nevada resided here.This newspaper published from May 16, 1863 to June 1993. A complete setof records of the Reveille is preserved in the Austin Court House vault andis the only complete run of any newspaper dating back to territorial days.

1 GRIDLEY STOREListed on the Register of Historic Places247Water StreetBuilt in 1863, the store was operated by Reuel Gridley. Gridley carried afifty-pound sack of flour from Austin to Clifton, on April 19, 1864, to pay off anelection bet. By auctioning the sack in Austin, Virginia City, Sacramento,and San Francisco, he raised $200,000 for the Union Army.


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7 NEVADA’SOLDEST BANK BUILDING88Main StreetAustin has the oldest bank building in the state of Nevada. This bank wasunder continuous operation from September 1863 until July 1962, nearlyninety-nine years. The building currently houses the Austin Library.

8 OLD FIREHOUSE/YOUTHCENTER67Main StreetThis building was originally a brewery and was converted into a firehouse inthe early 1900s. The bell, originally for the Manhattan Hose Company No. 2,was placed on the building. It was a firehouse until the late 1950s, then alibrary, Senior Citizen Center, and now the Youth Center.

9 INTERNATIONALHOTEL59Main StreetThe International is the oldest hotel in Nevada. A portion of the bar and theeast side of the building was the original International Hotel in Virginia City,built between 1859-60. Dismantled in 1863 to make room for a larger hotel,parts of the original building were shipped to Austin.

10 STOKES CASTLEListed on the Register of Historic Places1 Castle RoadStokes Castle is an exact replica of a tower outside of Rome, Italy, andwas built out of hand-hewn native granite. The huge slabs were raised by ahand-operated windlass. The castle was built in 1897 for Anson PhelpsStokes, an eastern financier who had mining interests in the Austin area.

11 NEVADACENTRALTURNTABLEListed on the Register of Historic PlacesAustin RodeoGroundsThe Nevada Central Railroad, a narrow gauge, operated from Battle Mountainto Austin from 1880 to 1938. The railroad was constructed in just five monthsbeginning in September 1879. The Nevada Central served Austin and the areafaithfully for fifty-eight years and was abandoned in 1938 after mining dwindled.


A U S T I N WA L K I N G T O U R

2 AUSTIN SCHOOLListed on the Register of Historic Places130 6th StreetThe Austin School was built in 1925 and was designed by the architecturalfirm of George A. Ferris & Son. It is rendered in the Romano-Tuscan mode ofthe Renaissance Revival style. It housed K-12 until 1994. A new school wasbuilt below town and now houses all grades.

3 ST. AUGUSTINE’S CHURCHListed on the Register of Historic Places113 Virginia StreetBuilt in 1866 of native brick and stone, this is the last remaining structure ofthe first four Catholic churches built in Nevada, giving it the honor of being theoldest. St. Augustine’s has served as the mother church for numerouscommunities in the area. It was renovated in 2008.

4 OLDMETHODIST CHURCH/EMMANEVADATOWNHALLListed on the Register of Historic Places135 Court StreetErected in 1866, the Old Methodist Church played a leading roll in the affairsof the community for many years. A famous pipe organ that was brought“around the Horn” and hauled overland from San Francisco, was once housedhere. The building is now the Austin Town Hall.

5 ST. GEORGE’S EPISCOPALCHURCHListed on the Register of Historic Places156Main StreetOn Easter of 1877, the Reverend Blackiston raised donations for building thischurch that included a twenty-dollar gold piece from every employee of thelocal mines. The money financed the building, a retaining wall, a pipe organ,and the bell. The first service was held February 17, 1878.

6 OLDCITYHALL/AMERICAN LEGIONHALLListed on the Register of Historic Places90 South StreetAustin city government used this building in the 1860s when Austin was thesecond largest city in Nevada. Offices were on the second floor, and thepolice station on the lower floor. The city seal included Reuel Gridley’s famoussack of flour. The building is currently the American Legion/VFW Hall.



STOKES CASTLE

12 AUSTIN CEMETERYListed on the Register of Historic PlacesHighway 50/ Highway 305Highway 50 bisects the Catholic, Citizens, Masonic, and I.O.O.F. cemeteries,west of town. The cemeteries reflect the diversity of Austin’s inhabitantsthrough the years. West of the main complex lies the American Indian cemetery.The four cemeteries of the main complex are listed on the National Registerof Historic Places.

13 OLDHOSPITAL139 Telegraph StreetPurchased by Lander County Commissioners for $800 and opened inDecember 1875, the County Hospital provided most medical services to thetown. In the early years, the doctors resided in the hospital. Later, the hospitalalso served as a rest home for indigents, then was permanently closed inDecember 1959.

14 J.A. CRESCENZOMERCANTILE101Main StreetOriginally built in 1863, this building was home to the largest dry goodsmercantile in Nevada. Massive shelves and display cabinets dating back tothat era are still in use today. A portion of the original tongue-in-grooveceiling has been removed, exposing huge beams typical of many Nevadaboomtown structures.

15 MASONICODD FELLOWSHALLListed on the Register of Historic Places105Main StreetConstruction on this building began in 1867 and was financed by Austin’s twolodges of Masons and two lodges of Odd Fellows. The final cost was $17,600,and the building was formally opened on January 15, 1868. The lodge is stillused by the Masons, Odd Fellows, and Eastern Star.

16 LANDER COUNTY COURTHOUSEListed on the Register of Historic Places122Main StreetOne of the oldest court houses in Nevada, its cornerstone was laid onSeptember 9, 1871. Its plain design resulted from a focus on sturdyconstruction. In the early 1880s a murderer was taken from the jail on thelower floor and lynched from the balcony over the front door.



MASON IC HALL

DIAMOND MINE

EUREKA OPERA HOUSE

EUREKA, NEVADA

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ureka was settled in 1864 by silverprospectors from nearbyAustin who

discovered rock containing a silver-lead ore on nearbyProspect Peak. The town site in Horse Thief Canyonwas surveyed in 1869. The town was originally named“Napias” on January 13, 1870. On January 27, when thepost office was established, the name was changed to“Eureka.” The town became the county seat in 1873,when Eureka County was carved out of adjacentLander, Elko, and White Pine counties.

Mining, especially for lead, was the town’seconomic mainstay, as the nearby hillsides ranked asNevada’s second-richest mineral producer, behindwestern Nevada’s Comstock Lode. Eureka overtookAustin in size and mining productivity during themiddle 1870s when the Eureka & Palisade Railroad wasextended south from the Central Pacific.

By 1878, whenAustin had already begun itsdecline, Eureka’s population reached 10,000 and hadtaken second place among Nevada cities. There weredozens of saloons, gambling houses and bawdy houses,three opera houses, two breweries, five volunteerfirefighting companies, two companies of militia and theusual complement of doctors, lawyers, merchants,bankers, hotels, newspapers, and other businesses. Fiftymines produced lead, silver, gold, and zinc for thesmelters, which could process more than 700 tons of orea day.

