Category: Railroad

Juan Nevada – Clark County Ghost Town

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Juan, Nevada, was a minor railroad siding and transient settlement in southeastern Clark County, Nevada, during the early 20th-century mining boom in the region. Located in the remote desert near the California border, approximately 15-20 miles east of Searchlight and close to the Barnwell area (now part of California’s Mojave National Preserve region), Juan emerged as a logistical point supporting gold mining operations. It was not a full-fledged town with permanent residences but rather a functional stop along a short-line railroad that facilitated ore transport during a period of intense prospecting activity in southern Nevada.

Historical Background and Development

The origins of Juan trace back to the early 1900s, when gold discoveries in the Searchlight district (about 1897-1900s) sparked a regional mining rush in Clark County. Searchlight itself became a bustling camp with thousands of residents, mills, and infrastructure. To connect these remote mines to broader markets, the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway constructed the Barnwell & Searchlight Railway between 1906 and 1907. This narrow-gauge (later standard-gauge) line ran from Barnwell, California (on the main Santa Fe line at Goffs), eastward into Nevada, terminating at Searchlight after about 23 miles.

Juan served as one of the key sidings (stopping points for loading/unloading) along this route, likely named informally or after a local figure, prospector, or geographic feature—exact etymology remains obscure in historical records. The siding’s location placed it in a disputed border area: early maps and claims sometimes placed parts of the mining region in California, leading to overlapping tax claims by both Nevada and California authorities. Miners and operators paid taxes to both states until a formal survey in the early 1900s confirmed the area’s placement in Nevada, resolving the confusion.

At its peak around 1907-1910, Juan would have featured basic railroad infrastructure, including tracks, a loading platform, water tanks (essential in the arid desert), and perhaps temporary tents or shacks for railroad workers and miners. The Barnwell & Searchlight Railway hauled gold ore from Searchlight-area mines westward to Barnwell for processing and shipment. Activity at Juan was tied directly to the fluctuating fortunes of Searchlight’s mines, such as the Duplex, Quartette, and others producing high-grade gold.

The railway and its sidings like Juan represented a brief era of optimism in southern Nevada’s mining landscape, fueled by the same broader forces that drove booms in nearby districts like Goodsprings and Eldorado Canyon.

Decline and Abandonment

The decline of Juan was swift and tied to the broader collapse of the Searchlight mining boom. By the mid-1910s, many veins played out, water shortages plagued operations, and World War I shifted national priorities away from gold production. The Barnwell & Searchlight Railway ceased operations around 1919-1923, with tracks eventually salvaged or abandoned. Without the railroad, remote sidings like Juan lost all purpose. The site faded into obscurity by the 1920s, leaving no permanent community.

(Note: Juan is distinct from other similarly named sites in Clark County, such as San Juan—an earlier 1860s silver camp in Eldorado Canyon near present-day Nelson—or other ghost towns like Potosi or Goodsprings.)

Current Status

Today, Juan is a true ghost site with virtually no visible remnants. The desert has reclaimed the area: any railroad grades, ties, or structures have eroded or been buried by sand and vegetation over a century. It lies on public lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in a remote, off-road-accessible part of Clark County, near the California-Nevada line and within the general vicinity of the Piute Valley and Castle Peaks area.

No buildings, markers, or maintained trails exist at the precise location. The site is occasionally referenced in railroad history books (e.g., David F. Myrick’s Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California) and ghost town enthusiast resources, but it attracts few visitors due to its isolation and lack of features. Nearby Searchlight remains a small living town with historic mining remnants, but Juan itself is unmarked and largely forgotten—accessible only to dedicated off-road explorers or historians with GPS coordinates.

In summary, Juan exemplifies the ephemeral nature of early 20th-century Nevada mining support sites: born of railroad necessity, thriving briefly amid gold fever, and vanishing when economic viability ended. It left no lasting imprint beyond faded maps and obscure references, a quiet footnote in Clark County’s rich mining heritage.

