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GBC Scrapbooks Collection
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Scrapbooks of GBC, NNCC, and ECC history.
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Scans of the scrapbooks maintained by the library since the late 1960s detailing the history of and events at Elko Community College, Northeastern Nevada Community College, and Great Basin College.
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GBC Library
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Great Basin College
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1966-Present
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Christina Park, Eric Walsh, and Geneva Blackmer / GBC Library
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GBC Scrapbooks 1967-1968
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Great Basin College
Description
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Collection of newspaper articles that were written during the year 1967-1968. These articles timeline the events that occurred at Great Basin College (Elko Community College) in 1967-1968.
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Elko Daily Free Press, etc.
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GBC Library Archives
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1967-1968
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Christina Park, Eric Walsh, Geneva Blackmer / GBC Library
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Scrapbook
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English
Elko
Elko Community College
Elko Daily Free Press
GBC
GBC Library
Great Basin College
Great Basin College Library
Nevada
Scrapbook
-
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Carrie
Dann
Great
Basin
Indian
Archive
GBIA
019
Oral
History
Interview
by
Norm
Cavanaugh
July
17,
2008
Lee,
NV
Indigenous
Environmental
Network
(IEN)
Conference
Great
Basin
College
•
Great
Basin
Indian
Archives
1500
College
Parkway
Elko,
Nevada
89801
hBp://www.gbcnv.edu/gbia/
775.738.8493
Produced
in
partnership
with
Barrick
Gold
of
North
America
�GBIA 019
Interviewee: Carrie Dann
Interviewer: Norm Cavanaugh
Date: July 17, 2008
D:
Well, first of all, I want to comment on the—I forgot something that I should do, always
should. [Prayer in Shoshone begins at 0:59, concludes at 1:12]. Now we’ll start.
Raymond talked about the different things, and he talked about the ICC, the Indian
Claims Commission. The way I look at the Indian Claims Commission, it was a law that
was written by the attorneys, who eventually collected ten percent of so-called, their final
decision as to how our lands was taken. We paid them to destroy us as a nation, or selling
our land to United States of America. Who are they anyway? They’re bunch of attorneys
who’s out there, that were just, to get money for themselves. It wasn’t actually to
represent the Shoshone people. I went to some of their meetings that they held in the Elko
area. And I can tell you, from my own hearing and my own sight, how they lied to the
Western Shoshone people. And I use the word “lie” because they sort of did lie. They
told the Western Shoshone people the treaty was a treaty of cession, which is all bullshit
as far as I’m concerned. [Applause] And, they told us that if we didn’t accept that money,
Congress don’t have to pay us one penny. Which is a threat to the Western Shoshone
people. And I look at these things, and I see some of the things they have said to us,
which I think is, you know, it’s total lies. If they, as our representatives, are representing
the Western Shoshone people, they should protect our rights instead of giving it away.
Which they didn’t do. Then you also had the people from the Secretary of the Interior’s
office. Maybe BIA. And which is supposed to be—they claim to be our trustee. I don’t
think they’re the trustees, because any time you have a trustee destroying you, destroying
your rights, that is not a trustee. I can’t claim them as a trustee, and nobody should.
Unless they start sticking up for you. Today, in today’s world, what do we see? They as a
�GBIA
019;
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trustee should see that all your health rights, your right to health should be protected. But
no, every year they cut the Shoshone people down on their right to health. As a trustee,
they’re not supposed to do that. They’re supposed to protect these rights for you. And
then, of course, under this thing, we also have the Bureau of Land Management. The
Bureau of Land Management is under the Department of Interior, who, again, is our
trustee. Head trustee. The Bureau of Land Management brought a lawsuit against Mary
and myself simply because we were out there using Western Shoshone lands. They have
never proven to us, it has never been into the court systems of the United States—
however, I don’t believe in U.S. court system—but they have never proven in court how
Western Shoshone lands were taken. Is “gradual encroachment” laws of United States? Is
it a law of United States? And if it is a law of United States, where can we find it? Is it
documented somewhere? Or is it one of the racist laws that we have seen so many times
in the Indian country? It’s made just for Indian people; to encroach upon your rights is
taking away these rights. However, the Constitution of the United States also says that
only United States can take land. Under the ICC ruling, it says our land was taken by
white settlers and others. It did not mention United States. So, who are the others? Is the
others United States? There’s two things wrong. First of all, gradual encroachment, I
don’t believe is a law of United States of America. And Raymond said, you know, United
States follow the rule of laws. Where is the rule of law that was taken? Where is the
trustee that’s supposed to take care of your rights for us, to look up our rights, called the
Department of Interior? Where is it? It’s not there. Department of Interior brought a
lawsuit against Mary and myself. And which, you know, we’ve done really good—I
thought, you know—as far as courtwise, we’re doing good. We won mostly of what we
�GBIA
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were standing for. We were actually to see who and how Western Shoshone land title was
taken. And in the appeals court, the 9th Circuit Appeals in San Fransisco, they always
ruled in our favor. Am I right, Julie? But when we went to the Supreme Court, by that
time, the trustee, supposedly, accepted 26 million dollars for Western Shoshone lands.
Our trustee, now. We were going through this lawsuit. In the ICC proceedings, it also
says that there’s a bar action—which we never, reason why we never finished what we
were doing, in the U.S. v. Dann, is because of the bar action. They barred us from the
court system of United States. We never got to ask, how did Western Shoshone lands was
taken by United States. Not by gradual encroachment, because gradual encroachment is
not the law. But how was it taken? Because the Secretary of Interior, as a trustee,
accepted that money for our lands, and it brought this bar. We could no longer address
the title issue. So one thing I can say, is that Western Shoshone land title has never been
argued before any court system of United States of America. Any court system. Never
been argued before any court system. And when, you know, they treat us like trash.
Worse than trash. I look at it as trash, what they have done to us is total trash. And then
again, we have our own people. I have problem with some of our own people. I know
they have problem with me. So, what’s the difference? But anyway, I look at the land
value of 26 million dollars. The biggest land theft in United States history in, let’s see, it
was accepted by the president in two thousand—president of United States—by 2004? I
mean, that’s a land theft. Twenty-six million dollars! We look at the gold mines that’s out
there. We know there’s gold mines out there. We know there’s petroleum out there.
These are Western Shoshone resources. But they can never address that question. You
know, how was Western Shoshone lands taken? Give us documentation! You think they
�GBIA
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will give us a documentation how Western Shoshone lands were taken? No way. Why?
Maybe because we’re not demanding enough. Maybe because we’re all splintered, all this
way and that way. But, those are our resources. And what do we see today? We see the
Water Grab from the Las Vegas area. We also see mining, which is pumping the water,
destroying life. Because water is life. In traditional Western Shoshone way, water is life.
And when these mining companies are pumping from anywhere from 20- to 70,000
gallons of water per minute, that’s destroying life. And I think that’s wrong. And
contaminating many springs. Right now, I heard somebody say this morning that there’s
mercury contamination, and that you can only eat one fish a month. That’s destroying
life. Mercury contamination is destroying life as well. We also have other
contaminations. We have the nuclear tests down in southern Nevada, we have now the
nuclear dump, which I think they want to push through. But we got to get our own people
against that, so we can stand straight and tall against the nuclear waste. They’re talking
about the nuclear train that’s going to carry the nuclear waste to down to Yucca
Mountain—I guess, if it’s ever approved. But anybody that’s been down to Yucca
Mountain, they should see that there’s lot of seismic activity that goes on down there. We
don’t have to be a scientist to see that, because you can see the ruggedness of the
mountains. We can also see the ashes of volcanic eruptions in that area. I mean, there’s a
lot of things that we can see. There’s lot of things that’s happening in the Shoshone
country. We have gold mines destroying our waters. We have gold mines that is polluting
our air with mercury and other contaminants. You know, when I look at these things, and
I look at the four of the most sacred things: the land, is being destroyed; the air, is being
polluted; the water, is being contaminated, polluted; and then we have the beautiful sun,
�GBIA
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which we would—you know, this morning, those of us that stood in the circle. They
claim now that sun, through its ultraviolet rays, or whatever they call it, is giving our
people, many people, cancer. Why? Is it because of the contaminants that’s up high that
we can’t see? I believe that’s what it is. Because the sun itself is life. We’re doing all of
these things to further the end of the human race. Not only the human race, but all life on
this earth. That is what’s happening today. We see that. They call it “global warming.”
We’re losing the species of animals up in the north and south, at the poles. Why? Is it
because of human activities? I often wonder if it’s because of human activities. Well, I’ll
tell you one thing. My personal opinion—now, I want you to remember, this is my
personal opinion. Those that walk on two legs, which we call ourselves “humans”—
whether they’re black, pink, polka-dotted, red, yellow—we all contribute to what’s
happening. America has what you call speed limit. Going up and down the byways, the
interstates, whatever, highways or whatever roads there are. Each one of us want to get
there fast. Fast as you can. And now they’re talking about gasoline shortage. I wonder if
each and every one of us, our families that’s sitting over here, if they would reduce their
speed to less than 60 miles an hour, how much petroleum could be saved. I mean, it’s the
humans themselves, because they want to get from here to there. I go from our place to
Elko, as far as business. And I have noticed some people that’s traveling the freeway
have actually slowed down to some extent. And if we all slow down, we can save on
gasoline, probably the gasoline. I’m not just saying those people that’s here, but you
know, people across the nation. If they would slow down, there would be no such thing
as gasoline shortage. Because we would be saving gasoline every time we are traveling
slower. Including diesel. And we talk about air and water contamination and all of these
�GBIA
019;
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things. We talk about, some of us that fly on the airplanes, we see all of these crazy
things that’s happening at the airports. [Laughter] We were talking about these, and
things like that—but, if people would just slow down, they would save on petroleum
products. And if we are environmentalist, I think that’s where we should go. I think. I
don’t know. It’s hard to resist, because when you step on that gas pedal, or set your speed
limit, your foot gets heavy, pretty soon before you know it you’re traveling 80 miles an
hour, which, you know, it’s, we’re all guilty of that—including myself. But I try to,
between Crescent Valley and Elko, I try to set my speed limit between 55 and 65.