Fires inApril 1879 andAugust 1880 destroyedmost of the structures in the northeastern portion oftown. Many of the buildings you see today were erectedaround 1880-1881. Mining production peaked in 1882and tailed off rapidly after 1885. By 1891 the majormines shut down.

In the early 1990s, Eureka began to preserve itshistory with the restoration of the Eureka Opera Houseand then the Eureka County Courthouse. These twoprojects and the expansion of the Eureka SentinelMuseum have helped to make Eureka what it is today.

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9 EUREKACAFÉ90N.Main StreetThe north building was built around 1873. The ground floor was a mercantilestore, and the upstairs had offices for doctors, dentists and attorneys. By 1907it was the Zadow Hotel and the south building constructed. In the 1920s itbecame the Eureka Hotel, and in 1942, the Eureka Café.

10 J&S SALOON80N.Main StreetBuilt prior to 1873 by Solomon Ashim, this building served as a general storeuntil the early 1900s when it was a dry goods store managed by Flora Morrisand her son David. By the 1930s the building became a restaurant and hasserved as a restaurant and bar.

11 EUREKACOUNTY COURTHOUSE10 S.Main StreetConstruction of this two-story brick structure was finished in 1880. Thecourthouse was thought to be the finest in the state outside of Virginia City.The iron shutters on the doors and windows of this, and other buildingsthroughout town, were to keep fire from the interior of the buildings.

12 ANTIQUES50 S.Main StreetBuilt in 1880 as a wholesale liquor store this building became the Eureka PostOffice in the 1890s. By 1907 the building was vacant. In the 1920s, the Farmersand Merchants Bank was located here. It was an antiques store over the pastfew years but is now closed.

13 EUREKASENIOR CENTER20W. Gold StreetBuilt in 1880, this brick building features iron columns that were cast bythe local Eureka Foundry Company. It has been a grocery and variety store,a mortuary, and is now part of the Eureka Senior Citizens Center thatexpanded in 1996.

14 REBALEATI GARAGEThis building has been torn down.

1 EUREKA SENTINELMUSEUM10N.Monroe StreetBuilt from locally fired bricks and stone from Chandler’s quarry in 1879,this building housed the Eureka Sentinel newspaper until 1960. Constructioncost was $10,000. The Eureka Sentinel Museum opened here in June 1982.The museum includes the original press room from newspaper days.

2 COLONNADEHOTEL90N.Monroe StreetBuilt in 1880, this building became the Colonnade Hotel in 1886. Later it wasa meeting place for the Italian Benevolent Society until 1890. Vacant foralmost four decades, the Colonnade reopened around 1940. The buildingwas operated as a hotel until 1999.

3 SADLERHOUSE160N.Monroe StreetThe Sadler House was built in 1879 by Reinhold Sadler. Mr. Sadler was abusinessman, rancher, and Nevada governor from 1896 to 1902. The househas been modified several times and today it is a private residence.

4 EUREKACOUNTYHIGH SCHOOL200N. AdamsBuilt in 1924 to replace the 1871 school, this building housed grades onethrough twelve until 1969 when a new high school was built. It served as thegrade school until 1995 when the new one was completed. Today thebuilding remains vacant.

5 STONE ANDBRICK BUILDING200N.Main StreetBuilt in 1879, this building has served as Tatti’s Saloon. It was also a meetingplace for the Italian Charcoal Burners (Carbonari), and The Eureka CoalburnersProtective Association, formed in July 1879. These groups figured prominentlyin the Charcoalburners’ War.

6 TOGNINI ANDCOMPANY BUILDING180N.Main StreetThis building was constructed in 1877 by the Tognini Company and was theEureka Billiard Hall Saloon until the 1880s. This was also the headquarters forone of Eureka’s biggest Charcoal Production companies. The bricks used in thefront are the same as those of the school on Adams Street.


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21 FOLEY-RICKARD-JOHNSON31N.Main StreetBuilt in 1879 by M.D. Foley and Richard Rickard, the Remington, Johnson &Company hardware store was located at the northern end of the ground floor.A bookstore, stationary store, saloon, assay office, and Wells Fargo ExpressOffice shared the first floor. The Masonic and Odd Fellows Hall were upstairs.

22 EUREKAGALLERY41N.Main StreetThis was one of Eureka’s first banks, the Paxton and Company Bank. Theoriginal building burned in the fire of 1879 and a new bank was built. AWestern Union Telegraph Office was also added around 1890. The buildinghas been used as an art gallery since 1985.

23 EUREKAMERCHANTILE51N.Main StreetThis building was completed in September of 1879 and was a clothing store.The Mau Brothers purchased it in the early 1900s and sold clothing, shoes,books and stationary. In 2008 the building became a clothing store once more.

24 EUREKAMOLY55N.Main StreetThis building was the city brewery and soda works, which supplied the firstbeer in Eureka. It has been a barber shop, the Bank Club Bar, and BaysFountain. In the 1970s the building was used as a movie theater and is nowthe office for a local mining company.

25 OWLCLUB STEAKHOUSE, BAR&GIFT SHOP26 61& 71N.Main Street

There are four buildings on this site, and together they became the Owl Clubin 1939. The café was an 1880s saloon. Another section was built in 1930 asa handball court. The attached bar was added in 1957. The Owl Club GiftShop was previously a saloon.

27 RAINE’SMARKET81N.Main StreetTwo historic buildings comprise what is now Raine’s Market. The southernportion of the building survived the 1879 fire and was F.J. Schneider’sDrugstore for many years. The northern portion was built in 1879 as a saloon,and after the fire of 1879, became a clothing store.

15 SAN FRANCISCO BREWERY91 S.Main StreetFire consumed the 1870s wood structure that was the San Francisco Breweryowned by Rudolph Leuzinger. Henry Mau rebuilt the brick building in the late1870s. After 1900, Frank Brossemer bottled soda in the back part. The EurekaPost Office was in this building from 1941 until 1982.

16 EUREKA POSTOFFICE51 S.Main StreetThis building, built after the August 1880 fire, housed William Zadow’sbutcher shop called the Eureka Market. In the 1940s and 50s, Eureka Meatand Groceries occupied the building. The original tin ceilings with floral andbird designs can be seen inside.

17 EUREKAOPERAHOUSE31 S.Main StreetBuilt in 1880, this opera house sits on the ashes of the Odd Fellows Hall.It was a movie theater in the 1940s, then stood idle until Eureka Countypurchased and restored it in 1993. The Eureka Opera House serves as afull service convention center and cultural arts center.

18 JACKSONHOUSE11 S.Main StreetBuilt in 1877 as the Jackson House Hotel, this building was gutted in the 1880fire and then restored. In 1907 it became the Brown Hotel and was operateduntil the 1940s. In 1981 it was again restored and called the Jackson House.It was remodeled most recently in 1998.

19 RYLANDBUILDING20 E. BatemanThis is the second building to occupy this site; Richard Ryland’s firstbuilding was destroyed in the 1880 fire. The building has been used asoffices, a rooming house, and a restaurant. It is now a private residence.

