Culverwell’s Ranch

Culverwell’s Ranch Nevada Overview

Culverwell’s Ranch is Nevada State Historical Marker number fifty-five, which is located in Lincoln County, Nevada.

Year Established/Founded

1901

The Salt Lake Tribune 30 Apr 1905, Sun · Page 30

Culverwell’s Ranch Nevada History

William Culverwell and his little brother Charles Martin Culverwell immigrated to the United States from Somerset, England, and eventually made their home in Nevada in 1871 by the way of California and Utah.

Charles Culverwell

There is a lot of information on Charles Culverwell to dig through but we are working on it to help create the history of him and his contributions to Caliente.

Charle’s Timeline:

June 15, 1848 – Born in Somerset, England
October 29, 1882 – Married Eliza Ann Langford
1900 – Living in Meadow Valley Wash, Lincoln County, Nevada
Before 1900 – Divorced Eliza Ann Langfod
1903 – Established a meat market
April 15, 1904 – Married unknown woman
1907 – Opened a meat market in Las Vegas once the railroad was completed through Las Vegas to Los Angeles
1908 – Elected county recorder and auditor
1912-1920 – Served as county treasurer
1920-1934 – Servred as sheriff and after served as undersheriff and the Caliente city judge for two years
December 9, 1908 – Passed away in Caliente, Lincoln County, Nevada

The Pioche Record Pioche, Nevada 06 Dec 1901, Fri • Page 4

The case of Alice Culverwell and James Ryan, as administrators of the estate of Wm. Culverwell deceased, against Charles Culverwell occupied all of Monday and Tues day and was tried before the Court without a jury. Chas. Cnlverwell denied that he and William Culverwell deceased were partners as to any property save the Helene sawmill. The suit was brought to obtain a decree that Wm. Culverwell was equally interested in the lands in Meadow Valley Wash known as Culverwell ranch. The court found that William and Chas Culverwell were partners as to all such lands including what is called the homestead, but deferred entering a decree until counsel could file briefs, for which 20 days time was allowed. T. J. Osborne represented the plaintiffs and F. R. McNamee the defendant.

On Wednesday the application of Eliza Culverwell to have the decree of divorce between herself and Chas. Culverwell, modified, occupied the day. Petitioner wanted a revision of property interests and claimed part of the Cvlverwell ranch in Meadow Valley Wash; prayed also for alimony in the sum of $100.00 per month and the custody of Wm Culverwell, a minor. The decree of divorce was entered in 1896 The Court decided it had no jurisdiction to revise the property interests and refused alimony and to change the custody of the minor Wm. Culverwell on the grounds that no sufficient showing to warrant such an order had been made. Each side was required to pay its own costs. Geo S. Sawyer and Benj Sanders appeared for the petitioner, and F. R. McNamee for the defendant.

William Culverwell

William Culverwell was born November 9, 1837, in Williton, Somerset, England, and died on August 31, 1899, in Lincoln County, Nevada.

At the age of 20, he arrived in New York on August 25, 1857, on the ship, City of Washington.

He married Elizabeth A. Boyle on April 15, 1863, and they were the parents of Alice S. Culverwell who was born on July 26, 1864, in San Francisco, California.

We find him on the 1870 United States Federal Census in Elko County, Nevada, in 1875 living in Lincoln County, Nevada where he passed away on August 31, 1899. We cannot find him on the 1860 or 1880 censuses but we are continuing our search to find him and his family.

William’s Timeline:

November 9, 1837 – Born in Somerset, England
August 25, 1857 – Arrived in New York
April 15, 1863 – Married Eliza A. Boyle
May 8, 1865 – William Culverwell, deputy sheriff of Victoria, is a defaulter to the amount of $200,000. He has absconded. [New York Daily Herald – Page 5] (Is this the right William? His wife Eliza was from Victoria so how coincidental would it be for two men with an incredibly rare surname in the United States to be in Victoria?!)
July 26, 1864 – Daughter Alice S. Culverwell was born in San Francisco, California
1863 – Living in San Francisco, California
1865 – Living in San Francisco, California
1867-1868 – Living in San Francisco, California
1870 – Living in Elko County, Nevada
1875 – Living in Lincoln County, Nevada
October 9, 1886 – Henry C. Baker, William Culverwell, and Charles W. Little were released from their debts this morning. [The Sacramento Bee – Page 3]
August 31, 1899 – Died at his ranch in Meadow Valley Wash, Lincoln County, Nevada
September 1, 1899 – Buried at Panaca

Timeline for Culverwell’s Ranch

1860s – The meadow area around the junction of Meadow Valley Wash and Clover Creek was originally settled by Arkansas natives, Isaac “Ike” and Lorenzo Dow Barton.
Early 1870s – The area was known as Dutch Flat.
1874 – Ranchers Charles and William Culverwell purchased the Jackman Ranch and renamed it Culverwell Ranch. It was later referred to as “Culverwell.”
1901 – The city was known as Culverwell’s Ranch until a hot spring, located on Culverwell’s property, was found.
1901-1903 – The city was referred to as Calientes, which is Spanish for hot.
August 3, 1901 – The city’s first post office opened.
1903 – The name officially changed to Caliente.
August 1903 – A tent city was established.
1906 – A violent flash flood surged through the town destroying the city and washing out the railroad tracks, but the railroad and the city rebuilt.
1907 – Lincoln County Bank, as well as a new extension of the railroad to Pioche, opened in Caliente.
1910 – A second, larger flash flood once again leveled the city and washed out the tracks.

The Population of Culverwell’s Ranch Nevada

Before the flood, Caliente’s population was estimated at 1,700, but in the aftermath of the flood, the town rapidly declined.

The population of Caliente, Nevada is 990 as of the 2020 United States Census dropping from 1,130 from the 2010 United State Census.

GPS Coordinates

37.6133, -114.5148

How to Get to Culverwell’s Ranch Nevada

Nevada State Historical Marker No. 55 is located on the south side of US Highway 93 near the east end of Caliente.

Nevada Historical Marker Transcription

Caliente was first settled as a ranch, furnishing hay for the mining camps of Pioche and Delmar. In 1901, the famous Harriman-Clark right-of-way battle was ended when rancher Charles Culverwell, with the aid of a broad-gauge shotgun, allowed one railroad grade to be built through his lush meadows. Harriman and Clark had been baffling eleven years, building side-by-side grades ignoring court orders and federal marshals.

The population boom began with an influx of railroad workers, most of them immigrants from Austria, Japan and Turkey. Not understanding the laws and customs of the land, racial conflicts were frequent. A tent city was settled in August, 1903.

With the completion of the Los Angeles, San Pedro and Salt Lake Railroad in 1905, Caliente became a division point. In 1906-07, the Caliente and Pioche Railroad (now the Union Pacific) was built between Pioche and the main line at Caliente. The large Neo-Mission-type depot was built in 1923, serving as a civic center, as well as a hotel.

Culverwell's Ranch lincoln county nevada

L. R. Lothrop, Division Engineer of the Caliente & Pioche, R. R. with his outfit, consisting of an office-car, diner, sleeper and comissary cars, and a corps of eight men, arrived last week and engaged teams and saddle horses from “Mayor” Culverwell. [The Pioche Record • Pioche, Nevada • 11 Jan 1907, Fri • Page 1]