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