Churchill County Nevada

Churchill County Nevada Overview

Churchill County is a county in the western U.S. state of Nevada.

As of the 2010 census, the population was 24,877.

Churchill County Nevada History

Churchill County was established in 1861, and was named for Fort Churchill (which is now in Lyon County), which was named for General Sylvester Churchill, a Mexican–American War hero who was Inspector General of the U.S. Army in 1861. Churchill County was not organized until 1864, and its first county seat was Bucklands (which is now in Lyon County). In 1864 the county seat was moved to La Plata; in 1868 it was moved to Stillwater; and in 1904 it was settled in its present position, Fallon. In the 19th century there were several attempts to eliminate Churchill County because of its small population, but Assemblyman Lemuel Allen stopped it on all occasions including convincing the Governor to veto an 1875 bill after it had been passed by both houses.

The terrain of Churchill County consists of rugged mountainous ridges, dotted with lakes and ponds.

The county’s east and west sides are higher than the intermediate valley; its highest point around the county periphery is a ridge on the lower east boundary line, at 9,380′ (2859m) ASL.

The county has an area of 5,024 square miles (13,010 km2), of which 4,930 square miles (12,800 km2) is land and 94 square miles (240 km2) (1.9%) is water.

The county’s highest point is Desatoya Peak at 9,977′ (3041m), while the most topographically prominent peak is Mount Augusta, at 9,970′ (3039m) ASL.
Churchill County

Communities in Churchill County, Nevada

City

Fallon

Census-designated place

Fallon Station

Unincorporated communities

Cold Springs
Dixie Valley
Eastgate
Hazen
Middlegate
Stillwater

Historical Points of Interest in Churchill County

Nevada Historical Markers in Churchill County Nevada

Churchill County is home to seventeen Nevada Historical Markers.

As we visit each we will link the articles below for you to learn more about the history of the site the marker represents.

Click here to view Nevada Historical Markers.

Other Points of Interest in Churchill County Nevada

Churchill County Museum
Humboldt Lake
Hidden Cave
Humboldt Sink
Lahontan Reservoir
Lahontan State Recreation Area
Lake Lahontan
Love Lock Cave
Marzen House Museum
Sand Mountain
Shoe Tree
Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge
Walker Warm Spring

National Protected Areas

Fallon National Wildlife Refuge
Humboldt State Wildlife Management Area
Lahontan State Game Refuge
Lahontan State Recreation Area (partial)
Sand Mountain Recreation Area
Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge

Ghost Towns and Mines in Lincoln County, Nevada

We are grouping a few of the more popular old mining areas with the ghost towns since some are both.

The additional information comes from the 1941 Nevada Origins document.

Learn more about Ghost Towns in Nevada and Ghost Towns in the Southwest.

Bermond Station aka Frenchman – Founded in 1904, it was named for Aime “Frenchy” Bermond who was a French immigrant. The site was also known as Frenchman or “Frenchy’s from 1906 – 1920 and later as Bermond Station from 1920 – 1926.
Dixie Valley – Named by Southern Sympathizers, the abandoned town of Dixie was established at the head of Dixie Valley in 1861 and was acquired in 1995 by the US Navy for the Fallon Range Training Complex (FRTC).
Fairview – The discovery of silver in 1905 helped found Fairview which was prosperous until 1912 with the post office closing in May 1919. One of the few remnants of the old town is the bank vault from the first town site’s bank, which can be seen from the nearby Austin-Lincoln Highway.
Jessup – Briefly known as White Canyon, Jessup was founded in 1908 after silver and gold mines were claimed. All that remains today are a few dilapidated wood buildings and abandoned mines. Jessup is home to Nevada’s tallest radio tower, Shamrock-Jessup, which is home to six radio stations.
Lahontan City – Active from 1911 – 1915, the city was established to house the workers who lived there to build the Lahontan Dam.
La Plata – Named for the Spanish word for “the silver,” La Plata, is located in the Stillwater Mountains near Mountain Wells, not much remains other than the old courthouse walls.
Miriam
Nevada City – It was founded in 1916 as a socialist community known as the Nevada Cooperative Colony, but due to misleading advertising, mismanagement, and possibly dubious financial dealings by the Nevada Colony Corporation’s directors, who were connected with the similar Llano del Rio colony near Los Angeles, the project folded in 1919.
Ocala
Parran – Established in 1910, this ghost town was home to a telegraph station and a post office, which closed in 1913.
Ragtown – The name Ragtown came from the rags cast off by the tattered clothing of immigrants that were hung in bushes to dry after being washed. Abandoned in 1854, Ragtown was a trading post west of Fallon, Nevada.
Salt Wells – Borax was discovered in Salt Wells, Nevada by William Throop who brought in the American Borax Company in 1870 to build plants to produce borax from the deposits found in the area.
Stillwater – A 19th-century ghost town, Stillwater was the county seat of Churchill County, Nevada until it was moved to Fallon, Nevada in 1903. Named after the sluggish waterway, Stillwater Slough, the town grew around the Pony Express stop.
White Cloud City – Named for a canyon known for iron mines, White Cloud City was also known as Coppereid (coined by copper miner John T. Reid).
White Plains – Named for the soda deposits from a nearby plain, White Plains was also known as While Plains Station and Whiteplains. Silver mining began in 1864 and a mill was established in 1864 but closed shortly after due to the shortage of fuel and water. Stone ruins are visible in the area.
Wonder – Established in 1906, Wonder was an active mining town for over a decade and by 1919 the vines “dried up” and the town slowly became the ghost town it is today.

Post Office

The Federal Building and Post Office, also known as the Old Post Office or Fallon Post Office is located at 90 N. Maine St. in Fallon, Nevada.

It was built around 1928-29 and is a Classical Revival-style building of a standard design. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

Zip codes for Churchill County, Nevada: 89406, 89407, 89408, 89496

Click here to view all of our articles related to Churchill County, Nevada.