Shouldn’t be more than 65, because I have to pay for the gasoline. And it’s pretty damn
expensive. So, I have to look at two things: environmentally, it’s better for us to travel at
lower speed; financially, it’s even better for us because we burn less gasoline. So, I look
at all of these things. I want to tell the group that’s here, about a month ago, United States
sent a collection, a private collection agency after me. Suppose after Raymond and all of
us guys that supposedly owe United States money for trespassing. I’m worth now—I
don’t want to brag, this is nothing to brag about—I’m worth about six million dollars.
[Cheering and applause] I don’t think anybody can say their value, in six million dollars.
But I can proudly say that it is Western Shoshone land, it will always be Western
Shoshone lands, and as the people before us told us, it’s only you Indians yourself—
Western Shoshone people—that can destroy your own rights. The rights of the future
generations. Nobody else can do it. Not United States—Congress of the United States,
they can’t do it. But it’s up to the Indians of this area. If you’re ready to destroy your
rights—you can, I always look at it this way: You can destroy your own rights. But leave
the rights of the future generation. But when you destroy your rights, you’re also
�GBIA
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destroying the rights of the future generation. And as indigenous peoples, the most
important thing is our future generations. Our grandmother used to tell us, “This land
don’t belong to you, it belongs to the future. It belongs to the future that’s coming up.”
And we have a—those people that’s in leadership position, they have a duty to protect the
next seven generations and beyond. Are the leaders ready to do that? Are you committed
to that? If you’re not committed to do that, then I don’t think you’re much of a leader. I
really think you’re not much of a leader.
[End of recording]
�
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Western Shoshone Oral Histories
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral histories of Western Shoshone elders collected by the Great Basin Indian Archive.
Description
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Oral histories compiled
Creator
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Great Basin Indian Archive, in partnership with Barrick Gold of North America
Source
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GBIA Oral History Collections
Publisher
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Great Basin Indian Archive
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
2006-2015
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Interviewer
The person(s) performing the interview
Norm Cavanaugh
Interviewee
The person(s) being interviewed
Carrie Dann
Location
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South Fork Reservation, NV [Indigenous Environmental Network]
Original Format
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DVD and VOB format
Duration
Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.)
00:18:55
Transcription
Any written text transcribed from a sound
http://humanities.gbcnv.edu/omeka/admin/files/show/552
Dublin Core
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Carrie Dann IEN (Indigenous Environment Network) - Oral history (07/17/2008)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oral history by Carrie Dann, Western Shoshone from Crescent Valley, NV on 07/17/2008
Description
An account of the resource
<p>Carrie Dan is a Western Shoshone from Crescent Valley, NV. Carrie attended and spoke at the Indigenous Environmental Network (IEN) Conference in Lee, NV on May 8, 2006. She spoke about the Western Shoshone’s current position within the United States in relation to land claim rights. She also spoke about how the Shoshone trustees have not filled their obligations as trustees. She also describes how the Bureau of Land Management and the Department of Interior have “lied” to the Western Shoshone people which has caused undo harm. She ends by suggesting that tribal leadership protect Western Shoshone lands for future generations.</p>
Video pending <br /> <a title="Carrie Dann Oral History Transcript" href="/omeka/files/original/9836a159ff666904ec939e608d24a879.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read Carrie Dann Oral History Transcript [pdf file]</a>
Creator
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Great Basin Indian Archives
Source
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Great Basin Indian Archives - GBIA 019
Publisher
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Great Basin Indian Archives
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
07/17/2008 [17 July 2008]; 2008 July 17
Contributor
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Norm Cavanaugh [interviewer]; James Hedrick [GBIA/VHC]; University of Utah SYLAP [streaming video]; Great Basin College; BARRICK Gold of North America
Rights
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Non-commercial scholarly and educational use only. Not to be reproduced or published without express permission. All rights reserved. Great Basin Indian Archives © 2017.
Consent form on file (administrator access only):
Language
A language of the resource
English
Bureau of Land Management
Community
Crescent Valley
Crossroads
GBIA
Indian Claims Commission
Indigenous Environment Network
Lee
Nevada
Nevada Test Site
Shoshone
South Fork Reservation
Story
U.S. v. Dann
-
https://humanities.gbcnv.edu/omeka/files/original/b64290e28e996920ee26acffdb3c9f75.pdf
ed74cf7e3e23116580b4b0dc5fc2b7ab
Dublin Core
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Title
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"Wilkins, Nevada: A 20th Century Ghost Town"
Subject
The topic of the resource
A history of the small roadside community of Wilkins, Nevada in the twentieth century by Howard Hickson.
Description
An account of the resource
Wilkins, Nevada, was located about 25 miles north of Wells on U.S. 93. Build next to the Wine Cup Ranch, Wilkins was centered on the Thousand Springs Trading Post, built in 1947 and purchased in 1953 by a group headed by movie star Jimmy Stewart. Hickson's story focuses on John Moschetti, who managed the trading post and served as Wilkins' postmaster for the seventeen years a U.S. Post Office operated in the area.
Creator
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Howard Hickson
Source
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Howard Hickson's Histories archive at Great Basin College: <a title="Wilkins, Nevada history html page" href="http://www.gbcnv.edu/howh/Wilkins.html" target="_blank">http://www.gbcnv.edu/howh/Wilkins.html</a>
Publisher
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GBC Virtual Humanities Center
Contributor
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Scott A. Gavorsky [VHC]
Rights
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© Copyright 2010 by Howard Hickson
PDF Text
Text
Howard Hickson’s Histories
Wilkins, Nevada
A 20th Century Ghost Town
Wilkins looks like a war zone today. There is nothing there except burned ruins in the sagebrush.
It is a far cry from the vital days of the Thousand Springs Trading Post and its café, motel,
garage, bar, post office, store, living quarters and truck stop. John Moschetti was proud of the
place. He was the boss.
Can a wide spot on US93, 25 miles north of Wells, Nevada, with only a few people living there
be called a town? You bet it can. There was an official US Post Office there for almost seventeen
years. The place was named Wilkins for Russ Wilkins who, with partner Martin Wunderlich,
once owned the Utah Construction Company ranches in California, Idaho, Nevada and Utah, one
of the largest livestock businesses in the nation. Moschetti was Postmaster for the entire life of
post office – July, 1948 to April, 1963.
John moved from Colorado to northeast Nevada as secretary to Wilkins when the mighty UC
was subdivided into smaller outfits and sold.
�Howard Hickson’s Histories – “Wilkins, Nevada: A 20th Century Ghost Town”
Joe Lissolo, Bill “Wil” Moschetti, Lynn Moschetti, and Neva Lissolo.
The Lissolos were Marta (John’s wife) Moschetti’s parents. c. 1952.
Around 1947, a trading post was built on the highway near the Wine Cup Ranch where Wilkins
headquartered. By then all the other ranches had been sold and Wilkins said John could go back
to the Denver office or manage the new Thousand Springs Trading Post. Moschetti opted to take
over the roadside business on January 1, 1948, and stayed for 16 years.
Russ Wilkins died in 1952 at a young age. His family sold the ranch. In 1953 the Wine Cup and
trading post were sold to a group headed by movie star Jimmy Stewart. They owned the places
about four years.
Page 2 of 7
�Howard Hickson’s Histories – “Wilkins, Nevada: A 20th Century Ghost Town”
John Moschetti at the Thousand Springs Trading Post
Actor Jimmy Stewart, one-time owner of the Winecup, wrote John Moschetti a letter in 1957
praising him on the job he was doing at the trading post
Page 3 of 7
�Howard Hickson’s Histories – “Wilkins, Nevada: A 20th Century Ghost Town”
A café, bar, motel and garage were added. It was a successful operation. The owners and
Moschetti made money. Local businesses and residents bought fuel and supplies. Highway
traffic brought in a lot of business. There was a full time mechanic on duty while about twelve
other employees kept things running.
John Moschetti, center, bartending in the Wilkins bar.
B.H. Grube was the next owner. He thought there was oil on the Wine Cup and, for years,
ranching operations went down hill but the trading post continued to prosper and grow.
Moschetti recalls good times and somber events. In early 1949, there was a terrible snowstorm. It
snowed and snowed. Hard winds blew the white stuff into drifts that eventually closed the
highway. The highway department just couldn’t keep up with it and finally the roads were
closed. There were 20 to 30 travelers snowed in a Wilkins. At the time there was no café or
motel. People slept on the floor or in their cars while the trading post workers fed them a couple
of hot meals every day.
Page 4 of 7
�Howard Hickson’s Histories – “Wilkins, Nevada: A 20th Century Ghost Town”
They were trapped at Wilkins for four days before the highway department was able to open the
highway. The stranded travelers followed the plows to Wells. It had taken 20 hours to plow the
25 miles from Wilkins to Wells. The highway immediately drifted shut again and was blocked
for 17 days. The storm made national news.
One day a trucker dropped off a fellow who was skinned up and bleeding. He complained that he
was hungry. John told him he would feed him but he had to clean up himself in the restroom.