20 CREWCARNO. 2911N.Main StreetThis crew car is the only piece of rolling stock from the Eureka & PalisadeRailroad left in Eureka. The railroad was completed in 1875 and insured thepermanence of Eureka. The 84-mile line began at Palisade and was thelifeline for Eureka until the mid 1930s. Today it serves as the EconomicDevelopment office.



FOLEY-RICKARD

35 METHODIST CHURCH11N. Spring StreetThis structure was dedicated in 1881 and featured a library, vestibule, anda sleeping area for visiting clergy. The interior had a red fern carpet, stainedglass windows, and seating for 250. In 1982, Frank and Carol Bleussrenovated it to become a woodworking shop and home.

36 SAINT JAMES EPISCOPALCHURCH101 S. Spring StreetBuilt in 1872, this is Eureka’s first stone church. Regular services were helduntil 1893 and sporadically until the church closed in 1907. The bell at thesouth side of the church was moved from the bell tower behind the church.The church holds services on a regular basis today.

37 CATHOLIC CEMETERYThe Catholic Cemetery is one of six cemeteries located on the west side ofEureka in Graveyard Flat, or Death Valley as it was known in the 1880s.

38 MASONIC CEMETERYAcross from the Catholic Cemetery is the Masonic Cemetery. Across the roadbehind the trailer court is the Schwamb Cemetery. This cemetery was privatelyowned in the 1870s and 1880s by C.W. Schwamb, an undertaker in Eureka.

39 CITY/COUNTY CEMETERYPast the Schwamb Cemetery is the City/County Cemetery. In this cemeteryyou will find a monument for the charcoalburners who were buried here afterthey were murdered in the Fish Creek War of August 18, 1879.

40 ODD FELLOWSCEMETERYNorth on the hill amongst some trees is the Independent Order of OddFellows/Knights of Pythisus Cemetery. It is now known as the Cedar HillsCemetery. The Chinese Cemetery is across the street from Eureka HighSchool. It has only one grave and no markers. Another cemetery that is notlocated in the west side of Eureka is the Jewish Cemetery. It is located atthe south end of Eureka just past the Silver Sky Lodge, on the east side ofHighway 50.

42 ZADOWANDMORRISONHOUSE400 S. Edwards StreetThis Victorian-style home was built around 1886 by James Wilson. Later,it was bought by William Zadow who owned a butcher shop on Main Street.Around 1910 it was purchased by Dan Morrison who lived there for manyyears. In 1976 it was renovated and is a private residence.

28 NEVADASTATE BANK91N.Main StreetThis 1879 building was originally a saloon and the Old Corner Chop House.Around 1912, the building housed the Lani and Repetto Saloon and the EurekaBrewery. In the late 1930s, the Farmers and Merchants Bank moved to thissite, and has changed names several times since then.

29 MASONIC BUILDING101N.Main StreetThis building was built after the fire of 1880 and was a dry goods store, jewelrystore, barber shop, bath house, tailor shop, and tinsmith shop. In 1907 itwas the Eureka Post Office, and the Masons and the Odd Fellows used thebuilding. The Masons continue to use the building.

30 RATTAZZI’S121N.Main StreetThese two buildings were built in 1880. The southern building was Brown andGodfrey’s Oyster Saloon, Chop House and Confectionery. The northernbuilding was the Knights of Pythius Lodge, a fraternal and benevolent society.Today these two adjoined buildings are a restaurant and bar.

31 AL’SHARDWARE131N.Main StreetPart of this building was built before 1873. It was a two-story until the fires of1879 and 1880 when it was restored as a one-story and became the StoneSaloon. In 1946 Albert Biale opened the hardware store that is here today andstill owned by the Biale family.

33 SKILLMANHOUSE101N. Paul StreetThis two-story brick building was known as the Skillman House. It was thehome of Archibald Skillman, founder and publisher of the Eureka SentinelNewspaper in 1870. The building was used as an assay office in the early1900s. It is privately owned and being restored as a home.

34 THE PARSONAGEHOUSE21N. Spring StreetKnown as the Parsonage House, this house was built in 1886. The lastrenovation was completed by Frank and Carol Bleuss who also renovated theMethodist Church. They converted the house into a bed and breakfast duringthe 1980s and 1990s. It is now a private residence.



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42 SAINT BRENDAN’S CATHOLIC CHURCH70N. O’Neil AvenueThis stone church was built in 1874 at a cost of $5,000. The volcanic tuff wasquarried from the Chandler Quarry above the west side of town. Saint Brendan’shas served as the areas Catholic Church since 1874.

43 MARYWATTLESHOME70NobHill AvenueThis home was built in 1883 by Claude Ford, owner of the Eureka LivestockCompany. Mary Elizabeth Isles-Wattles, who came to America from StrattonEngland, bought this home in 1927 and owned it until her death in 1952.At 106 years old, she was the oldest living Nevada resident.

44 PRESBYTERIANCHURCH71N. O’Neil AvenueBuilt in 1873, this is possibly the oldest wood frame church in Nevada. Thecongregation dwindled around 1907 and the church became Methodist, but inlater years served Presbyterians again. The original bell is next to the EurekaSentinel Museum. Today the building serves as a private craft workshop.

45 GENERAL STORE600 S.Main StreetBuilt in 1882 by James Allen, this building was the Ottawa Hotel. In 1886 itoperated as a grocery store. It later served as The Richmond Service, a ShellOil Company gas station in the 1920s, and a Union 76 station in the 1940s.Today it is a convenience store.

46 SLAGS.Main StreetSixteen smelters refined ores of the Eureka Mining District. This is the site ofthe Richmond Consolidated Smelter. Small portions of the smelter, slagheaps, and the ditch for the smoke stack flume can be seen behind the EurekaCounty Courthouse Annex. The first furnace was built in 1871.

RANCH EXHIBIT701 S.Main StreetOn the hill behind the Eureka Courthouse Annex you will see historic ranchingequipment collected through the years by Eureka County and the EurekaSentinel Museum.

47 TANNEHILL LOGCABIN30 Tannehill Road at Hwy. 50This log cabin is believed to be the first home built in Eureka around 1865.It later served as Eureka’s first store. It is built of massive pinion pine logs thatgrew near Eureka before trees were cut for charcoal. It has been modifiedthrough the years.

48 EUREKACOUNTY SWIMMING FACILITY200 Sheridan StreetThe Eureka County Swimming Facility has been a covered pool since the early1990s. It was originally built as an outdoor pool in the 1970s. It is openthroughout the year.


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1 WHITE PINE COUNTY COURTHOUSE&PARK801 Clark StreetThe courthouse was completed in 1909. Fifty thousand loads of dirt werebrought in to landscape the Courthouse Park. There was a zoo of nativewildlife, including bobcats, badgers, coyotes, and porcupines. A brook fedwater into a duck pond filled with native cattails.