Barnwell California

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In the sun-scorched expanse of the eastern Mojave Desert, where the New York Mountains rise like jagged sentinels against the relentless blue sky, lies the faint imprint of Barnwell—a once-bustling railroad junction and supply hub that epitomized the fleeting dreams of the early 20th-century mining boom. Located in northeastern San Bernardino County, California, at an elevation of approximately 4,806 feet, Barnwell straddles the invisible line between ambition and abandonment, its weathered remnants whispering tales of gold strikes, iron horses, and the unforgiving desert that reclaimed it all. Originally known as Manvel (and briefly as Summit), the site was renamed Barnwell in 1907 to avoid confusion with a Texas town of the same name. Today, it stands as a classic Mojave ghost town: no population, no services, just scattered foundations, rusted relics, and the endless howl of wind through creosote bushes. Its story is inextricably linked to the gold fields of nearby Searchlight, Nevada, and a constellation of smaller mining camps across the California-Nevada border, forming a web of interdependent outposts fueled by ore and optimism.

Origins and Railroad Foundations (1890s–1905)

Barnwell’s genesis traces back to the late 19th-century silver and gold rushes that dotted the Mojave with ephemeral camps. In 1892, Denver mining magnate Isaac C. Blake eyed rich silver deposits in Sagamore Canyon within the New York Mountains. To transport ore efficiently, Blake constructed a reduction mill in Needles and laid tracks for the Nevada Southern Railway northward from Goffs (on the main Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe line) toward the mines. The railroad reached a temporary camp called Summit, then pushed onward to a more permanent siding dubbed Manvel in honor of Santa Fe president Charles F. Manvel.

By 1898, Manvel had evolved into a vital freight hub, supporting nearby operations like the Copper World Mine and emerging gold discoveries 20 miles east in what would become Searchlight, Nevada. The town boasted a general store, hotel, blacksmith shop, post office, and stage lines radiating outward. Entrepreneurs like T.A. Brown of the Brown-Gosney Company established telephone lines, freight services, and branch stores, knitting together a fragile economic network across the desert. Manvel’s strategic position—straddling the California-Nevada line—made it a gateway for supplies heading to Vanderbilt (California), Hart, and the Piute Mountains, as well as nascent camps in Nevada.

Boom Years and the Searchlight Connection (1906–1908)

The true catalyst for Barnwell’s brief glory arrived with the explosive gold boom in Searchlight, Nevada, sparked by strikes in 1902–1903. As Searchlight swelled to over 1,500 residents, demand for reliable transport skyrocketed. The competing San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad (later Union Pacific) skirted too far north to serve Searchlight directly, prompting the Santa Fe to counter with the 23-mile Barnwell and Searchlight Railway. Construction began in May 1906 and finished by March 1907, with the line branching northeast from Barnwell (the renamed Manvel) across the state line to Searchlight.

Along this spur lay key sidings, including Juan—a minor railroad stop just over the Nevada border that briefly sparked confusion when both states attempted to tax it until surveys confirmed its location in Nevada. Juan served as a watering point and minor freight depot, its existence wholly dependent on the Barnwell-Searchlight lifeline. Other stops and nearby camps included Crescent and Hart in Nevada, and Goffs, Ivanpah, and Vanderbilt back in California.

Renamed Barnwell in 1907, the town pulsed with activity: ore wagons thundered in from distant claims, saloons quenched thirsty miners, and the Brown-Gosney store dominated commerce. For a fleeting moment, Barnwell was the Mojave’s beating heart, funneling tools, food, and hope to Searchlight’s Quartet, Duplex, and other rich mines.

Decline and Desertion (1908–1920s)

Prosperity proved as ephemeral as a desert mirage. The Barnwell and Searchlight line opened just as Searchlight’s high-grade ore began pinching out. A national financial panic in October 1907 triggered a depression, and Barnwell introduced scrip currency—prompting an exodus of families. Catastrophe struck in September 1908 when fire ravaged the business district, destroying the depot and Brown-Gosney’s flagship store. The depot never reopened; another blaze in May 1910 sealed the town’s fate.

As Searchlight withered after 1911, traffic on the spur dwindled. T.A. Brown relocated his family in 1912, and by the 1920s, the railroad was abandoned—tracks ripped up during World War II scrap drives. Barnwell faded into obscurity, its buildings crumbling under the Mojave’s merciless sun and wind.