The man grabbed a large ashtray off the counter and threatened John. John and his brother, Nick,
were able to tie him up with a rope.
A lot of people were coming and going and there wasn’t much help. There was a hitching post
out front. John and Nick took their prisoner and tied him to the post where he remained for the
couple of hours it took Sheriff Jess Harris to get out to Wilkins from Elko. The man had escaped
from a mental hospital in Tennessee and made it all the way to Nevada before capture.
On November 20, 1956, Lonnie Jeffs, from Montello, pulled up to the trading post and shouted,
“My wife is having a baby!”
John rushed them to the nearest motel room where they put Lonnie’s wife on the bed. Almost
immediately, the baby was born. The new father had been in the Army and knew what to do. He
cut and tied the umbilical cord of his newly born daughter and they continued to Elko where
medical help was available if needed.
Being stuck out in the middle of nowhere, the youngsters at Wilkins were very short of
entertainment. Being kids, they found or invented things to do. According to plan, the children
were supposed to board the school bus at Wilkins for the 25-mile trip to school in Wells. It didn’t
always happen that way. Frequently, they got on the bus in Wilkins and rode north as far as they
could go, eventually all the way to Jackpot, where the bus turned back south for the trip to Wells.
Page 5 of 7
�Howard Hickson’s Histories – “Wilkins, Nevada: A 20th Century Ghost Town”
Wilkins in its heyday. Plot plan drawn by Wil Moschetti.
Page 6 of 7
�Howard Hickson’s Histories – “Wilkins, Nevada: A 20th Century Ghost Town”
Those kids put in a lot of miles. When Jackpot finally had students, a typical bus trip was get on
at Wilkins, ride about forty miles north to Jackpot, drive back those same forty miles to Wilkins
and then the 25 miles to Wells. So, sharpen your pencil and do a little figuring – All that riding in
a daily roundtrip added up to more than two hundred miles, but it was fun.
Grube sold the Wine Cup to Bill Addington in 1963. Moschetti had operated the profitable
trading post from 1948 to 1963. Addington wanted John to work for wages instead of the yearslong partnership. John packed up his family and moved to Wells, then Elko.
Although Wilkins precariously hung on for a few more years, it was, essentially, the end.
Wilkins is one of those places where, if you blink driving by, you’ll miss the place. Still, though,
it is one of those sites in northeast Nevada that is now a reminder of history and the years are
slowly sapping even memories when someone mentions Wilkins.
“Wilkins? Never heard of the place.” That’s sad.
Sources: Oral history tape, October 12, 1993, John W. Moschetti, Northeastern Nevada Museum
Archives, Elko; Dale Porter, Elko; members of John Moschetti’s family, Elko; Nevada’s Northeast
Frontier, Edna Patterson, Louise Ulph, and Victor Goodwin, reprint, University of Nevada Press, Reno,
published by the Northeastern Nevada Museum, Elko; and Nevada Place Names, Helen S. Carlson,
University of Nevada Press, Reno, 1974.
Photographs: From the John Moschetti Family Collection.
©Copyright 2010 by Howard Hickson
Archived and Presented by the
Page 7 of 7
�
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Howard Hickson Histories
Subject
The topic of the resource
Stories of northeastern Nevada history authored by Howard Hickson.
Description
An account of the resource
Howard Hickson's Histories are true stories about Northeastern Nevada's colorful past, written with wry humor and keen insight into the sometimes comic, sometimes tragic, sometimes downright eerie lives of cowboys, miners, and gamblers, villains and saints and men and women of both extremes, who've inhabited or passed through the region. The collection is a cultural treasure that Great Basin College is privileged to make available to the world via the Internet. New stories are added as Howard sees fit.
Creator
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Howard Hickson
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Web site of Howard Hickson's Histories. http://www.gbcnv.edu/hickson/index.html
Publisher
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Great Basin College
Date
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07/08/2014
Contributor
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Great Basin College
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c.2014 Howard Hickson
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Web site of Howard Hickson's Histories. http://www.gbcnv.edu/hickson/index.html
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Content can be PDF or HTML documents.
Language
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English
Type
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Stories of northeastern Nevada history authored by Howard Hickson.
Coverage
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Elko, Nevada, northeastern Nevada, history, articles, Great Basin
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<div align="center"><span class="header"><span style="font-size: medium;">H</span>OWARD <span style="font-size: medium;">H</span>ICKSON'S<span style="font-size: medium;"> H</span>ISTORIES </span><br /> <span style="color: #ffffff;"></span></div>
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<p><span class="title">Wilkins, Nevada</span><br /> <em><span class="subtitle">A 20th Century Ghost Town</span></em></p>
<p> </p>
</div>
<p>Wilkins looks like a war zone today. There is nothing there except burned ruins in the sagebrush. It is a far cry from the vital days of the Thousand Springs Trading Post and its café, motel, garage, bar, post office, store, living quarters and truck stop. John Moschetti was proud of the place. He was the boss.</p>
<p align="center"><img src="http://www.gbcnv.edu/howh/wilkins1.jpg" alt="Photo of Wilkins today" width="600" height="244" /></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Can a wide spot on US93, 25 miles north of Wells, Nevada, with only a few people living there be called a town? You bet it can. There was an official US Post Office there for almost seventeen years. The place was named Wilkins for Russ Wilkins who, with partner Martin Wunderlich, once owned the Utah Construction Company ranches in California, Idaho, Nevada and Utah, one of the largest livestock businesses in the nation. Moschetti was Postmaster for the entire life of post office – July, 1948 to April, 1963.</p>
<p align="center"><br /> <img src="http://www.gbcnv.edu/howh/wilkins2.jpg" alt="Family Members photo" width="423" height="600" /></p>
<p class="caption" align="center">Joe Lissolo, Bill “Wil” Moschetti, Lynn Moschetti,<br /> and Neva Lissolo. The Lissolos were Marta<br /> (John’s wife) Moschetti’s parents. c. 1952.</p>
<p>John moved from Colorado to northeast Nevada as secretary to Wilkins when the mighty UC was subdivided into smaller outfits and sold.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Around 1947, a trading post was built on the highway near the Wine Cup Ranch where Wilkins headquartered. By then all the other ranches had been sold and Wilkins said John could go back to the Denver office or manage the new Thousand Springs Trading Post. Moschetti opted to take over the roadside business on January 1, 1948, and stayed for 16 years.</p>
<p align="center"><img src="http://www.gbcnv.edu/howh/wilkins-john.jpg" alt="John Moschetti at the Thousand Springs Trading PostJohn Moschetti at the Thousand Springs Trading PostJohn Moschetti at the Thousand Springs Trading Post" width="440" height="332" /><br /> <span class="caption">John Moschetti at the Thousand Springs Trading Post </span></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Russ Wilkins died in 1952 at a young age. His family sold the ranch. In 1953 the Wine Cup and trading post were sold to a group headed by movie star Jimmy Stewart. They owned the places about four years.</p>
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<td><img src="http://www.gbcnv.edu/howh/wilkins-stewart.jpg" alt="Jimmy Stewart" width="300" height="519" /></td>
<td><img src="http://www.gbcnv.edu/howh/wilkins-letter.jpg" alt="Jimmy Stewart Letter" width="487" height="537" /></td>
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<p class="caption" align="center">Actor Jimmy Stewart, one-time owner of the Winecup, <br /> wrote John Moschetti a letter in 1957<br /> praising him on the job he was doing at the trading post</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A café, bar, motel and garage were added. It was a successful operation. The owners and Moschetti made money. Local businesses and residents bought fuel and supplies. Highway traffic brought in a lot of business. There was a full time mechanic on duty while about twelve other employees kept things running.</p>
<p> </p>
<p align="center"><img src="http://www.gbcnv.edu/howh/wilkins3.jpg" alt="" width="600" height="425" /><br /> <span class="caption">John Moschetti, center, bartending in the Wilkins bar.</span></p>
<p><br /> B.H. Grube was the next owner. He thought there was oil on the Wine Cup and, for years, ranching operations went down hill but the trading post continued to prosper and grow.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Moschetti recalls good times and somber events. In early 1949, there was a terrible snowstorm. It snowed and snowed. Hard winds blew the white stuff into drifts that eventually closed the highway. The highway department just couldn’t keep up with it and finally the roads were closed. There were 20 to 30 travelers snowed in a Wilkins. At the time there was no café or motel. People slept on the floor or in their cars while the trading post workers fed them a couple of hot meals every day.</p>
<p>They were trapped at Wilkins for four days before the highway department was able to open the highway. The stranded travelers followed the plows to Wells. It had taken 20 hours to plow the 25 miles from Wilkins to Wells. The highway immediately drifted shut again and was blocked for 17 days. The storm made national news.</p>
<p align="center"><img src="http://www.gbcnv.edu/howh/wilkins4.gif" alt="Wilkins plot plan" width="602" height="853" /><br /><span class="caption">Wilkins in its heyday. Plot plan drawn by Wil Moschetti.</span></p>
<p>One day a trucker dropped off a fellow who was skinned up and bleeding. He complained that he was hungry. John told him he would feed him but he had to clean up himself in the restroom. The man grabbed a large ashtray off the counter and threatened John. John and his brother, Nick, were able to tie him up with a rope.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A lot of people were coming and going and there wasn’t much help. There was a hitching post out front. John and Nick took their prisoner and tied him to the post where he remained for the couple of hours it took Sheriff Jess Harris to get out to Wilkins from Elko. The man had escaped from a mental hospital in Tennessee and made it all the way to Nevada before capture.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>On November 20, 1956, Lonnie Jeffs, from Montello, pulled up to the trading post and shouted, “My wife is having a baby!”</p>
<p> </p>
<p>John rushed them to the nearest motel room where they put Lonnie’s wife on the bed. Almost immediately, the baby was born. The new father had been in the Army and knew what to do. He cut and tied the umbilical cord of his newly born daughter and they continued to Elko where medical help was available if needed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Being stuck out in the middle of nowhere, the youngsters at Wilkins were very short of entertainment. Being kids, they found or invented things to do. According to plan, the children were supposed to board the school bus at Wilkins for the 25-mile trip to school in Wells. It didn’t always happen that way. Frequently, they got on the bus in Wilkins and rode north as far as they could go, eventually all the way to Jackpot, where the bus turned back south for the trip to Wells.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Those kids put in a lot of miles. When Jackpot finally had students, a typical bus trip was get on at Wilkins, ride about forty miles north to Jackpot, drive back those same forty miles to Wilkins and then the 25 miles to Wells. So, sharpen your pencil and do a little figuring – All that riding in a daily roundtrip added up to more than two hundred miles, but it was fun.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Grube sold the Wine Cup to Bill Addington in 1963. Moschetti had operated the profitable trading post from 1948 to 1963. Addington wanted John to work for wages instead of the years-long partnership. John packed up his family and moved to Wells, then Elko.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Although Wilkins precariously hung on for a few more years, it was, essentially, the end.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Wilkins is one of those places where, if you blink driving by, you’ll miss the place. Still, though, it is one of those sites in northeast Nevada that is now a reminder of history and the years are slowly sapping even memories when someone mentions Wilkins.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>“Wilkins? Never heard of the place.” That’s sad.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr width="20%" noshade="noshade" align="left" />
<p class="copyright"><!-- @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } --></p>
<p class="sources"> </p>
<p class="sources">Sources: Oral history tape, October 12, 1993, John W. Moschetti, Northeastern Nevada Museum Archives, Elko; Dale Porter, Elko; members of John Moschetti’s family, Elko; <em>Nevada’s Northeast Frontier</em>, Edna Patterson, Louise Ulph, and Victor Goodwin, reprint, University of Nevada Press, Reno, published by the Northeastern Nevada Museum, Elko; and Nevada Place Names, Helen S. Carlson, University of Nevada Press, Reno, 1974.</p>
<p class="sources"> </p>
<p class="sources">Photographs: From the John Moschetti Family Collection.</p>
<p> </p>
<p class="copyright">©Copyright 2010 by Howard Hickson</p>
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Title
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Wilkins, Nevada: A 20th Century Ghost Town
Subject
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A history of the small roadside community of Wilkins, Nevada in the twentieth century by Howard Hickson.