2 REQUA-ELY RAILROADDEPOT, COUNTY PARK1000 Campton StreetMark Requa realized the need for a railroad for development of the mines, andin 1906 the Requa-Ely Railroad Depot was built. When the first train of theNevada Northern Railway arrived from Salt Lake City on September 29, 1906,a three-day celebration was held and dignitaries included Governor Sparks.

3 OLDCOURTHOUSE957 Campton StreetBuilt in 1887 the building to the west was the first Courthouse built in Elywhen the county seat was moved from Hamilton in 1887. It cost $10,000 tobuild. The Old Court House was later remodeled and used as a hospital formany years. Today the building houses many county offices.

4 THE BARTLEYHOUSE709 Campton StreetE. Weller completed this fine residence in 1909 for David P. Bartley at a cost of$3,500. Mr. Bartley and his partner, Edwin Gray, are credited with starting themass production of copper in this area.


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ly is another great Nevada mining town, itsgrowth cycles dependant upon the boom and

busts so common in the West. Copper was firstdiscovered in White Pine County in 1872. More thanfifty mining companies were organized between 1902and 1907 in the Robinson District. The KennecottCopper Company began acquiring Ely copper miningcompanies in 1915. By 1958 Kennecott dominated thelocal economy and controlled the district's coppermines. This boom lasted until 1978 when Kennecottclosed the mine and smelter.

With the advent of cyanide heap leaching, a methodof extracting gold from what was previously consideredlow-grade ore, another boom was on. Gold mines aswidespread as the Robinson project near Ruth,AlligatorRidge mine, and Bald Mountain mine 65 miles from Ely,kept the town alive during the 1980s and 1990s, until therecent revival of copper mining. The dramatic increasein demand for copper in 2004 has once again made Ely acopper boomtown. Periodically producing copperthrough the years, the Robinson District has turned outover two billion pounds of copper.

1906 marked the arrival of the Nevada NorthernRailway. From 1906 until 1978, the railroad transportedcopper to the mainline. In 1986, the NNRY was gifted totheCity of Ely to operate as a tourist railroad. TheNevadaNorthernRailwayNationalHistoric Landmarkoffers alook back at the historic rail system around Ely. Thebest-preserved short-line railwayoffers rides on its“queens of steam” and historic diesel engines whichtravel the original tracks from Ely to the Robinsonmining district.

The Ely Renaissance Society has financed more thantwenty outdoor murals and sculptures in the downtownarea.Artists from all over the world have beencommissioned to create images of local history. Theyalso maintain a historical village consisting of a generalstore and several shotgun houses that display thehistory of the various ethnic groups that worked for therailroad and mine.

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12 ELY CITYHALL501Mill StreetBuilt in 1928, the Ely City Hall houses the City of Ely offices.

13 ROCKHILLHOUSE438 High StreetAn excellent example of Victorian architecture, this house was designed andbuilt in 1905 by Charles W. Gaby for Thomas Rockhill. Mr. Rockhill was anearly miner who retired comfortably by selling all his mining properties whencopper production started.

14 RENAISSANCEVILLAGE428 - 480 Ely StreetThe street, structures, and environment remain the same as when they wereconstructed in 1907-1912 in the booming mining camp. Take time to tourthese authentic homes and admire their beautiful antiques. Each homedepicts a different ethnic culture, part of Ely’s heritage.

15 ST. BARTHOLOMEWEPISCOPALCHURCH7th& Lyons AvenueBuilt in 1907, this church was designed in the Norman Revival style popular inEngland at the time. Selling hymnals raised the money required to build thischurch. The organ was donated by William Boyce Thompson and the pews byTex Rickart. The current bell came from a church in Ely, England.

16 WHITE PINEHIGH SCHOOL844 Aultman StreetCompleted in 1913, it is now the White Pine Middle School.

17 THEWATSONHOUSE1008 E. Aultman StreetBuilt in 1906, this craftsman-style home is best remembered as home to7th Judicial District Court Judge, Harry Watson.

18 COPPERNATIONALBANK298 E. 11th StreetBetween 1907 and 1912, eastern capitalists tried to monopolize the area.They controlled the railroad, the new smelter at McGill, most of the copperholdings, and wanted to control commerce in the town. “Ely City” was theireffort. The Copper National Bank was their bank.

5 QUEENANNCOTTAGE591 Campton StreetBuilt in 1910 by George Metzger, the wrap-around porch, dormer windowsand gables, and gingerbread trim are all original.

6 SACREDHEART CATHOLIC CHURCH501Murry StreetThis church was built in 1906 and Father Michael Curran, who had arrivedfrom Salt Lake City, held the first services. For the next year, he traveled to Elyby train to conduct services. The first permanent priest was Father Sheehan,who conducted his first service on October 6, 1907.

7 GALLAGHERHOUSE604Murry StreetWilliam Lawrensen built this home on the sunny side of Murry Creek in 1888.W.C. Gallagher lived in it in the early 1900s. It is the oldest residence nativeto Ely.

8 MARSHALHOUSE1000Mill StreetA. A. Marshal built this home in 1907. The residence features unusual leadedglass windows; no two windows are alike. It demonstrates the orientalculture that Marshal explored as a Merchant Marine Captain.

9 CHARLES RUSSELLHOME133 Sage StreetAlthough Charles H. Russell lived in the Collins Hotel for years, he lived in thishouse after he was married and before he became Governor of Nevada.

10 GAUFINHOUSE706 Canyon StreetMoved from Cherry Creek by train car around 1908, this home looks much asit did in 1908.

11 JAMES P.MCOMIE /WILLIAMN.MCGILLHOUSE606 Canyon Street (on the odd side of the street)Built in 1888, the home was moved from the mining camp of Taylor byowner James McOmie. In 1902, W. M. McGill purchased the residence.Dr. Reed J. Anderson raised his family in this house in the 60s and 70s.


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19 EAST ELYDEPOTListed on the Register of Historic Places1100 Avenue AThis depot was built in 1907 and was the main passenger and freightheadquarters of the Nevada Northern Railroad. Located within one of thenation’s most complete historic railroad yards, the depot, grounds, andshops remain hauntingly unchanged.

20 13THCRIB ROW200 13th StreetBuilt in 1908 this was one of the two “Red Light Districts” in Ely. Take note ofthe leaded glass windows.

21 EAST ELYGRADE SCHOOLNOWMT. VIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL1001 East 11th Street

22 WALLACE / PITTMANHOUSE1001 Park AvenueBuilt in 1908, by Dr. E.L.R. Wallace, this is one of two California bungalowhomes built by prominent people in the development of “Ely City.” Later VailPittman lived in this house while he was founder, editor and publisher of theEly Daily Times newspaper.

23 WHITE PINE PUBLICMUSEUM2000 Aultman StreetThe museum area includes the old Cherry Creek, Nevada Railroad Station,a pioneer log cabin, mining displays, railroad cars, and stagecoaches. It is nowhome to a new addition, the Cave Bear, whose bones were discovered in acave in White Pine County.

