Battle Mountain Nevada
Battle Mountain Nevada Overview
Battle Mountain is an unincorporated town in and the county seat of Lander County, Nevada.
Year Established/Founded
December 8, 1866
Mines
Gold and copper mines.
Timeline
- 1866 – When copper ore was discovered and mining began in 1866, the Central Pacific Railroad started a station to support the mining activity.
- 1879 – Ulysses S. Grant spoke in the town during his western speaking tour.
- 1917 – President Woodrow Wilson established Battle Mountain Indian Colony by executive order.
- 1919 – Nevada’s Red Scare Miners held a ten-day strike at the Battle Mountain Copper Mines.
- May 15, 1979 – The voters of Lander County approved the move of the county seat from Austin to Battle Mountain in a special election. In a subsequent ruling, the Nevada Supreme Court affirmed this decision.
The population of Battle Mountain Nevada
3,705 as of the 2020 census.
Things to Do Nearby Battle Mountain Nevada
- Battle Mountain Cookhouse Museum
- Carter’s Monument
- Copper Basin Moutain Bike Trail
- Historic Walking Tour
- Lewis Canyon
- Mill Creek Canyon
- Mine Tour
- Mountain View Golf Course
- Shonshone OHV Trail System
- World Human Powered Speed Challenge
Historical Points of Interest in Battle Mountain Nevada
Nevada Historical Marker – Battle Mountain
- GPS Coordinates: 40.641894, -116.934046
- Categories: Mining and railroad
- Marker type – Blue marker
Transcription of historical marker:
Battle Mountain’s name derives from the mountain range to the southwest where in the 1850s some California emigrants were allegedly ambushed by a band of Native Americans.
As a town, Battle Mountain sprung into existence in January 1870. In October 1868, the railroad established the Reese River siding here, and made Argenta, five miles eastward, its principle station and point of departure for the busy mining camps to the south. However, early in 1870, the station at Argenta was moved to this location, and the Reese River siding was renamed Battle Mountain Switch. Stage and freight roads north and south teemed with “mud wagon” stages and massive freight wagons.
From 1880 to 1938, Battle Mountain was the operating headquarters for the Central Nevada Railway, as well as the Battle Mountain and Lewis Railroad from 1881 to 1890. The town’s first copper boom developed in 1897, in the Galena (Battle Mountain) range. Battle Mountain steadily outgrew the mining town of Austin to the south, until voters moved the county seat here in 1979.
STATE HISTORICAL MARKER NO. 95
STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE
LANDER COUNTY BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Area Size
- Land 6.11 sq mi (15.83 km2)
- Water 0.00 sq mi (0.01 km2)
- Total 6.12 sq mi (15.84 km2)
GPS Coordinates
40°38′22″N 116°56′14″W
How to Get to Battle Moutain Nevada
The town is located on Interstate 80 between Winnemucca and Elko.
Battle Mountain is located at the confluence of two rivers, the Humboldt and the Reese.
The town is in the Humboldt valley between the Shoshone Range to the southeast, the Battle Mountains to the southwest, and the Sheep Creek Range across the Humboldt to the north.
- Austin – 90 miles
- Carlin – 49 miles
- Elko – 70 miles
- Las Vegas – 420 miles
- Reno – 218 miles
- Tonopah – 206 miles
- Winnemucca – 53 miles
Events
- Annual car shows
- The Basque festival
- Historic events
- Chukar Tournament
- World Human Powered Speed Challenge
References Used
- Wikipedia – Battle Mountain Nevada
- Lander County Tourism
- State Historic Preservation Office of Nevada – Nevada’s Historical Markers – Battle Mountain
Battle Mountain Nevada