Description
An account of the resource
Wilkins, Nevada, was located about 25 miles north of Wells on U.S. 93. Build next to the Wine Cup Ranch, Wilkins was centered on the Thousand Springs Trading Post, built in 1947 and purchased in 1953 by a group headed by movie star Jimmy Stewart. Hickson's story focuses on John Moschetti, who managed the trading post and served as Wilkins' postmaster for the seventeen years a U.S. Post Office operated in the area.
<p><a title="Wilkins, Nevada history pdf file" href="/omeka/files/original/b64290e28e996920ee26acffdb3c9f75.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read the Article [pdf file]</a><br /> <a href="http://www.gbcnv.edu/howh/Wilkins.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">View Original webpage [archive website]</a></p>
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Howard Hickson
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Howard Hickson's Histories archive: <a title="Hickson's Histories - Wilkins, Nevada" href="http://www.gbcnv.edu/howh/Wilkins.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://www.gbcnv.edu/howh/Wilkins.html</a>
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GBC Virtual Humanities Center
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Scott A. Gavorsky [VHC]
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© Copyright 2010 by Howard Hickson. Used with permission of author.
http://humanities.gbcnv.edu/omeka/items/show/103 [admin access only]
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webpage
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English
Community
Crossroads
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history
Nevada
Northeastern Nevada
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https://humanities.gbcnv.edu/omeka/files/original/91c8702378261f1f2cb65769f53f96b6.pdf
cc5cf4cbb0fb9ae3bd07f3d87696ab58
PDF Text
Text
10/22/13
Elko: The First 100 Years
HOWARD HICKSON'S HISTORIES
[Index]
Elko: The First 100 Years
Elko was the end of the tracks laid from the west by the Central
Pacific Railroad in 1868. When CPRR tracklayers moved on east to
meet construction crews of the Union Pacific Railroad at Promontory,
Utah Territory, they left a small tent town on the banks of the
Humboldt River.
When Elko began it was a rough and tumble place populated by
railroaders, miners, gamblers and a few merchants. In 1869 a
newcomer remarked in a letter, "There were all sorts of games and
vices in progress and only two men were killed the day I arrived."
The community soon had a few permanent buildings and its economy
expanded into freighting to area mining camps and became a ranch
supply center. Since then, gambling, tourism, modern gold mining and
its many service groups have added to the economic slate.
The town was probably named by Charles Crocker, superintendent of
the CPRR. He was fond of animal names and simply added an "o" to
Elk.
The state legislature formed Elko County from a portion of Lander
County in 1869. With 17,127 square miles, it is the sixth largest
county in the nation.
From 1869 to 1917 the community was run by Elko County
Commissioners whose motto was: "The best government is the least
government."
Following are the ups and downs of a growing frontier town.
1868: December 29, Elko founded by the Central Pacific Railroad
(later Southern Pacific, now Union Pacific).
Townsite laid out.
1869 Railroad agents sold lots for $300 to $500 each.
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Elko: The First 100 Years
Early in the year the town was made up of about sixty tents.
Earliest existing photograph of Elko. Taken in 1869. Courtesy of Northeastern Nevada
Museum.
March 5, Elko County formed and Elko named the county
seat.
A brick courthouse is constructed at Sixth and Idaho streets
at a cost of $20,000.
First Elko County Courthouse, built on the northwest corner of Sixth and Idaho in 1869. It
was in use until torn down and replaced by the present structure in 1910. Original cost of
this building was $20,000. Photo: Northeastern Nevad Museum.
Humboldt Lodging House (predecessor of the Commercial
Hotel) built.
Elko's first newspaper, the Elko Independent, begins
publication on June 19.
Cosmopolitan Hotel built next to the railroad track, 80
rooms.
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Elko: The First 100 Years
Missouri Flats, in the vicinity of Silver and Ninth streets, is
headquarters for freighters, their animals and rigs.
An opera house in a tent opened. Culture arrived early.
Pioneer Saloon began business on the northeast corner of
Fifth and Railroad.
A resort, White Sulphur Hot Springs, was built near the Hot
Hole off Bullion Road.
Elko's 45 saloons outnumbered all other businesses in town.
1870: The first church was the Presbyterian, built at Sixth and Pine.
First school opened at 421 Court with 70 students, cost was
$3,000. (Site of Chilton Engineering, different building).
First school building was built at 421 Court Street in 1870. It opened with 70 students
and enrollment doubled to 140 by the end of the first year. After a new school was
constructed five blocks east, the building was used as a Knights of Phythias Hall. A new
KP hall was later built on the same site and is presently owned by Chilton Engineering.
Photo: Northeastern Nevada Museum.
Lots now selling from $1,500 to $2,000.
Population estimated at 4,500.
1871: Fire destroys most of the business district.
Elko cattleman, Lewis "Broadhorns" Bradley elected second
governor of Nevada.
1872: A brickworks at Idaho and the road to Mountain City begins
business.
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Elko: The First 100 Years
1873: 1873: Cosmopolitan renamed the Chamberlain (later changed
to Depot Hotel).
Early 1869 photo of Elko showing the Depot Hotel. The lodging place has 80 rooms, a
dining room that seated 112, a billard room, bar and barbershop. Photo: Northeastern
Nevada Museum.
1874: Elko is selected the first site of the University of Nevada. A
building is constructed on the northeast corner of College
Avenue and Ninth. (Where the "old gym" at the high school
presently stands).
Population estimated at 5,000.
First University of Nevada building. Located at the corner of Ninth and College streets.
Now you now where College Streets got its name. After the university was moved to
Reno in 1885. The building was the county hospital for many years. It was torn down in
1928.
1875: Elko Flour Mill, Commercial between Seventh and Eighth,
begins operation and provides the first water system for the
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Elko: The First 100 Years
town.
University of Nevada dormitory built on Ninth and Court.
(Still there).
1877: October 7, two-story brick school building opens on the
north side of Court between Eighth and Ninth.
1882: White Sulphur Springs Hotel burns down, rebuilt.
Population estimate is 600. Area mining curtailed causing a
Nevada-wide depression.
1883: Elko Free Press begins publication on January 5.
1885: University of Nevada moved to Reno.
Population estimated at 1,000.
1886: Elko Flour Mill generates first electricity and supplies power
to a few street lights.
1892: Episcopal Church dedicated at Fifth and Idaho.
Fifth and Idaho Streets in 1896. The Episcopal Church is now the site of the Esquire
Motor Lodge. A cafe, advertising meals for 25 cents, is where Algerio Real Estate is now
located. Photo: Northeastern Nevada Museum.
1896: Elko County High School, the first county school in the state,
opens on Court and Sixth with 43 students, cost is $7,420. It
is a two-story building used until the present high school
buildings were constructed on College. The building, without
its second story, still stands behind the present courthouse
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Elko: The First 100 Years
and is used for county offices.