24 HOTELNEVADA501 Aultman StreetCompleted in 1929, this hotel was the tallest building in Nevada for almosttwenty years and it featured the first elevator in Ely. Recent renovations to therooms now feature celebrity rooms with memorabilia from some of the starsthat have stayed at the hotel.


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PONY EXPRESS TERRITORYDRIV ING TOURS

tribe at the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Museum and Visitors Center. Exhibits atthe multi-purpose museum describe the tribe’s history and culture and offerinsight into why the Paiute people hold the lake and its surrounding landscapeso sacred. Other displays focus on Pyramid Lake’s natural history and themany creatures that make the lake their home. Visitors can also purchasepermits for an assortment of recreational pursuits, including camping, boating,fishing, and daily-use passes. The museum also provides importantinformation about the lake’s recreational policies.

The Lahontan, Fort Churchill, and Mason Valley TourThis tour highlights the Lahontan State Recreation Area, Fort ChurchillState Historic Park, andMason ValleyWildlifeManagement Area.

Distance and Road Conditions

From downtown Dayton, the tour is around 115.2 miles round trip. The totaltrip time is about 3 hours plus time spent at each stop. The tour is mostly onpaved roads, and any gravel roads are well maintained.

Directions

To Lahontan State Recreation Area• Begin the tour from downtown Dayton• Take US 50 East towards Fallon and travel 23.8 miles• Turn right at Commerce Way / US 95 / US 95A N (Silver Springs) and

go 2.9 miles• Turn left at Fir Street and travel 1.6 miles• Slight left at Lahontan State Recreation Area. In 0.3 miles, it will be on

the right

To Fort Churchill State Historic Park

The Pyramid Lake TourThis tour highlights Pyramid Lake.

Distance and Road ConditionsFrom downtown Fernley, the trip is around 92miles round trip. The totaldriving time is about 3 hours plus time spent at Pyramid Lake. The trip ismostly on paved roads, and any gravel roads are well maintained.

Directions

To Pyramid Lake Area• Start at Fernley and take Commerce Way / E. Main St / US 40 / US 50• Follow Commerce Way / US 40 to NV 427• Continue for approximately 45.8 miles on NV 427 north to the town of Nixon• Arrive at Pyramid Lake

Return to Fernley

DescriptionPyramid Lake is approximately 188 square miles in size, making it one of thelargest lakes in the United States. It’s fed by the Truckee River and has nooutlet, with water leaving only by evaporation or sub-surface seepage. Thename comes from the impressive tufa formations nearby. The largest suchformation, Anaho Island, is home to a large colony of American WhitePelicans and is highly restricted for ecological reasons. Major fish speciesinclude the cui-ui lakesucker, the Tui chub and Lahontan cutthroat trout. Theworld record cutthroat trout was caught in Pyramid Lake.

The Paiute Indian tribe were the first inhabitants of this area, and thelake is now completely within the Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation. PyramidLake is also a part of the National Scenic Byways Program, and the onlybyway in the country that is entirely within a tribal reservation.

Visitors can learn more about the lake’s history and the Paiute Indian


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NEAR DAYTONFORT CHURCHILL

LAHONTAN STATERECREATION AREA

• From Lahontan State Recreation Area, head south toward E. Fir Street0.3 miles

• Take a slight right at E. Fir Street and go 1.6 miles• Turn left at CommerceWay / US 95 / US 95A N• Continue to follow US 95A N for 5.2 miles• Turn right at Fort Churchill Road and travel 0.8 miles• Take a slight left at Fort Churchill State Monument road and go 0.2 miles• There is a slight right to stay on Fort Churchill State Monument road,continue for 0.2 miles

• Fort Churchill State Historic Park will be on the right

To Mason ValleyWildlife Management Area• From Fort Churchill State Historic Park, head east on Fort Churchill StateMonument road for 0.4 miles.

• Take a slight right at Fort Churchill Road and travel 0.8 miles.• Turn right at CommerceWay / US 95 / US 95A N and continue to followUS 95 for 18.8 miles

• Turn left at Miller Lane and go 2.7 miles• Turn left at Lux Lane and go 167 feet to arrive at Mason ValleyWildlifeManagement Area

Return to Dayton• FromMason ValleyWildlife Management, head 167 feet southwest onLux Lane to Miller Lane

• Turn right at Miller Lane and travel 2.7 miles• Turn right at US 95 / US 95A N and continue to follow US 95 for 26.9 miles• Turn left at US 50 and go 23.8 miles until you arrive in Dayton

DescriptionLahontan Dam and reservoir are part of the Newlands Project, one of the firstirrigation projects following passage of the Reclamation Act of June 17, 1902.The project diverts and stores water from the Truckee and Carson River Basinsto irrigate lands near Fallon and it also produces hydroelectric power. Thereservoir was named after the Ancient Lake Lahontan that covered over 8,500square miles of the western Great Basin during the Ice Age. The lake featuresboat ramps, wide sunny beaches, and fishing. Wild horses, bobcat, coyote,fox and deer share the park with a variety of birds and migratory waterfowl.

Built in 1861, Fort Churchill was once an active U.S. Army fort thatprovided protection for early settlers. The Pony Express and the OverlandTelegraph also passed through this area. There are 4,461 acres to explore andit is one of seven national historic landmarks in the state of Nevada. A visitorcenter displays information and artifacts of the fort’s history. Nearby isBuckland Station, a Pony Express stop, supply center, and former hotel built in1870. Facilities at Fort Churchill State Historic Park include trails, acampground, picnic area, group-use area and access to the Carson River.

From desert shrublands to wet meadows, Mason Valley WildlifeManagement Area supports an abundance of fish and wildlife. Numerouswet meadows and ponds dot the landscape, attracting ducks, geese, swan,songbirds and wading birds. The deep waters of the North Pond reservoir arehome to fish, osprey and pelicans. The surrounding area and desert scrubgives shelter to many animals including raccoon and mule deer. There are sixbodies of water: Hinkson Slough, North Pond, Bass Pond, Crappie Pond andWalker River. Camping sites are also available with campfire pits.



The Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge and StillwaterWildlife Management Area Tour

This tour highlights the Stillwater NationalWildlife Refuge andStillwaterWildlifeManagement Area.

Distance and Road ConditionsFrom downtown Fallon, the tour is around 30miles round trip to the entrance,and the total distance is dependent on the routes taken. The trip time is aboutone hour plus time spent at each stop. The tour is mostly on paved roads andany gravel roads are well maintained.

DirectionsTo Stillwater NationalWildlife Refuge and StillwaterWildlife Management Area

• Begin the tour from downtown Fallon• Take US 50 west for 4.7 miles• Turn left on NV 116 / Stillwater Road• Travel 8.3 miles to Stillwater

Return to Fallon• Travel 8.3 miles from Stillwater.• Turn right on NV 116 / Stillwater Road• Take US 50 west for 4.7 miles to Fallon

DescriptionThe Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge wetlands are well-known to birders,as this area has been designated a site of international importance by theWestern Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve Network because of the hundreds ofthousands of shorebirds that pass through during migration. Also listed as a“Globally Important Bird Area” by the American Bird Conservancy, more than280 species have been sighted in the area. These diverse wetlands attractmore than a quarter million waterfowl, as well as over 20,000 other waterbirds. The diverse habitats of Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge offer avariety of bird watching and wildlife observation. There is a new tour loop,interpretive and orientation signs as well as a number of comfort stations.