Relationship with Juan, Nevada, and Surrounding Towns

Barnwell’s fortunes were symbiotically tied to its neighbors:

  • Juan, Nevada: Essentially a child of the Barnwell and Searchlight Railway, Juan was a simple siding with water facilities, located mere miles across the state line. It existed solely to support through-traffic to Searchlight and resolved an early border tax dispute. Today, Juan is an even fainter ghost than Barnwell—little more than graded roadbed and scattered debris.
  • Searchlight, Nevada: Barnwell’s primary raison d’être. The 23-mile rail link made Barnwell the supply artery for Searchlight’s boom, but when Searchlight busted, Barnwell hemorrhaged life.
  • Goffs, California: The southern anchor where the spur connected to the main Santa Fe line; an older railroad town that outlasted Barnwell.
  • Vanderbilt, California: An earlier gold camp northeast of Barnwell, whose decline in the 1890s freed resources for the Searchlight push.
  • Hart and Crescent, Nevada: Minor camps along or near the rail line, dependent on Barnwell for freight.
  • Nipton, California, and Cal-Nev-Ari, Nevada: Later developments nearby, but post-dating Barnwell’s heyday.

This cluster formed a fragile desert ecosystem: ore flowed out, supplies flowed in, all balanced on iron rails that the desert ultimately severed.

Current Status

Barnwell remains a true ghost town—uninhabited, unmarked by signs, and accessible only via rough dirt roads off Interstate 15 or from Nevada Route 164. Within the vast Mojave National Preserve (though the immediate site is on private or unpreserved land), visitors encounter subtle ruins: concrete foundations from the depot era, scattered bricks, old wells, a derelict homestead, and a lone water tank silhouetted against the horizon. The railroad grade is still visible in places, cutting arrow-straight through sagebrush toward Searchlight.

No facilities exist; high-clearance 4WD is recommended, especially after rains that turn washes into quagmires. Off-road enthusiasts and history buffs occasionally pass through, photographing the stark beauty or tracing the old Barnwell and Searchlight right-of-way. Drones capture the isolation best: a grid of faded streets swallowed by creosote, with the New York Mountains looming eternally indifferent.

Barnwell endures not as a tourist draw like Calico or Bodie, but as a quiet monument to the Mojave’s boom-and-bust rhythm—a place where the wind erases footprints almost as quickly as dreams once formed them. For the intrepid, it offers profound solitude and a tangible link to the wild era when railroads chased gold across state lines, only to retreat when the veins ran dry.

Carrara Nevada – Nye County Ghost Town

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Carrara is a historic ghost town located in southern Nye County, Nevada, within the Amargosa Desert. Situated approximately 8.5 to 10 miles southeast of Beatty and adjacent to U.S. Route 95, the townsite lies on the valley floor at an elevation of about 2,881 feet. It is named after the renowned marble-producing city of Carrara in Italy, reflecting ambitious hopes that its local deposits would rival the famous Italian quarries. To the northeast, a former railroad grade (now a dirt road) ascends about 3 miles up Carrara Canyon on the southeast flank of the Bare Mountains to the old marble quarry, which sits roughly 1,400 feet higher in elevation. The site was once served by spurs from the Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad and later the Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad.

Unlike the gold and silver boomtowns that dotted early 20th-century Nevada, Carrara was uniquely founded on marble quarrying — a rare commodity in the region’s mining history. Its story exemplifies the classic boom-and-bust cycle of the American West, driven by optimism, geological challenges, and economic realities in a harsh desert environment.

Carrara in Nye County Nevada

Discovery and Founding (1904–1913)

Marble deposits in the area were first identified as early as 1904, but initial attempts to quarry them yielded poor results due to highly fractured stone that produced only small, unusable pieces. Prospectors persisted, and in 1911, a more promising vein was located, leading to the formation of the American Carrara Marble Company under president P.V. Perkins, with Eastern investors providing capital.

The company platted a townsite on the flat desert floor below the quarry, strategically positioned along the Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad for shipping. Infrastructure developed rapidly: a 9-mile pipeline brought water from Gold Center across the valley (a rarity in the arid region), electricity was supplied, and a 3-mile inclined cable railway (using a Lidgerwood counterbalance system) transported marble blocks downhill from the quarry to the finishing mill and rail spur.

On May 8, 1913, Carrara was officially dedicated with great fanfare — a grand celebration featuring a ball, live music from a Goldfield band, a baseball game, and swimming in the new town pool. That same day, the town’s newspaper, the Carrara Obelisk, published its first issue, and a post office opened shortly after (operating until 1924). Amenities included a hotel, store, restaurant, saloon, dance hall, telephones, electric lights, and even a public park with a flowing fountain fed by the pipeline — luxurious features that made Carrara stand out in the desolate Nevada landscape.