First county high school in the state at Court and Sixth streets. Opened in 1896, the
operated until the new campus was built in 1918. The building, without its second floor
which burned in 1942, is now used for county offices. Photo: Northeastern Nevada
Museum.
1899: Hot Springs hotel burns again, rebuilt again.
Third Hot Springs Hotel. The first building was constructed in 1869 and burned in 1882.
The second burned in 1899. Notice the little horse-drawn bus that made regular trips into
town to transport guests. Photo: Northeastern Nevada Museum.
1904: Depot Hotel is demolished and the Mayer Hotel (present site
of the Stockmen's Hotel) constructed.
Population estimated at 800.
1907: Chamber of Commerce formed.
1908: Western Pacific Railroad (now Union Pacific) lays track
through town and builds a depot. WPRR tracks ran on Silver
and Southern Pacific rails ran between Railroad and
Commercial. (Present downtown parking area). Both sets of
tracks relocated south to their present locations in 1984.
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Elko: The First 100 Years
1910: New courthouse built on northwest corner of Idaho at Sixth
(same site as first courthouse), cost $150,000.
New grammar school replaces older facility on Court
between Eighth and Ninth.
Commercial Street in 1910 looking east. Photo: Northeastern Nevada Museum.
1913: Elko-Lamoille Power Company provides direct electric
current to Elko.
Nevada Industrial School (boys reformatory) opens four
miles east of town. Now the Nevada Youth Training Center.
Pioneer Hotel building completed. ( Now the Western
Folklife Center.)
1915: Elko-Lamoille Power Company switches to alternating
current.
1916: Catlin Shale Products Company opens an experimental oil
extraction plant southwest of town off Bullion Road.
Operated until 1925. Extraction methods developed there are
still in use today.
Population estimated at 2,500.
1917: Elko incorporated as a city.
J.A. McBride is first mayor.
Elko Municipal Water Works established.
1918: Grammar school on Court burns down on Christmas Day.
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Elko: The First 100 Years
Christmas Day, 1918. The building had been used for only eight years. Freshly oiled
floors were blamed. Photo: Northeastern Nevada Museum.
1919: New elementary school built on same site. The school is
called Number One until it was renamed to honor Kate St.
Claire in 1973. Nevada's first community college was also
housed in the building until it was demolished in 1974 to make
way for the Green Acre apartments.
1920: Elko designated an airmail station on the first transcontinental
route.
First county fair held on the Garcia rodeo grounds located
south of the river.
1921: Elko General Hospital built at the corner of College and
Thirteenth.
Elko General Hospital at College and Thirteenth around 1940. Built in 1921, it was in
use until demolished in 1978 for the present building immediately west of the old
structure. Photo: Northeastern Nevada Museum.
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Elko: The First 100 Years
1926: Elko becomes the terminus of the first commercial airmail
flight in the nation when Varney Airlines (later part of United
Air Lines) completes flight from Pasco, Washington.
County library moved from courthouse to the second floor of
the old high school building at Court and Sixth.
1927: Present County Fairgrounds built on part of old China Ranch
were Chinese once raised vegetables for sale in town.
1929: Henderson Bank Building, tallest in town, opens.
1930: Elko Flour Mill torn down.
First Elko High School Band formed.
1932: Gambling legalized.
1933: Present downtown Post Office Building opens.
1934: Elko attorney Morley Griswold becomes 16th governor of
Nevada when Fred Balzar dies in office.
First street paving program begins.
1939: Elko attorney Edward Carville becomes 18th governor. Later
appointed U.S. Senator.
1941: Big name entertainment begins in Nevada in The Lounge of
Elko's Commercial Hotel with Ted Lewis and his orchestra.
1942: 1942: Fire destroys second floor of the old high school
building. The burned part is removed and the first level is
remodeled to be the home of the Elko County Library until
the new library building was built at Court and Seventh in
1974.
1944: Mayer Hotel becomes Stockmen's Hotel.
On December 8, Marilyn Patterson christens the military
transport ship, S.S. Elko Victory.
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Elko: The First 100 Years
1946: Ranchinn opens with 68 rooms on Idaho between Eighth and
Ninth.
1947: DeLuxe Cleaners building at 511 Railroad collapses killing
three.
1948: City Hall at 723 Railroad opens, remains as city hall until the
new one was built in 1972 at 1751 College.
Famous movie star and crooner Bing Crosby is named
"Honorary Mayor of Elko." He held the post until his death in
1977.
Elko's first radio station, KELK, begins broadcasting.
1951: Former Elkoan, Charles B. Russell, becomes Nevada's 20th
governor.
World premiere of movie, "Here Comes the Groom," starring
Bing Crosby held at the Hunter Theater in Elko.
1956: 1956: Northeastern Nevada Historical Society formed.
1957: Stockmen's Hotel burns, new hotel and casino built on the
same site.
1959: Grant Sawyer, an Elko attorney, is Nevada's 21st governor.
1966: New high school gymnasium at Cedar and Ninth built.
1967: Elko citizens group forms first community college in the state.
It is quartered in Number One school until its new campus is
constructed at 901 Elm Street. First named Elko Community
College, then Northern Nevada Community College, today it
is Great Basin College.
1968: Northeastern Nevada Museum, 1515 Idaho Street opened in
a small white brick building. New construction and
remodeling was completed in 1982, and 1998 will see the
debut of the new wing. The museum has won numerous
awards, including the highest, the American Association for
State and Local History Award of Merit (twice).
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Elko: The First 100 Years
In the next 20 years to 1998, Elko underwent changes that have
forever altered its personality and looks. The growth came mainly
from nearby gold mines that made northeast Nevada the largest gold
producing area in the nation. With the discovery of microscopic gold
and new methods of extraction came people from all over the world
and Elko's population exploded.
Elko today is the largest community between Salt Lake City (235
miles to the east) and Reno (290 miles west). The community's
remoteness gives the people a certain spirit of independence and it
remains as one of the American West's premier frontier towns. Yet,
there is a special metropolitan spirit because it is the social and
cultural center for an area larger than most states back east.
Times have changed but the place is still a 24-hour town where the
casinos never close. Some say that Elko is an evil place in which to
live with its legalized gambling, drinking, and other vices, but the town
has solid citizens with a strong economy, excellent schools, Great
Basin College, Western Folklife Center, churches, the Northeastern
Nevada Museum, Convention Center, and many cultural activities
lacking in other cities of the same size.
It is a pleasant place to live with clean air, numerous cultural events,
the spectacular nearby Ruby Mountains, people who still have time
to stop and chat for a few minutes, boundless outdoor and sports
activities, ghost towns where one can walk a few moments in the
past...the list is long and it is up to you to decide what you want to do
it. Take some time to enjoy the people and the land.
Howard Hickson
29 March 1998
This piece is from an article, "Elko, Nevada: 1868-1968," I compiled
for the Fall 1983 (83-4) issue of the Northeastern Nevada Historical
Society Quarterly. My thanks are extended today as back in 1983 to
Milo Taber (now deceased), and Terry Reynolds and Jack Sutherland
(both former City Managers) for their assistance in locating some of
the sites.
�1998 by Howard Hickson. If any portion or all of this article is used or quoted proper
credit must be given to the authors.
[Back to Hickson's Histories Index]
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Howard Hickson Histories
Subject
The topic of the resource
Stories of northeastern Nevada history authored by Howard Hickson.
Description
An account of the resource
Howard Hickson's Histories are true stories about Northeastern Nevada's colorful past, written with wry humor and keen insight into the sometimes comic, sometimes tragic, sometimes downright eerie lives of cowboys, miners, and gamblers, villains and saints and men and women of both extremes, who've inhabited or passed through the region. The collection is a cultural treasure that Great Basin College is privileged to make available to the world via the Internet. New stories are added as Howard sees fit.
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Howard Hickson
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Web site of Howard Hickson's Histories. http://www.gbcnv.edu/hickson/index.html
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Great Basin College
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
07/08/2014
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Great Basin College
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
c.2014 Howard Hickson
Relation
A related resource
Web site of Howard Hickson's Histories. http://www.gbcnv.edu/hickson/index.html
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
Content can be PDF or HTML documents.
Language
A language of the resource
English
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Stories of northeastern Nevada history authored by Howard Hickson.
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Elko, Nevada, northeastern Nevada, history, articles, Great Basin
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Elko: The First 100 Years
Subject
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Story from Howard Hickson's Histories regarding the first 100 years of the city of Elko, Nevada's history.
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Story from Howard Hickson's Histories regarding the first 100 years of the city of Elko, Nevada's history.
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Howard Hickson
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Website for Howard Hickson's Histories and the story, Elko: The First 100 Years. http://www.gbcnv.edu/hickson/elkohist.html
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Great Basin College
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03/29/1998
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c. 1998 Howard Hickson
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English
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Story from Howard Hickson's Histories regarding the first 100 years of the city of Elko,, Nevada's history.
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Elko, Nevada, northeastern Nevada, history, articles, Great Basin
Community
Elko
Great Basin
history
Nevada
Northeastern Nevada
Story
-
https://humanities.gbcnv.edu/omeka/files/original/c71b3a3aee9aeea2816e98f393b80932.pdf
b70dbf1e9506908786b2b751ee0ce831
PDF Text
Text
10/22/13
Elko County Place Names
HOWARD HICKSON'S HISTORIES
[Index]
What's in a Name?
Elko County Place Names
Following are selected places most of us know. If any reader wants
to know about a place not listed, please email me and I will check my
sources and get back to you by email.
Adobe Summit: (On the road from Elko to Mountain City and
Tuscarora) A small ranch and road station were maintained on the
summit for freight wagons and stagecoaches. Its name was derived
from the adobe mud that packed the wheels of the vehicles. Some
present day maps call it "Doby" which is incorrect.