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The Grimes Point Petroglyph Trail and Hidden Cave TourThis tour highlights the Grimes Point Petroglyph Trail andHidden Cave areas.

Distance and Road ConditionsFrom downtown Fallon, the tour is around 22miles round trip and thetotal time is about a 1/2 hour plus time spent at each stop. The tour is mostlyon paved roads and any gravel roads are well maintained.

DirectionsTo Grimes Point Petroglyph Trail

• Take US 50 east for 10.9 miles• Turn at the Grimes Point Petroglyph Trail entrance on the left side of

the highwayTo Hidden CaveHidden Cave is closed to the public except on the second and fourth Saturday of everymonth when the BLM offers FREE tours to the public that begin at the Churchill CountyMuseum at 9 a.m.with an historical overview, then a caravan out to the cave.

• From Grimes Point Petroglyph Trail entrance, travel northeast down thegravel road for about 1.2 miles

• The trail to Hidden Cave will be on the left

Return to Fallon• Travel 1.2 miles back to US 50• Take US 50 west for 10.9 miles to Fallon

DescriptionAmerican Indians first visited Grimes Point over 8,000 years ago. Today,archaeologists studying Grimes Point examine the clues left by those earlyvisitors including pieces of bone, discarded shells, stone scrapers, bits of tulematting, or the many petroglyphs (rock art) that can be seen along the trail.The Grimes Point Archaeological Area contains two interpretive trails. ThePetroglyph Trail is a short trail through a boulder field. The longer Hidden CaveTrail provides access to petroglyphs, rock shelters, and geological features.A Grimes Point Petroglyph Trail brochure is available to guide hikers anddescribes each stop. There is also a handicap-accessible restroom and picnicfacilities at the site.

The Sand Mountain Recreation Area/Sand Springs Pony ExpressStation/Desert Wildlife Study Area Tour

This tour highlights the Sand Springs Pony Express Station/DesertWildlife Study Area at the entrance to SandMountain RecreationArea, and then continues to SandMountain.

Distance and Road ConditionsFrom downtown Fallon, the tour is around 55.6 miles round trip and the totaltime is about one hour and ten minutes plus time spent at each stop. The touris mostly on paved roads and any gravel roads are well maintained.

DirectionsTo Sand Springs Pony Express Station/DesertWildlife Study

• Take US 50 east for 27.8 miles• Turn at the Sand Mountain entrance on the left side of the highway• The Sand Springs Pony Express Station/Desert Wildlife Study area is

on the left

To Sand Mountain Recreation Area• From Sand Springs Pony Express Station/Desert Wildlife Study, travel

northeast about 2.2 miles down the sand/gravel road• Arrive at camping area

Return to Fallon• Travel 2.2 miles back to US 50• Take US 50 west for 27.8 miles to Fallon

DescriptionSand Mountain Managed by the U. S. Department of the Interior, Bureau ofLand Management (BLM), the sand dunes of this 4,795-acre recreation areaprovide challenge and excitement for off-highway vehicle riders, hikers andsandboarders. There is a designated dry-camping area near the base of SandMountain. Two new vault toilets are provided, however, visitors should bringplenty of water for drinking and washing since none is available at the site.Campfires are permitted, but wood is not available.

Sand Springs Pony Express Station/Sand Springs Desert Study AreaIn 1860, Sand Springs was described by British explorer Sir Richard Burton asfollows: “. . . the land is cumbered here and there with drifted ridges of thefinest sand, sometimes 200 feet high and shifting before every gale . . . waternear this vile hold was thick and stale with sulphury salts: it blistered even thehands.” Today, visitors will find well-preserved walls from the stone stationthat once provided a refuge (although it was an extremely dismal one.)The fenced 40-acre area preserves a remnant of the land the way it wasduring the Pony Express days. There is a 1/2 mile interpretive loop trail thatwinds through the study area with a dozen signs that provide information onwildlife, plants, history, and geology.


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Today the Overland serves great Basque food, the hotel rooms have beenremodeled, and the bar is an eclectic mix of the Old West and farm lore.

From the Overland, the tour continues to Lattin Farms, one of the firstagri-tourism businesses in the state. Lattin Farms features a five-acre cornmaze, roadside fruit and vegetable stand, bakery, critterville, and pick-your-own fruits and vegetables. In the fall, it’s home to Harvest Days and ascarecrow factory. Sheckler Road passes through some of the bucolic sceneryin Fallon that typifies the area’s history of farm settlements and its agriculturalindustry.

From Lattin Farms continue to Soda Lake, an area that produced muchprized soda in the late 1800s. Today the soda mills and operations are nowsubmerged and underwater divers often explore their remains. The site is alsoa great birding area during the spring and fall.

From Soda Lake Road, head west to Pioneer Road. The intersection ofPioneer Road and the Reno Highway (Highway 50 West) is Ragtown, a stopalong the Carson River where exhausted emigrants rested after crossing thedreaded “40 Mile Desert” during the California gold rush and the migrationwest. From here, the emigrants continued west on Pioneer Road. You candrive the road through some of the early farms to Diversion Dam thatredirected water from the Carson River to the farms and ranches of theNewlands Project. The project began under President Teddy Roosevelt in1902 with the Reclamation Act, the first in the United States.

The Reese River Valley, Big Smoky Valley Loop TourThis tour highlights the Reese River Valley, ToiyabeMountain Range,Arc DomeWilderness Area, Big Creek Canyon, and Kingston.

Distance and Road ConditionsThis tour is approximately 60 miles and requires about 6 hours, depending onhowmuch time is spent at each stop. Dirt roads are in good condition withseveral steep grades. RVs and trailers are not advised and please use cautionduring rain or snow.



The Overland Loop TourThis tour highlights the OverlandHotel on the old Lincoln Highway,Lattin Farms, Soda Lakes, and Pioneer Trail.

Distance and Road ConditionsFrom downtown Fallon, the tour is 33 miles round trip. The total trip timedepends on how long you stay at each stop. The tour is mostly on pavedroads, and any gravel roads are well maintained.

Directions• Begin the tour at Williams Avenue and Maine Street• Go 0.1 mile south to Center Street, then travel 0.1 mile east to the

Overland Hotel• Go 0.1 mile west back to Maine Street, then go 1.0 mile south on

Maine Street to Wildes Road / Sheckler Road• Turn right and head west until you cross US 95 onto Sheckler Road• Travel west 2.8 miles to McLean and turn right to Lattin Farms• Go 2.0 miles northwest on McLean to US 50 (Reno Highway)• Go west 0.15 miles to Soda Lake Road• Go north 2.0 miles on Soda Lake Road• Turn left at the Soda Lake sign and go 0.9 miles to dirt road on the right

north of the road. Go up dirt road to Soda Lake• Reverse and go 2.9 miles back to the Reno Highway• Go west 3.7 miles to Pioneer Road• Go south 4.5 miles on Pioneer Road to the Diversion Dam• Reverse and go 4.5 miles north back to the Reno Highway• Downtown Fallon is 8.0 miles east on the Reno Highway

DescriptionFallon’s historic Overland Hotel was built in 1908 alongside the old LincolnHighway that jogged through Fallon from Highway 50. Many United Statesdignitaries and entertainers of the time were visitors of this establishment.