Boom Period and Operations (1913–1917)

At its peak around 1915–1916, Carrara boasted about 150 residents and roughly 40 buildings. The quarry produced a variety of marble types, including pure white, blue, black, yellow, and striped varieties, which promoters claimed were chemically superior to Italian Carrara or Colorado Yule marble. Blocks were partially finished at the townsite mill before shipment via railroad, primarily southward on the Tonopah & Tidewater line after a spur was added.

The American Carrara Marble Company invested heavily, completing the cable railway in 1914 and shipping the first slabs that year. The town fostered a sense of community, with the Obelisk chronicling local events and aspirations. For a brief moment, Carrara represented a diversified industrial future beyond precious metals, capitalizing on proximity to West Coast markets.

Decline and Abandonment (1917–1920s)

Despite the hype, geological issues doomed the venture. Much of the marble was too fractured and impure for large-scale commercial blocks, competing poorly with higher-quality sources from Vermont and abroad. Production costs soared, and by late 1916, the Nevada-California Power Company deemed the operation unprofitable and cut electricity to the quarry.

Operations halted in 1917, the Obelisk ceased publication that year, and the railroad discontinued service to Carrara in 1918. Residents departed quickly, leaving the town abandoned by the early 1920s. A brief gold rush in 1929 sparked minor excitement, including the short-lived Carrara Miner newspaper promoting the Gold Ace Mining Company, but it failed to revive the site.

Later attempts, such as a 1940s proposal for a white cement plant using crushed marble (and nearby unrelated Elizalde cement ruins from the 1930s), also collapsed without success.

Current Status

Carrara remains a classic Nevada ghost town — uninhabited, with no active population or commercial activity. The desert has largely reclaimed the site, leaving minimal physical remnants visible from U.S. 95. Key surviving features include:

  • Concrete foundations of buildings (e.g., the hotel, with scattered marble tile fragments).
  • The iconic concrete basin of the town fountain, one of the most intact structures.
  • Cellars, scattered debris, and railroad grades (including the old cableway route up to the quarry).
  • At the quarry itself in Carrara Canyon: abandoned equipment, openings in the mountainside, and accessible veins of white marble (collectible in small amounts by visitors, though the area is remote and requires off-road travel).

The townsite is easily accessible via a short, bumpy dirt road east from Highway 95 (near mile marker 51), making it a popular stop for ghost town enthusiasts, historians, and off-road explorers. The quarry road is rougher and leads to the Bare Mountains base. No modern development has occurred, and the area falls under public land management, preserving its desolate, historic character. Nearby ruins (e.g., the 1930s cement plant) are sometimes confused with Carrara but are distinct.

Carrara’s legacy endures as a poignant reminder of Nevada’s transient mining era: grand dreams dashed by nature’s unforgiving realities, yet offering quiet ruins that whisper of a fleeting marble empire in the desert.

Carrara Town Summary

NameCarrara Nevada
LocationNye County, Nevada
Population 150
Post OfficeMay 5, 1913 – September 15, 2914
NewspapersCarrara Obelisk Feb 7, 1914 – Sept 9, 1916
Carrara Miner July 21, 1929

Carrara Trail Map

Carrara Nevada Newspapers

Carrara Miner Newspaper

The Carrara Miner was a brief newspaper published in Carrara, Nevada, a small ghost town in Nye County located approximately nine miles south of Beatty.…

Carrara Obelisk

The Carrara Obelisk was a short-lived but significant weekly newspaper published in the early 20th century in Carrara, Nevada, a small marble quarrying town located…

Resources

Borate and Daggett Railroad

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More details Borate & Daggett Rail Road in Mule Canyon on way to Borate – Courtesy National Park Service, Death Valley National Park
More details Borate & Daggett Rail Road in Mule Canyon on way to Borate – Courtesy National Park Service, Death Valley National Park

The Borate and Daggett Railroad, a 3-foot narrow-gauge railway operational from 1898 to 1907 in California’s Mojave Desert, was a critical infrastructure project for the borax industry. Stretching 11 miles from Daggett to the Borate mining camp, it replaced inefficient mule teams, significantly reducing transportation costs for colemanite borax. Built by the Pacific Coast Borax Company under Francis Marion Smith, the railroad featured innovative engineering, including Heisler locomotives and a roasting mill for on-site ore processing. Despite its success, declining ore quality and the discovery of richer deposits elsewhere led to its abandonment in 1907.

