Ely Nevada
Ely, Forging The Link Overview
In the mid to late 1800s, Ely was surrounded by silver, gold, and copper mines.
In 1887, it became the seat of White Pine County.
Ely was the headquarters for the Nevada Northern Railway which connected Ely to the transcontinental railroad.
In 1913, a road through Ely was incorporated into the transcontinental Lincoln Highway.
Category
- Mining
- Railroad
Marker Type
Metal Stand
Nevada Historical Marker Number
Ely Nevada is Nevada Historical Marker #269.
Click here to view the full list of Nevada State Historical Markers.
County
GPS Coordinates
39.248205 -114.891086
Nevada Historical Marker Transcription
James H. Simpson put the future site of Ely on the map during his 1859 exploration through the Great Basin. In the 1860s, silver and gold deposits were discovered nearby in what became the Robinson Mining District. Ely developed as a regional center, becoming the White Pine County seat in 1887. The area grew dramatically in the early 1890s with major copper discoveries. The Nevada Northern Railway, headquartered in East Ely, carried ore from the mines in Ruth to the McGill smelter, as well as connecting Ely to the world on its 150 mile route north to the transcontinental railroad.
The towns of eastern Nevada were joined during the late nineteenth century by a network of wagon roads. In 1913, the road through Ely was incorporated into the transcontinental Lincoln Highway, though it was not paved until 1922. Ely had over 2,000 residents and offered many services, making it an excellent stopping place on the long road across the Great Basin. When the copper industry declined after World War I, the struggling town turned to travelers for income.
The Lincoln Highway was designated U.S. 50 in 1926. By mid-century the popularity of the Victory Highway, now Interstate 80, reduced U.S. 50 to the status of “The Loneliest Road in America.”
In addition to the Lincoln Highway, two other major national roadways converge at Ely. The Midland trail, designated Route 6 in 1937, was an early coast to coast automobile road that also connected Ely to Tonopah and southern California. U.S 93, which passes north-south through Ely takes travelers from Canada almost to the Mexican border.
STATE OF NEVADA HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE
AT&T
Land Services, Inc.
MACTEC Engineering and Consulting, Inc.
Ely Renaissance Society
Bureau of Land Management, Ely District
References Used
Ely Nevada