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NEAR AUSTINThe ReeseRiver Valley,Big SmokyValley LoopTour

Description and DirectionsHighway 50 climbs to nearly 7,500 feet as it heads east over Austin summit.Down the other side, past the Toiyabe National Forest campground at BobScott Summit, the road descends into the largest of Central Nevada’s threegreat valleys. Big Smoky Valley was named by John Fremont for the hazecaused by its tremendous distances. Today’s miners and ranchers carry on thetraditions of the last hundred and twenty-five years. The methods may bedifferent, but the lifestyle is much the same. The people are hardy, and theland is challenging. You will find great fishing, hunting, ghost towns, hotsprings and, best of all, a glimpse of what Nevada used to be like. This issome of the most spectacular, unspoiled country remaining in the West.

From the north end of Smoky Valley, Pete’s Summit Road stretches in asoutheasterly direction. It leaves Highway 376, a few hundred yards south ofthe intersection with Highway 50. It sets out across the sagebrush and scrubin a straight line that takes explorers past Spencer Hot Springs 6 miles fromHighway 376. These soothing baths with their fantastic views have been alocal favorite for over a hundred years. From Spencer’s, in the shadow of theToquima Range, the 11,000-plus foot peaks of the Toiyabe Range rise in thewest and the Simpson Park Range lies to the north.

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Description and DirectionsReese River Valley stretches north and south along the course of Nevada’ssecond longest river. The Reese River drains the backbone of Nevada, theToiyabe Mountains, which rise to almost 12,000 feet—some 6,000 feetabove the highest desert valley floor below. While the Reese River may notlook like much to the casual observer, high in the mountains the Reese and itstributary creeks offer some of the greatest stream fishing in the state.

Mark Twain thought so much of it that he spent part of a day jumpingacross it, and then tried to drink it dry. As you can see, he almost succeeded.Near the head of Reese River lies the Arc Dome Wilderness Area, as good aplace as you’ll find for true backcountry hiking and fishing in some of the mostunspoiled, uncrowded country in the West.

South of Austin, on a dirt road that takes off from the Chevron station atthe west end of town, Stokes Castle overlooks Reese River Valley. Built byAnson P. Stokes, a railroad man and mining investor, it was only inhabited forpart of a season, and now serves as a silent reminder of a more optimistictime.

In Reese River Valley, a well-maintained dirt road leaves Highway 50about a mile west of town. It snakes along the edge of the mountains to BigCreek Canyon, and proceeds east over a 8,350 foot summit into KingstonCanyon. This is some of Nevada’s most spectacular mountain country. BigCreek boasts a comfortable Toiyabe National Forest campground and offersfishing, hunting, hiking and the chance to see working sheepherders tendingtheir flocks. The campground is a great place to picnic before pressing ontoward the summit and Kingston Canyon. At the summit, Bunker Hill, to thenortheast, (11,500 feet) overlooks the road through Kingston Canyon as itmeanders along one of the best trout streams in the West. Be careful here, asthe switchbacks can be hard on radiators going up and hard on brakes goingdown. Over the summit in Kingston Canyon, you will find great lake fishing atGroves Lake. Further down the canyon, Kingston Meadow offers fly fishermentop rate waters to test the skills of the most avid casters. Below, the steepmountain walls widen to accommodate a fine Toiyabe National Forestcampground.

The flourishing resort-retirement community of Kingston was once athriving boomtown of hundreds. The old mill building still stands precariouslyat the mouth of the canyon. You may have to use your imagination to visualizethe hillsides teeming with activity. Turn north (left) at the highway and returnto Austin (29 miles via SR 376 and US 50).

The Toquima Cave, Northumberland Natural History Loop TourThis tour highlights the Spencer Hot Springs, Pete’s Summit, ToquimaCave,Monitor Valley, Northumberland Cave, NorthumberlandGoldMine, andBig Smoky Valley.

Distance and Road ConditionsThis tour is approximately 100 miles and requires about 6-8 hours, dependingon howmuch time is spent at each stop. Dirt roads are in good condition withseveral steep grades. RVs and trailers are not advised and please use cautionduring rain or snow.

NEAR AUSTIN

SPENCERHOT SPRINGS

The ToquimaCave,NorthumberlandNatural HistoryLoop Tour



Pete’s Summit Road is the gateway to Monitor Valley from northernSmoky Valley. At the 7,000-plus foot summit, Toquima Cave lies in silence atthe end of an easy footpath, about a quarter mile from the picnic area. Thepaintings at the cave mouth were made by the ancient Shoshone Indians. Theview south across the canyon, and east toward Monitor Valley, is confirmationthat you are one of the few souls prowling these piñon-covered hills.

The road winds gently eastward, down through Sam’s Canyon toMonitor Valley. At the bottom, the road passes through the yard of theMonitor Ranch. Notice the mud and the willow ranch buildings. They haveseen the comings and goings of horse-drawn wagons and modern 4-wheeldrive recreational vehicles. They stand as a monument to the determination ofthe stubborn settlers of this part of Nevada. Stoneberger Basin in the ToquimaRange and the vast Table Mountain Wilderness of the Monitor Range, arefavorite hunting areas for deer, elk and game birds.

To the left (east) about 12 miles past the ranch, you will see a whitedome-shaped formation surrounded by meadow. This is Diana’s Punch Bowl.Turn left on the dirt road and go through (and close) the gate to get to thispuzzling geological attraction.Caution: There is no fence around thebowl.Watch the children. The beautifully eroded south base of thedome is fascinating for kids to explore. The hot creeks offer manypleasant little pools to soak in.

Eleven miles from Diana’s Punch Bowl turn west to re-enter theToquimas via Northumberland Canyon. The road follows the dry canyon pastthe remains of a recent mining camp at the mouth of the canyon, up toNorthumberland Cave, a true limestone cavern with large rooms andimpressive formations.Caution: Enter at your own risk. This is seriousspelunking. Be sure to have proper equipment (ropes, lights, etc.)before you take this one on. The entrance is located in a draw on thewest side of the roadwhere the remains of an oldmining flume skirtsthe hillside. Be careful. One of the toughest aspects of exploring thiscave is getting to it. The hillside is steep and the rock is loose.

From Northumberland Cave follow the road to the top of the canyon asit winds above the open pit gold mine at the summit. This is one of the bestviews of open pit mining in the state.