Angel Lake: (East Humboldt Range southwest of Wells) A beautiful
recreational lake which can be reached by automobile. Warren M.
Angel came to Elko County is 1878. He had a ranch in Clover
Valley.
Carlin: Construction crews of the Central Pacific Railroad settled
Elko County's oldest community in 1868. It was named for Captain
William Passmore Carlin, a Civil War volunteer who was once
stationed there.
Carlin's principal street in 1911
Photo courtesy of the Northeastern Nevada Museum, Elko
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Charleston: Named for Tom Charles. The area was originally called
Mardis after George Washington "Old Allegheny" Mardis. There was
placer mining at a site four miles north of 76 Creek and the place
became a lively camp with three schools, several stores, a hotel, ice
house, saloon and other buildings.
China Ranch: (In Elko) In the area of the city park and where the
Northeastern Nevada Museum are located, local Chinese used the
place as a garden for raising vegetables they sold in town. Their farm
was irrigated by a ditch they dug from the Humboldt River near Osino
to the gardens in Elko. They also supplied water to Elko from the
ditch for a time.
Clover Valley: An abundance of clover grew in the valley. It was
called the Valley of Fifty Springs by the ill-fated Donner Party when
they passed through.
Contact: (Northern Elko County) Also known as the Salmon and Kit
Carson mining districts, the area was discovered in 1870 and first
worked on a commission basis by Chinese miners. Contact is mining
term meaning the meeting of granite and porphyry.
Currie: A town on the Nevada Northern Railroad between Cobre
and McGill. Joseph H. Currie had a ranch on Nelson Creek in 1885.
Deeth: (Between Elko and Wells) Settled in 1868 and named after a
man called Deeth who ran a small store on the banks of the Humboldt
River some two miles below the present town.
Diamond A Desert: (Northern Elko County near the Idaho line) The
brand of the Dan Murphy cattle outfit running cattle from Gold Creek
to the desert was the "Diamond A."
Dinner Station: (Twenty miles north of Elko) On the freight road
from Elko to Tuscarora and Mountain City. It was first known as
Weilands Station, named for the man who built the place. It here that
stage passengers, teamsters, horses and mules rested and were fed.
The name Dinner Station is obvious.
Duck Valley: (At Owyhee) Indian reservation in northern Elko
County established by Congress in 1877. Named for the ducks found
in the area before the reservation was established.
Elko: (County seat of Elko County) Elko County was formed from
part of Lander County in March, 1869 and named for its principal
community. There are three versions of the naming of the town: (1)
The most believable is that Charles Crocker of the Central Pacific
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Railroad, who had a passion for naming stations after animals, simply
added an O to Elk. (2) A small white girl was stolen by Indians from a
party of emigrants. The Indians called her Elko which some say is an
Indian word for White Elk. The child died near the Hot Springs off
Bullion Road and the Indians referred to the area as Elko. (3) When
surveyors were laying out the town site a party of Indians watched the
proceedings with considerable interest and, when the stakes were
being driven, one of them asked what the surveyors were making.
One told them that there would soon be a town here like San
Francisco and New York. The Indian exclaimed, "Elko!," said to be,
in early accounts, an Indian word of disgust. The boss of the survey
party said that was as good a name as any and wrote the name on
board and nailed it to a post. Editor: Since these accounts were
published I have been told there is no such term as Elko in the
Shoshone language. So, we are back to the first account of naming the
town...simply an O added to Elk which is not nearly as romantic or
exciting as numbers two and three.
Fort Halleck: Originally called Camp Halleck the post was
established by Captain Samuel P. Smith in 1867. General H.W.
Halleck was the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army at the time. On the
western slope of the Rubies it existed until 1886. The fort was
established to protect emigrant groups and the railroad.
Fort Ruby: (Ruby Valley in northern White Pine County) Established
in 1862 by Colonel Edward P. Connor with 600 men who marched
all the way from Stockton, California. A reservation of six square
miles was laid out and given the name Camp Ruby. Its name came
from the nearby mountains where pioneers found "rubies" and "ruby
sand," actually garnets, in the gravel of the streams.
Grindstone Mountain: (West of Dixie Creek and the South Fork of
the Humboldt River) Called Moleen Peak on contemporary maps,
one side of the mountain resembles grindstones. Its elevation is 7,377
feet.
Harrison Pass: (Ruby Mountains) Thomas Harrison, a native of
England, came to Elko County in 1865 and established a ranch in
Ruby Valley.
Humboldt River and all the other Humboldt names: Originally called
the Barren River, then Paul's River in honor of one of Pete Skene
Ogden's men who sickened and died on its banks. For a while it was
called Ogden's River then was designated Mary's River, perhaps after
the Indian wife of Ogden. Explorer Charles Fremont, in 1845, ignored
the existing name and called it the Humboldt. Friedrich Henry
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Alexander, Baron von Humboldt, was a famous naturalist and
explorer in the 19th centry.
Jarbidge: The word Jarbidge comes from an Indian word, "Tsawhaw-bitts," a name for a human-eating giant Indian thought to roam the
canyon. Miners twisted the spelling to Jahabich and then to Jarbidge.
Often referred to as Jarbridge which is incorrect.
Jarbidge was a booming tent city in 1910
Photo courtesy of the Northeastern Nevada Museum, Elko
Jiggs: Its name comes from the popular comic strip of the time,
"Maggie and Jiggs." The town was called Skelton from 1884-1922,
from Cynthia Skelton, the mother of Valley Paddock who raised
horses in the vicinity. The place was then named "Hylton" who was a
prominent figure in the town, finally, to Jiggs.
Kittridge Canyon: C.B. Kittridge settled in Elko in 1871. Water
from the canyon was used in Elko for many years.
Lamoille:(Town, Valley, Canyon, Lake, and Creek) Thomas A.
Waterman, one of the original settlers in Lamoille Valley, was a native
of Lamoille County, Vermont. Lamoille is another twisted name.
Originally it was "la Moutte," French for a gull. It might have been a
map engraver's mistake of not crossing the t's.
Lee: Named in honor of General Robert E. Lee by J.L. Martin who
came to South Fork Valley in 1869.
Maggie Creek: (Near Carlin) On early maps the stream was called
Robin's Creek or Martin's Fork. A Scotch family, on their overland
trek to California in 1849, camped near the stream and named it
Maggie after one their little girls.
Metropolis: (Twelve miles northwest of Wells) A land promotion
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scheme of the Pacific Reclamation Company. Using a name denoting
a large city and prosperity, the company started the place in 1911.
Drought, water rights litigation, high interest rates, jackrabbits and
Mormon crickets contributed to the demise of the town and
surrounding farms.
Midas: First called Rosebud, then Gold Circle, because mines
encircled the town. Its name was changed to Midas because Postal
officials felt there were too many towns beginning with "gold" and
would not establish a post office there unless the name was changed
to Midas, a mythical king. Everything he touched turned to gold.
Montello: An Indian word meaning "rest." The place was a small
station on the Central Pacific Railroad. The watering place called
Montello is actually eight or so miles from town.
Oasis: (Between Wells and Wendover) Named after the Oasis Ranch
of E.C. Hardy, a horse raiser in the Toana area in the late 1880s.
Owyhee: Peter Skene Ogden of the Hudson's Bay Company first
called the river the Sandwich Island River when two Hawaiians in his
group were killed there by Indians. Captain James Cook visited
Hawaii in 1776 and name the largest island in the group "Owyhee."
American missionaries in the islands later reduced the native language
to a written form and changed the spelling to "Hawaii."
Pilot Peak: (Eastern Elko County) Name by John C. Fremont in
1845 because it served as a guide for emigrants in their western
migration.
Pleasant Valley: Named by the Seitz brothers, Edward and George,
as a descriptive name for the valley nestled at the foot of the Ruby
Mountains.
Spanish Ranch: (Independence Valley, Tuscarora area) This cattle
kingdom was put together by Bernardo and Pedro Altube, Spanish
Basques who came to Elko County from California in 1870. Pedro,
who stood six-feet, six inches in his stocking feet was known as Palo
Alto, or "tall pine," and it is said that the California town takes its name
from him. Pedro was elected to the Cowboy Hall of Fame as
Nevada's candidate in 1960.
Spring Creek: From the springs on a ranch known as the McKnight
Ranch.
Starr Valley: (Between Halleck and Wells) Lieutenant Augustus
Washington Starr came with Captain S.P. Smith to established Fort
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Halleck in 1867. After leaving the army Starr bought land in the valley
and is credited with being the place's first settler. By 1870 he had left
the area.
Te-Moak Indian Reservation: (Lee) Formed in the late 1930's by
the government from established private cattle operations on the South
Fork near Lee. The Bureau of Indian Affairs purchased several
ranches and located Native American families of the Shoshone tribe of
Te-Moak Indians on them. Named for Chief Te-Moak of Ruby
Valley. The name means "rope." He was named that because he
braided rope. Te-Moak rose to power among his people through
personal influence, not hereditary lineage. He is remembered for the
treaty he negotiated with the government to allow emigrants to pass
through this region unmolested by the Indians.
Thomas Canyon: (Branch of Lamoille Canyon, Ruby Mountains)
Raymond Thomas, an Elko County High School teacher, took a trip
into Lamoille Canyon on a beautiful day with ten other persons on
October 1, 1916. In his effort to help other members of the party
caught in a surprise snowstorm, the high altitude and severe storm
conditions resulted in the death of Thomas.
