Lander County Nevada
Lander County Nevada Overview
Click here to view all of our articles related to Lander County, Nevada.
Year Established/Founded
1862
Lander County Nevada History
Created under an act approved on December 19, 1862, boundary changes were made on February 20, 1864, March 1, 1866, March 5, 1869, and March 7, 1873.
Once Nevada was granted statehood in 1864, Lander County was one of the nine original counties formed. Known as the “Mother of Counties, the Nevada counties of Elko County, Eureka County, and White Pine County were formed from it.
The county seat was to be decided by the legal voters at a general election to be held on the first Wednesday in September 1863. Meanwhile, Jacob Springs (Jacobsville) was the temporary seat. The election made Austin the permanent county seat.
It was named in honor of General Frederick W. Lander, mentioned in the history of the Indian War of 1860, who was the chief engineer in charge of the construction, by the US Government, of a wagon road across Nevada. He died as a Brigadier General in 1862 in Virginia during the Civil War.
Timeline
- 1862 – Lander County was created and sprang forth as the result of a mining boom on the Reese River, along the old pony express line; taking a considerable portion of Churchill and Humboldt counties with it.
- Spring 1862 – Its first county seat was Jacob’s Spring in 1862.
- 1863 – County seat moved to Austin.
- 1979 – County seat moved to Battle Mountain.
The population of Lander County Nevada
As of the 2020 census, the population was 5,734.
National Register of Historic Places
Below are the National Register of Historic Places located in Lander County, Nevada, and the location of each.
- Austin Cemetery – August 14, 2003 Northern and southern sides of U.S. Route 50 near its junction with State Route 305 – Austin
- Austin City Hall – August 14, 2003 90 South St. – Austin
- Austin Historic District – November 23, 1971 In Pony Canyon at the junction of State Route 8A and U.S. Route 50 – Austin
- Austin Masonic and Odd Fellows Hall – August 14, 2003 105 Main St. – Austin
- Austin Methodist Church – August 14, 2003 135 Court St. – Austin
- Gridley Store – August 14, 2003 247 Water St. – Austin
- Lander County Courthouse – August 14, 2003 122 Main St. – Austin
- Lander County High School – July 20, 2000 130 6th St. – Austin
- Nevada Central Turntable – August 14, 2003 Off Austin Roping Arena Rd. on the southern side of U.S. Route 50 – Austin
- St. Augustine’s Catholic Church – August 14, 2003 113 Virginia St. – Austin
- St. George’s Episcopal Church – August 14, 2003 156 Main St. – Austin
- Stokes Castle – August 14, 2003 Along U.S. Route 50 west of Austin – Austin
- Toquima Cave – April 4, 2002 Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest – Austin
Historical Points of Interest in Lander County Nevada
Nevada Historical Markers in Lander County Nevada
Lander County is home to ten 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.
- #8 Austin
- #59 Stokes Castle
- #66 Jacobsville
- #67 Austin Churches
- #95 Battle Mountain
- #119 Reuel Colt Gridley
- #136 Toquima Cave
- #137 Hickison Summit
- #176 The Surveyors (Nevada)
- #208 International Hotel
Towns in Lander County Nevada
Lander County has no incorporated communities. The following places are located in Lander County:
Census-designated places
- Austin
- Battle Mountain (county seat)
- Kingston
Unincorporated community
- Pittsburg
Ghost Towns in Lander County, Nevada
- Amador
- Argenta
- Austin
- Bailey
- Bannock
- Battle Mountain
- Betty Oneal
- Bridges
- Buckingham Camp
- Bunker Hill
- Burro
- Buzanes Camp
- Canyon
- Canyon City
- Catons
- Clifton
- Clinton
- Copper Basin
- Copper Canyon
- Cortez
- Curtis
- Dillon
- Dry Creek Station
- Frisbie
- Galena
- Geneva
- Gold Acres
- Grass Valley
- Guadalajara
- Gweenah
- Hilltop
- Hot Springs
- Jacobsville
- Kingston
- Lander
- Ledlie
- Lewis
- McCoy
- Mound Springs
- Mount Airy
- Mud Springs
- New Pass
- Pittsburgh
- Ravenswood
- Silver Creek
- Simpson Park
- Skookum
- Smith Creek Station
- Starr
- Telluride
- Tenabo
- Trenton
- Vaughns
- Walters
- Yankee Blade
Click here to view Ghost Towns in Nevada.
Adjacent Counties
- Elko County – north
- Eureka County – east
- Nye County – south
- Churchill County – west
- Pershing County – west
- Humboldt County – northwest
Lander County, Nevada Landforms
Lakes in Lander County, Nevada
- Alkali Lake
Mountains in Lander County, Nevada Bunker Hill is the highest mountain in Lander County, within the Toiyabe Range of central Nevada, United States. It is the twenty-second highest mountain in the state. The peak is located within the Austin Ranger District of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, about 17 miles south of the small town of Austin and just northwest of the small town of Kingston.
- Augusta Mountains
- Battle Mountains, Nevada
- Fish Creek Mountains
- New Pass Range
- Sheep Creek Range
- Shoshone Range
- Simpson Park Mountains
- Toiyabe Range
Lincoln County, Nevada Landforms
Canyons in Lincoln County, Nevada
- Rainbow Canyon
- White River Narrows
Lakes in Lincoln County, Nevada
- Delamar Dry Lake
- Dog Bone Lake
- Groom Lake (salt flat)
- Papoose Lake
Major Roads
- Interstate 80
- Interstate 80 Business (Battle Mountain)
- U.S. Route 50
- State Route 304
- State Route 305
- State Route 306
- State Route 376
- State Route 722
- State Route 806