Day 5 - Jackpot to Ely, Nevada
Only one highway today - US 93 (Great Basin Highway) through Wells, State Hwy 486 (Success Loop Scenic Drive) to US 50, and west Ely. We want to stop in Ely and do the train ride so today was short on miles and high on tourism. Google Map
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| Wells Nevada c1950 |
Wells, Nevada
Wells (originally Humboldt Wells), population 1,292, began as a stop along the California Trail. With the arrival of the railroad, Wells became a stopover for passenger trains.
By 1873, the community had grown to a population of around three hundred. Unlike many mining towns in the area, Wells was never a boom town nor did it die a quick death.
Trail of the 49ers Interpretive Center - Wells, Nevada
We took in a tour at the The Trail of the 49ers Interpretive Center. It tells the story of the California Trail as it passes through Elko County. The Trail Center also houses the Wells Chamber of Commerce and it Visitors Center. We browsed through the gift shop before heading out again.
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| Currie Hotel c1910 |
Currie, Nevada
Currie was established in 1885. With a population of 20, it is now considered a ghost town. The major portion of the town is privately owned.
Discovery of copper in the neighboring town of Ely prompted the building of a railroad from Ely to Cobre. Currie is midpoint between the two towns. On March 22, 1906, the first passenger train ran from Cobre to Currie.
Stage Stop - Lages Station - Hwy 93 Nevada
Lages Station is a ghost town in White Pine County. As of 2007, the town's only remaining inhabitants were a single family, running the town's only operating business - a pool hall, liquor outlet, grocery and diner all wrapped up in the gas station.
Schellbourne, Nevada (Rest Stop) Hwy 93 Nevada
Schellbourne was once a Shoshone Indian village. It became an Overland Stage and Mail stop in 1859, and a Pony Express station in 1860. The Overland Telegraph came through in 1861. In the 1870s, Schellbourne became a mining town, with about 500 inhabitants. The Schellbourne post office was in operation from December 1871 until October 1925.
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| Pony Express (2010) |
Schell Creek Pony Express Swing Station #128
A rider did not carry the mail for more than 75 miles. Swing stations were established along the way. At the swing station, a rider dismounted and quickly mounted a fresh horse.
The exchanges were quick - never lasting more than two minutes - just long enough for the rider to take a quick drink and swing the mochila over the saddle of his new horse. The Pony Express - Historical Marker Data Base
Success Loop Scenic Drive - State Hwy 486 Nevada
Well it was bound to happen. Only Karen could find a road to twist, turn and bump over in the middle of a desert - and it doesn't matter whether it's paved or not. The Success Loop has some paved, some gravel, and some dirt - just her kind of road.
Five miles north of McGill came the words "turn left here - right here - now". Success Loop Scenic Drive runs through the spectacularly scenic Schell Creek Range with views of the Steptoe Valley. It winds its way through the remarkable high desert landscapes of the Great Basin, between groves of aspen trees, and over the Success Summit at an elevation of 9,363 feet.
The road then descends rather steeply for a few miles down from the pass, before leveling out as it follows Steptoe Creek. It converts back to a paved road as it passes by Cave Lake State Park. The reservoir at Cave Lake was originally built to serve the Civilian Conservation Corps, who were working in the area during the 1930s.
Researching information about the road I found warnings like "stay away if you don't like heights", "wet conditions make tough driving along the muddy road", "avoid if unpaved mountain roads are not your bag" and "travel by the Dirt Road Code". Did we balk at the idea of heading into the unknown? Not at all. One website said "make sure to get a BLM Map". Well, of course, we just happen to have one. Virtually, anything is possible
Ely, Nevada
Ely, population 4,000, was founded as a stagecoach station along the Pony Express and Central Overland Route. In 1906 copper was discovered and Ely became a mining town - suffering the same boom to bust cycles of most mining towns.
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| Ely Business District c1880 |
Following the copper market crash in the mid 1970s, Kennecott shut down and copper mining disappeared. Due to the recent increase in demand for copper, Ely is once again a copper boom town.
Hotel Nevada
Ely is one of our favourite places to stop. For years we have taken a short break to eat at the historic Hotel Nevada and today is no different. But, after all these years of visiting Ely, we are finally going to do those "we should do that some day" tourist attractions. But not before we hit the Hotel Nevada to eat.
The historic six-story Hotel Nevada in downtown Ely opened in July 7, 1929 during the Prohibition Era. It was the tallest building in Nevada until 1931 when a hotel in Reno overtook it. However, it is still the tallest building in Ely. Hotel Nevada was also the state's first fire-proof building. Live gambling was added in 1931 when the State legalized it. Hotel Nevada is still a popular lodging, dining, gaming, and tourist stop.
Nevada Northern Railway Museum
The first stop on our "Ely tourist tour" was the Nevada Northern Railway Museum. The railway arrived in 1906 establishing connections to the mines. The Nevada Northern Railway Museum is operated by a historic foundation dedicated to the preservation of the Nevada Northern Railway.
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| Locomotives 40 and 93 at East Ely Depot |
The Nevada Northern Railway East Ely Yards and Shops was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on July 29, 1993 as #93000693. The East Ely Depot was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on April 12, 1984 as #84002082.
Wild West Limited Train Ride
Now for the main event on our "Ely Tourist Tour". We booked ourselves on the Wild West tour - a trip back in time aboard a working century-old steam train.
Advertising that there will be cowboys, horses, outlaws, and inlaws, we figured this was just what we needed for the next couple of hours. The promise of horse-thieving robbers holding up the trains give us a glimpse into all the exciting things we will experience "virtually". Nevada Northern Railway Train Rides
 Post Note - Day Five:
My original plan was to finish the whole virtual trip before letting Karen know what I've been doing. Now, reaching Ely, I decided it was time to involve her. I'm having so much fun with it, I just had to share. I sent Karen an email inviting her to join me.
"You might want to travel along with me on our imaginary trip. We are on day 5 and just went over the Success Summit and have taken a train ride from Ely, complete with cowboys robbing the train. I'm having a ball. Most of the virtual trip is about history. So I don't steal anyone's photos, I'm digging around the historical photos. Man there is a lot of history along the way. No doubt this virtual trip is the longest and most extensive trip we've been on."
Needless to say that piqued her curiosity. She hopped on board, assumed her role as "navigational director", and promptly found some interesting forestry roads she wants to see. So the decision was made to spend two nights in Torrey and check out those roads - but only if we can stay at the Chuckwagon Motel - in a cabin. Well, of course. It didn't take her long to get into "virtual trip mode".
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