Tobar: (Southeast of Wells) A town on the Western Pacific tracks. A
story is told that a saloon keeper in 1909, painted a sign reading "To
Bar" and pointed it in the direction of his establishment. Railroad
officials looking for a name for their new town, saw the sign and
promptly named the place Tobar.
Tuscarora: Two stories; (1) Steve and John Beard named the place
after the Indians living in their home state of North Carolina and (2)
When the mining district was formed one of the miners had served on
the U.S. Gunboat Tuscarora. The name of the boat also came from
the southeastern seaboard Indians.
Union gunboat "Tuscarora,"
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Elko County Place Names
named for an Indian tribe in North Carolina
Photo courtesy of the Northeastern Nevada Museum, Elko
Twin Bridges: (Lower South Fork, Humboldt River) Two bridges
are in the area, one spans Smith Creek, the other the South Fork.
Wells: Originally a rest stop for wagon trains, the community was
settled in 1869 with the name Humboldt Wells after the river and
springs that marked the beginning of the Humboldt Trail. Elko County
Commissioners, on May 6, 1873, shortened the name to Wells. The
town was incorporated in 1927.
Main street of Wells c.1911
Photo courtesy of the Northeastern Nevada Museum, Elko
Wendover: An eating place run by John Cooley served the men of
the sheep trails in the area and was so named because the men and
flocks wended their way over this route to other grazing ranges.
Wild Horse Reservoir: A dam was built in 1938 to store waters on
the Owyhee River, which was replaced with a new structure in 1971.
Wild horses were found in the area at one time.
Wilkins: (Between Wells and Contact) Sometimes was called
Thousand Springs Trading Post. Russell Wilkins was once the owner
of nearby Winecup Ranch.
Edited by Howard Hickson
September 14, 1998
I give my sincere thanks to my longtime friend, Edna Patterson, who
is, without a doubt, the premier historian of northeast Nevada. In
1964 she compiled a small book of local place names published by
the Elko Independent. In 1977 the Northeastern Nevada Historical
Society published parts of the original book in its Quarterly.
�1998 by Howard Hickson. If any portion or all of this article is used or quoted proper
credit must be given to the authors.
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Elko County Place Names
[Back to Hickson's Histories Index]
www.gbcnv.edu/howh/names.html
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�
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Title
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Howard Hickson Histories
Subject
The topic of the resource
Stories of northeastern Nevada history authored by Howard Hickson.
Description
An account of the resource
Howard Hickson's Histories are true stories about Northeastern Nevada's colorful past, written with wry humor and keen insight into the sometimes comic, sometimes tragic, sometimes downright eerie lives of cowboys, miners, and gamblers, villains and saints and men and women of both extremes, who've inhabited or passed through the region. The collection is a cultural treasure that Great Basin College is privileged to make available to the world via the Internet. New stories are added as Howard sees fit.
Creator
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Howard Hickson
Source
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Web site of Howard Hickson's Histories. http://www.gbcnv.edu/hickson/index.html
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Great Basin College
Date
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07/08/2014
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Great Basin College
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c.2014 Howard Hickson
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Web site of Howard Hickson's Histories. http://www.gbcnv.edu/hickson/index.html
Format
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Content can be PDF or HTML documents.
Language
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English
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Stories of northeastern Nevada history authored by Howard Hickson.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Elko, Nevada, northeastern Nevada, history, articles, Great Basin
Website
A resource comprising of a web page or web pages and all related assets ( such as images, sound and video files, etc. ).
Original Format
The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data
The PDF reproductions of the HTML reproductions of the original paper stories.
Local URL
The URL of the local directory containing all assets of the website
Elko County Place Names <center>
<table width="450" cellpadding="10" border="" bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
<tbody>
<tr>
<td align="left"><center><span style="font-size: medium;">H</span><span style="font-size: small;">OWARD</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> H</span><span style="font-size: small;">ICKSON'S</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> H</span><span style="font-size: small;">ISTORIES</span></center><hr width="100%" /><center><span style="color: #000066;"><span style="font-size: medium;">What's in a Name?</span></span></center><center><em><span style="color: #000066;">Elko County Place Names</span></em></center>
<p><span style="font-size: small;">F</span>ollowing are selected places most of us know. If any reader wants to know about a place not listed, please email me and I will check my sources and get back to you by email. </p>
<hr width="100%" />
<p><strong>Adobe Summit</strong>: (On the road from Elko to Mountain City and Tuscarora) A small ranch and road station were maintained on the summit for freight wagons and stagecoaches. Its name was derived from the adobe mud that packed the wheels of the vehicles. Some present day maps call it "Doby" which is incorrect. </p>
<p><strong>Angel Lake</strong>: (East Humboldt Range southwest of Wells) A beautiful recreational lake which can be reached by automobile. Warren M. Angel came to Elko County is 1878. He had a ranch in Clover Valley. </p>
<p><strong>Carlin</strong>: Construction crews of the Central Pacific Railroad settled Elko County's oldest community in 1868. It was named for Captain William Passmore Carlin, a Civil War volunteer who was once stationed there. </p>
<center> </center><center><img src="http://www.gbcnv.edu/howh/carlin.jpg" alt="" width="169" height="250" /></center><center><span> <em>Carlin's principal street in 1911 </em></span></center><center><em><span>Photo courtesy of the Northeastern Nevada Museum, Elko</span></em></center>
<p><strong>Charleston</strong>: Named for Tom Charles. The area was originally called Mardis after George Washington "Old Allegheny" Mardis. There was placer mining at a site four miles north of 76 Creek and the place became a lively camp with three schools, several stores, a hotel, ice house, saloon and other buildings. </p>
<p><strong>China Ranch</strong>: (In Elko) In the area of the city park and where the Northeastern Nevada Museum are located, local Chinese used the place as a garden for raising vegetables they sold in town. Their farm was irrigated by a ditch they dug from the Humboldt River near Osino to the gardens in Elko. They also supplied water to Elko from the ditch for a time. </p>
<p><strong>Clover Valley</strong>: An abundance of clover grew in the valley. It was called the Valley of Fifty Springs by the ill-fated Donner Party when they passed through. </p>
<p><strong>Contact</strong>: (Northern Elko County) Also known as the Salmon and Kit Carson mining districts, the area was discovered in 1870 and first worked on a commission basis by Chinese miners. Contact is mining term meaning the meeting of granite and porphyry. </p>
<p><strong>Currie</strong>: A town on the Nevada Northern Railroad between Cobre and McGill. Joseph H. Currie had a ranch on Nelson Creek in 1885. </p>
<p><strong>Deeth</strong>: (Between Elko and Wells) Settled in 1868 and named after a man called Deeth who ran a small store on the banks of the Humboldt River some two miles below the present town. </p>
<p><strong>Diamond A Desert</strong>: (Northern Elko County near the Idaho line) The brand of the Dan Murphy cattle outfit running cattle from Gold Creek to the desert was the "Diamond A." </p>
<p><strong>Dinner Station</strong>: (Twenty miles north of Elko) On the freight road from Elko to Tuscarora and Mountain City. It was first known as Weilands Station, named for the man who built the place. It here that stage passengers, teamsters, horses and mules rested and were fed. The name Dinner Station is obvious. </p>
<p><strong>Duck Valley</strong>: (At Owyhee) Indian reservation in northern Elko County established by Congress in 1877. Named for the ducks found in the area before the reservation was established. </p>
<p><strong>Elko</strong>: (County seat of Elko County) Elko County was formed from part of Lander County in March, 1869 and named for its principal community. There are three versions of the naming of the town: (1) The most believable is that Charles Crocker of the Central Pacific Railroad, who had a passion for naming stations after animals, simply added an O to Elk. (2) A small white girl was stolen by Indians from a party of emigrants. The Indians called her Elko which some say is an Indian word for White Elk. The child died near the Hot Springs off Bullion Road and the Indians referred to the area as Elko. (3) When surveyors were laying out the town site a party of Indians watched the proceedings with considerable interest and, when the stakes were being driven, one of them asked what the surveyors were making. One told them that there would soon be a town here like San Francisco and New York. The Indian exclaimed, "Elko!," said to be, in early accounts, an Indian word of disgust. The boss of the survey party said that was as good a name as any and wrote the name on board and nailed it to a post. <strong>Editor: </strong>Since these accounts were published I have been told there is no such term as Elko in the Shoshone language. So, we are back to the first account of naming the town...simply an O added to Elk which is not nearly as romantic or exciting as numbers two and three. </p>
<p><strong>Fort Halleck</strong>: Originally called Camp Halleck the post was established by Captain Samuel P. Smith in 1867. General H.W. Halleck was the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army at the time. On the western slope of the Rubies it existed until 1886. The fort was established to protect emigrant groups and the railroad. </p>
<p><strong>Fort Ruby</strong>: (Ruby Valley in northern White Pine County) Established in 1862 by Colonel Edward P. Connor with 600 men who marched all the way from Stockton, California. A reservation of six square miles was laid out and given the name Camp Ruby. Its name came from the nearby mountains where pioneers found "rubies" and "ruby sand," actually garnets, in the gravel of the streams. </p>