Northumberland Canyon leaves its summit and winds downhill to thewest back into Big Smoky Valley. The spectacular formations may bring Utahand New Mexico to mind. Towering columns of rock rise on both sides of theroad and form stark turrets that overlook the dry canyon below. In thebackground to the northeast is Wildcat Peak.

As the road re-enters Big Smoky Valley, it snakes through the alkali andshadscale past the long-abandoned site of a salt recovery station (watch forstone ruins which have been almost erased by the playa). Up until the pastfew years this area, like Monitor and Reese River Valleys, was part of one ofthe largest remaining areas of the United States that was not served bycommercial electrification. Despite Smoky Valley’s primitive beauty, travelerswill find all modern conveniences. There is a gas station and small store justsouth of the junction with Highway 376.

Turn north (right) at the highway and return to Austin (40 miles via SR376 and US 50).

The Ward Charcoal Ovens and Cave Lake TourThis tour highlights theWard Charcoal Ovens and Cave LakeState Park.

Distance and Road ConditionsFrom downtown Ely, the tour is around 50.8 miles round trip. The total triptime is about one hour, forty-five minutes plus time spent at each stop.The tour is mostly on paved roads, and any gravel roads are well maintained.

DirectionsTo theWard Charcoal Ovens

• From Ely, travel south on US 50 / US 93 for about 13.2 miles• Turn right at County Road 16 and go 5.0 miles• Make a left at Cave Valley Road / County Road 45 and go 1.0 mile• Turn right and go 0.4 miles. The Ward Charcoal Ovens will be on the left

To Cave Lake State Park• From the Ward Charcoal Ovens, head east 0.4 miles toward Cave Valley

Road / County Road• Turn left at Cave Valley Road / County Road 45 and travel 1.0 mile• Make a right at County Road 16 and go 5.0 miles• Turn left at US 50 / US 6 / US 93 and go 5.6 miles• Turn right at NV 486 / Steptoe Creek Road• Continue to follow NV 486 for 5.2 miles and Cave Lake State Park will be

on the right

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The WardCharcoal Ovensand Cave LakeTour

WARD CHARCOAL OVENS

• The Great Basin National Park Visitors Center will be on the right side

To Lehman Caves• From the Great Basin National Park Visitors Center, take NV 487

towards Baker• Turn right at Great Basin National Park / NV 488• Travel 5.5 miles to Lehman Caves Visitors Center

To Baker Archaeological Site• From Lehman Caves, travel 5.5 miles to NV 487• Turn left on NV 488, and then go past the Great Basin National Park

Visitors Center approximately one mile. Turn right at the Arch Site sign.Travel about 1/2 mile, turn right on gravel road, travel approximately onemile to the site

• The Baker Archaeological Site will be on the right

DescriptionFrom the deep caverns of Lehman Caves to the 13,063 foot summit ofWheeler Peak, Great Basin National Park offers many sites to see. WheelerPeak is the second highest peak in the state of Nevada and stands at 7,563feet in elevation. Surrounding it are streams, lakes, alpine plants, anabundance of wildlife, and a variety of forest types. The park features grovesof ancient bristlecone pines and numerous limestone caverns. There arepicnicking and camping facilities and nighttime offers some of the beststargazing in the West.

Lehman Caves is a beautiful limestone cave with intriguing, unusualformations. It is decorated with stalactites, stalagmites, helictites, flowstone,popcorn, and other formations that cover almost every surface of the cave.Tours are held yearlong, and the park has four developed campgrounds thatcan accommodate campers.

The Baker Archeological Site was excavated and studied from 1991 to1994. This village was recognized as belonging to the Fremonts, a culturewhose many sites were found along the Fremont River in Utah. After theexcavations were completed, the site was reburied with the same dirt thatwas removed during excavation, a necessary step to preserve the featuresthat remain for possible future studies. Brochures and an information kioskare located at the parking area. A restroom, picnic tables, and a sun shelterare available for day use.

Return to Ely• From Cave Lake State Park, head west on NV 486 for 5.2 miles• Turn right at US 50 / US 6 / US 93 and continue to follow US 50 / US 93 for

7.6 miles until you arrive in Ely

DescriptionIn 1876, Ward was the largest town in White Pine County with a populationof 1,500. The charcoal ovens were built to supply high quality charcoal for thesilver smelters at Ward. Constructed by Swiss-Italian charcoal workers called“Carbonari,” the beehive-shaped ovens were designed as an alternative tothe open-pit system that originated in Italy. Today, the Ward Charcoal Ovensare listed on the Register of Historic Places.

Cave Lake State Park is open year round and the 32-acre reservoirwithin the park is popular for trout fishing, crawdadding, boating, hiking,picnicking and camping. Perched in the middle of the Schell Creek Range,adjacent to the Humboldt National Forest at an elevation of 7,300 feet, thepark offers outstanding scenic views and opportunities for nature study andphotography. Facilities include campgrounds, picnic areas, hiking trails and aboat launch. Winter sports such as ice fishing, cross-country skiing and ice-skating are also available. Snow sculpting is becoming a popular activity, andthe White Pine Fire and Ice Show is the premier winter event in the area. Thepark has two campgrounds, Elk Flat Campground and Lake View Campground.

The Great Basin TourThis tour highlights Great BasinNational Park, LehmanCaves,andBaker Archaeological Site.

Distance and Road ConditionsFrom downtown Ely, the tour is around 138miles round trip. The total triptime is about 2.5 hours plus time spent at each stop. The tour is mostly onpaved roads, and any gravel roads are well maintained.

DirectionsTo Great Basin National Park Visitors Center

• From Ely take Great Basin Boulevard / US 50 / US 93 south• Continue to follow US 50 for 56.2 miles• Take a right at NV 487 and continue for about 5 miles


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ou really haven’t seenAmerica until you’ve traveledHighway 50. Twenty years ago, Life magazine

dubbed this highway, which follows the original PonyExpress Trail through central Nevada, the “Loneliest Road inAmerica.” It’s just you and the road. History, adventure andintrigue. Do you have what it takes?

Request your “Highway 50 Survival Kit” by visitingPonyExpressNevada.com. The kit contains brochures andmaps that detail places along the route.Also included is aspecial Highway 50 passport that travelers can havevalidated in the five largest communities (Ely, Eureka,Austin, Fallon and Fernley). Validated maps can beredeemed for a Highway 50 pin, postcard, and a “SilverState Survivor” certificate signed by the governor.

YPHOTOCREDITS

City of Fernley, Fernley Chamber of Commerce, Rick NortonPhotography,MorganH.Webber,ComstockHistoricalDistrict,RayWalmsley Collection, LauraTennant Collection, Nevada HistoricalSociety,Historical Society of DaytonValley, Fallon Convention andTourism Authority, The Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce,Eureka Sentinel Museum,White Pine Historical Society,“ImagineThat”PamMartin, Nevada Commission onTourism, Bruce Rettig,ChrisTalbot

Wewish to acknowledge the generous supportof the Nevada Commission onTourismTravelNevada.com (800) NEVADA-8

WA L K I N G A N D D R I V I N G T O U R S W

pony express territory walking & driving tour brochure

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