Nevada Adventure Guide by Matt Purdue

Nevada Adventure Guide by Matt Purdue

Author:Matt Purdue [Purdue, Matt]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781588430618
Google: AfXWpxIfxjoC
Publisher: Hunter Publishing, Inc
Published: 2009-10-09T00:00:00+00:00


Information Sources

Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 212, Austin, NV 89310, tel. 702-964-2200. The office is located in the Austin Courthouse.

Eureka

About 70 miles east of Austin, another relatively well-preserved Nevada boom town, Eureka, stretches for about a mile along US 50 in a narrow canyon below Richmond Mountain. The state's No. 2 mineral-producing region in the 19th century (behind Virginia City), Eureka was the site of a silver discovery in 1864. Not until five years later, however, was the process perfected for superheating the ore to separate the lead from the silver. The numerous smelters in the area left the air choked with smoke and fumes and earned the town the nickname "Pittsburgh of the West." Respiratory diseases were common and every tree for 50 miles around eventually fell victim to the furnaces. By 1878, Eureka's population of 9,000 made it the second-largest city in the state. But by 1890 the rush was over. Still, the first 100 years of mining in the region produced about $110 million in minerals.

Gold mines, found in the valleys around Eurkea, are still a major facet of the local economy, but today the air is crystal clear and a few large slag heaps are all that remain of the smelters. The main attraction here is the dozens of silver-rush-era buildings still standing, some a little less gloriously than others, but most definitely worth a gander. For more information and a self-guided tour pamphlet detailing 47 historic sites, contact the Eureka Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 14, Eureka, NV 89316, tel. 702-237-5484.

A highlight is the Eureka County Courthouse, completed in 1880 and still in use today. The building, open weekdays 8 AM to 5 PM, boasts pressed-tin ceilings and a judge's bench made of imported Spanish cedar. The Eureka Sentinel Museum on Monroe Street was built in 1879 and served as the home office of the newspaper until it ceased publishing in 1960. Today the museum displays artifacts from the town's glory years. It is open 9 AM to 5 PM daily from April through September, and Tuesday through Saturday from October through March. Two other living relics are the two-story Tatti's Saloon, where the coalburners union was formed by Italian-Americans in 1879, and the Jackson House Hotel. The shell of the building, which is still in use as a bed and breakfast, dates from 1877. But the grand dame of the town is the Eureka Opera House, one of the most extravagant in the West when built in 1880, complete with a shock-absorbing floor to withstand years of dancing. It fell into disrepair until 1991 when Eureka rallied around an effort to restore it. Singer Eddie Rabbit rechristened the place with a concert in 1994, and today it serves as an auditorium and community center. The Opera House is open 8 AM-5 PM, Monday through Friday and by appointment.



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