Thorne Nevada

Thorne Nevada Overview

Thorne was a railroad junction station on the Southern Pacific branch line, the railroad point for Hawthorne, Nevada, which is seven miles south, in Mineral County, Nevada.

Newspaper searches through my resources came up with very little in referencing Thorne, Nevada.

Today, not much is left of the town’s existence.

Click here to view other Ghost Towns in Nevada and Ghost Towns in the Southwest.

Thorne Nevada History

I can’t find how the town got its name so I made up my own theory! Since Thorne was a shortcut for Hawthorne, the word was shortcutted to Thorne. How’s that for a theory? Well, that is one theory and the other could be it was named after one of the Thorne family members in the area.

Year Established/Founded

1881

Timeline

1881 – Thorne was a station on the Carson and Colorado Railway
1905 – The spur line to Hawthorne was abandoned and Thorne became the terminus for Hawthorne
1909 – 1910 – Thorne “became a very busy place” because of the boom at the Lucky Boy Mine and was reported to have two saloons
July 1, 1912 – The post office opened
September 30, 1921 – The post office closed
1929 – Construction of the nearby Hawthorne Army Depot, started with Thorne being the shipping point
1937 – Thorne was served by the Hazen Mina branch of the Southern Pacific Railroad
1983 – The Thorne Depot and the Wabuska Railroad Station were scheduled to be demolished. The Thorne Depot was eventually demolished, though some parts from it were moved with the Wabuska Railroad Station to the Nevada State Railroad Museum.

Post Office

July 1, 1912 – September 30, 1921

Elevation

4,196′

GPS Coordinates

38° 36′ 6.71″ N, 118° 35′ 29.48″ W

References Used

United States Geological Survey –
Paher, Stanley. Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps, Howell-North Books, 1970, p. 361-362
The Nevada State Writers Project Administration, Origin of Place Names Nevada, 1941, p. 44
Nevada State Journal, Thorne Station Was a Busy Place, Sunday, December 16, 1945