<p><strong>Grindstone Mountain</strong>: (West of Dixie Creek and the South Fork of the Humboldt River) Called Moleen Peak on contemporary maps, one side of the mountain resembles grindstones. Its elevation is 7,377 feet. </p>
<p><strong>Harrison Pass</strong>: (Ruby Mountains) Thomas Harrison, a native of England, came to Elko County in 1865 and established a ranch in Ruby Valley. </p>
<p><strong>Humboldt River</strong> and all the other Humboldt names: Originally called the Barren River, then Paul's River in honor of one of Pete Skene Ogden's men who sickened and died on its banks. For a while it was called Ogden's River then was designated Mary's River, perhaps after the Indian wife of Ogden. Explorer Charles Fremont, in 1845, ignored the existing name and called it the Humboldt. Friedrich Henry Alexander, Baron von Humboldt, was a famous naturalist and explorer in the 19<sup>th</sup> centry. </p>
<p><strong>Jarbidge</strong>: The word Jarbidge comes from an Indian word, "Tsaw-haw-bitts," a name for a human-eating giant Indian thought to roam the canyon. Miners twisted the spelling to Jahabich and then to Jarbidge. Often referred to as Jarbridge which is incorrect. <br /> </p>
<center><img src="http://www.gbcnv.edu/howh/jarbidge.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="233" /></center><center><em><span>Jarbidge was a booming tent city in 1910 </span></em></center><center><em><span>Photo courtesy of the Northeastern Nevada Museum, Elko</span></em></center>
<p><strong>Jiggs</strong>: Its name comes from the popular comic strip of the time, "Maggie and Jiggs." The town was called Skelton from 1884-1922, from Cynthia Skelton, the mother of Valley Paddock who raised horses in the vicinity. The place was then named "Hylton" who was a prominent figure in the town, finally, to Jiggs. </p>
<p><strong>Kittridge Canyon</strong>: C.B. Kittridge settled in Elko in 1871. Water from the canyon was used in Elko for many years. </p>
<p><strong>Lamoille</strong>:(Town, Valley, Canyon, Lake, and Creek) Thomas A. Waterman, one of the original settlers in Lamoille Valley, was a native of Lamoille County, Vermont. Lamoille is another twisted name. Originally it was "la Moutte," French for a gull. It might have been a map engraver's mistake of not crossing the t's. </p>
<p><strong>Lee</strong>: Named in honor of General Robert E. Lee by J.L. Martin who came to South Fork Valley in 1869. </p>
<p><strong>Maggie Creek</strong>: (Near Carlin) On early maps the stream was called Robin's Creek or Martin's Fork. A Scotch family, on their overland trek to California in 1849, camped near the stream and named it Maggie after one their little girls. </p>
<p><strong>Metropolis</strong>: (Twelve miles northwest of Wells) A land promotion scheme of the Pacific Reclamation Company. Using a name denoting a large city and prosperity, the company started the place in 1911. Drought, water rights litigation, high interest rates, jackrabbits and Mormon crickets contributed to the demise of the town and surrounding farms. </p>
<p><strong>Midas</strong>: First called Rosebud, then Gold Circle, because mines encircled the town. Its name was changed to Midas because Postal officials felt there were too many towns beginning with "gold" and would not establish a post office there unless the name was changed to Midas, a mythical king. Everything he touched turned to gold. </p>
<p><strong>Montello</strong>: An Indian word meaning "rest." The place was a small station on the Central Pacific Railroad. The watering place called Montello is actually eight or so miles from town. </p>
<p><strong>Oasis</strong>: (Between Wells and Wendover) Named after the Oasis Ranch of E.C. Hardy, a horse raiser in the Toana area in the late 1880s. </p>
<p><strong>Owyhee</strong>: Peter Skene Ogden of the Hudson's Bay Company first called the river the Sandwich Island River when two Hawaiians in his group were killed there by Indians. Captain James Cook visited Hawaii in 1776 and name the largest island in the group "Owyhee." American missionaries in the islands later reduced the native language to a written form and changed the spelling to "Hawaii." </p>
<p><strong>Pilot Peak</strong>: (Eastern Elko County) Name by John C. Fremont in 1845 because it served as a guide for emigrants in their western migration. </p>
<p><strong>Pleasant Valley</strong>: Named by the Seitz brothers, Edward and George, as a descriptive name for the valley nestled at the foot of the Ruby Mountains. </p>
<p><strong>Spanish Ranch</strong>: (Independence Valley, Tuscarora area) This cattle kingdom was put together by Bernardo and Pedro Altube, Spanish Basques who came to Elko County from California in 1870. Pedro, who stood six-feet, six inches in his stocking feet was known as Palo Alto, or "tall pine," and it is said that the California town takes its name from him. Pedro was elected to the Cowboy Hall of Fame as Nevada's candidate in 1960. </p>
<p><strong>Spring Creek</strong>: From the springs on a ranch known as the McKnight Ranch. </p>
<p><strong>Starr Valley</strong>: (Between Halleck and Wells) Lieutenant Augustus Washington Starr came with Captain S.P. Smith to established Fort Halleck in 1867. After leaving the army Starr bought land in the valley and is credited with being the place's first settler. By 1870 he had left the area. </p>
<p><strong>Te-Moak Indian Reservation</strong>: (Lee) Formed in the late 1930's by the government from established private cattle operations on the South Fork near Lee. The Bureau of Indian Affairs purchased several ranches and located Native American families of the Shoshone tribe of Te-Moak Indians on them. Named for Chief Te-Moak of Ruby Valley. The name means "rope." He was named that because he braided rope. Te-Moak rose to power among his people through personal influence, not hereditary lineage. He is remembered for the treaty he negotiated with the government to allow emigrants to pass through this region unmolested by the Indians. </p>
<p><strong>Thomas Canyon</strong>: (Branch of Lamoille Canyon, Ruby Mountains) Raymond Thomas, an Elko County High School teacher, took a trip into Lamoille Canyon on a beautiful day with ten other persons on October 1, 1916. In his effort to help other members of the party caught in a surprise snowstorm, the high altitude and severe storm conditions resulted in the death of Thomas. </p>
<p><strong>Tobar</strong>: (Southeast of Wells) A town on the Western Pacific tracks. A story is told that a saloon keeper in 1909, painted a sign reading "To Bar" and pointed it in the direction of his establishment. Railroad officials looking for a name for their new town, saw the sign and promptly named the place Tobar. </p>
<p><strong>Tuscarora</strong>: Two stories; (1) Steve and John Beard named the place after the Indians living in their home state of North Carolina and (2) When the mining district was formed one of the miners had served on the U.S. Gunboat Tuscarora. The name of the boat also came from the southeastern seaboard Indians. <br /> </p>
<center> <img src="http://www.gbcnv.edu/howh/ship.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="207" /></center><center><em><span>Union gunboat "Tuscarora," </span></em></center><center><em><span>named for an Indian tribe in North Carolina </span></em></center><center><em><span>Photo courtesy of the Northeastern Nevada Museum, Elko</span></em></center>
<p><strong>Twin Bridges</strong>: (Lower South Fork, Humboldt River) Two bridges are in the area, one spans Smith Creek, the other the South Fork. </p>
<p><strong>Wells</strong>: Originally a rest stop for wagon trains, the community was settled in 1869 with the name Humboldt Wells after the river and springs that marked the beginning of the Humboldt Trail. Elko County Commissioners, on May 6, 1873, shortened the name to Wells. The town was incorporated in 1927. <br /> </p>
<center><img src="http://www.gbcnv.edu/howh/wells.jpg" alt="" width="350" height="145" /></center><center><em><span>Main street of Wells c.1911 </span></em></center><center><em><span>Photo courtesy of the Northeastern Nevada Museum, Elko</span></em></center><center><em><span> </span></em></center>
<p><strong>Wendover</strong>: An eating place run by John Cooley served the men of the sheep trails in the area and was so named because the men and flocks wended their way over this route to other grazing ranges. </p>
<p><strong>Wild Horse Reservoir</strong>: A dam was built in 1938 to store waters on the Owyhee River, which was replaced with a new structure in 1971. Wild horses were found in the area at one time. </p>
<p><strong>Wilkins</strong>: (Between Wells and Contact) Sometimes was called Thousand Springs Trading Post. Russell Wilkins was once the owner of nearby Winecup Ranch. <br /> </p>
<center><img src="http://www.gbcnv.edu/howh/dingbat.jpg" alt="" width="46" height="13" /></center><center> </center>
<div align="right"><em>Edited by Howard Hickson<span style="color: #000000;"> </span></em></div>
<div align="right"><em><span style="color: #000000;">September 14, 1998 </span></em></div>
<p> <br />I give my sincere thanks to my longtime friend, Edna Patterson, who is, without a doubt, the premier historian of northeast Nevada. In 1964 she compiled a small book of local place names published by the <em>Elko Independent</em>. In 1977 the Northeastern Nevada Historical Society published parts of the original book in its <em>Quarterly.</em></p>
<p><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica;">© 1998 by Howard Hickson. If any portion or all of this article is used or quoted proper credit must be given to the authors.</span></p>
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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What's in a Name? Elko County Place Names
Subject
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Story from Howard Hickson's Histories regarding Elko County, Nevada place names and their origin.
Description
An account of the resource
Story from Howard Hickson's Histories regarding Elko County, Nevada place names and their origin. The complete article is at the bottom of this page.<br /> <br /><a title="Names article original webpage" href="http://gbcnv.edu/hickson/names.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">View Original Webpage [archive website]</a>
Creator
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Howard Hickson
Publisher
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Great Basin College
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Howard Hickson's Histories archive: <a title="Names article original webpage" href="http://gbcnv.edu/hickson/names.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">http://gbcnv.edu/hickson/names.html</a>
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09/14/1998
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Great Basin College
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c. 1998 Howard Hickson. Used with permission of author.
http://humanities.gbcnv.edu/omeka/items/show/103 [admin access only]
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html
Community
Crossroads
Great Basin
HHH
history
Meaning
Nevada
Northeastern Nevada