Background

Francis Marion "Borax" Smith
Francis Marion “Borax” Smith

The borax industry gained prominence in the late 19th century due to the mineral’s applications in detergents, glass, and metallurgy. In 1883, colemanite deposits were discovered in the Calico Mountains, acquired by William Tell Coleman, who relied on twenty-mule teams to transport borax to railheads. After Coleman’s bankruptcy in 1890, Francis Marion Smith, the “Borax King,” took over, forming the Pacific Coast Borax Company. By 1899, the renamed Borate mine was the world’s largest, producing 22,000 short tons annually. The high cost and slow pace of mule teams necessitated a more efficient transport solution, leading to the railroad’s construction.

Construction and Design

Completed in 1898, the Borate and Daggett Railroad was a 3-foot narrow-gauge line designed to navigate the Calico Mountains’ 7% grades. The 11-mile route connected the Borate mine to Daggett, a Santa Fe mainline hub. Two Heisler steam locomotives, “Marion” and “Francis,” powered the line, leveraging geared drive systems for steep terrain. A roasting mill at the midpoint, named Marion, processed ore into burlap bags, and a third rail facilitated transfers to standard-gauge boxcars. The narrow gauge design and Heisler technology minimized costs while ensuring reliability in the harsh desert environment.

Operations and Economic Contributions

Borate & Daggett Heisler locomotive #2 "Francis" (s/n 1026), at Daggett, California in 1910. The locomotive helped to construct the Death Valley Railroad in 1913, before being sold to the Nevada Short Line Railway in 1916 where it retained its number #2.[4] It ended its days working for the Terry Lumber Company (later Red River) at Round Mountain, California until about 1925.
Borate & Daggett Heisler locomotive #2 “Francis” (s/n 1026), at Daggett, California in 1910. The locomotive helped to construct the Death Valley Railroad in 1913, before being sold to the Nevada Short Line Railway in 1916 where it retained its number #2. It ended its days working for the Terry Lumber Company (later Red River) at Round Mountain, California until about 1925.

From 1898 to 1904, the railroad was integral to the Pacific Coast Borax Company’s operations, transporting large colemanite volumes at lower costs than mule teams. The Marion mill enhanced efficiency by processing ore on-site. The railroad bolstered
Daggett’s role as a regional hub, supporting jobs and infrastructure. However, narrow gauge limitations, such as small train capacities, occasionally constrained output. At its peak, the railroad underpinned Borate’s status as the world’s leading borax mine, driving economic growth in the Mojave Desert.

Decline and Abandonment

More details Borate & Daggett Heisler locomotive #1 "Marion" (s/n 1018), at Daggett, California in 1910. It went on to work for the Forest Lumber Company in Oregon until the lumber mill at Pine Ridge burned to the ground in 1939.
More details Borate & Daggett Heisler locomotive #1 “Marion” (s/n 1018), at Daggett, California in 1910. It went on to work for the Forest Lumber Company in Oregon until the lumber mill at Pine Ridge burned to the ground in 1939.

By 1904, Borate’s colemanite quality declined, prompting Smith to focus on richer deposits at the Lila C. Mine in Death Valley. The Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad, completed in 1907, served the new mine, rendering the Borate and Daggett Railroad
obsolete. Mining at Borate ceased in 1907, and the railroad was abandoned. Rails were scrapped, and equipment was left in Daggett or repurposed for the Death Valley Railroad. The Heisler locomotives were later sold to the Forest Lumber Company in Oregon until they closed in 1939.

Legacy

The Borate and Daggett Railroad demonstrated the efficacy of narrow-gauge systems for mineral transport, influencing projects like the Death Valley Railroad. Its equipment reuse and documented history, including photographs and railbeds, preserve its legacy . The railroad exemplifies the interplay of technology and economics in the borax industry, highlighting the transient nature of resource-driven infrastructure in the American West.

Borate and Daggett Railroad Summary

NameBorate and Daggett Railroad
LocationMojave Desert, San Bernardino, California
Length11 miles
GageNarrow Gauge – 3 feet (914 mm)
Operational

Borate and Daggett Railroad Map

Palisade Nevada

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Located along the banks of the Humboldt River in Eureka County lies the remains of a railroad town critical to the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. The townsite was named for Palisade Canyon and located west of town. The narrow canyon is a major barrier in the construction of the railroads. The townsite was plotted in 1868 and served as a train station for the Central Pacific Railroad. Soon the town became a transportation hub which served Mineral Hill, Eureka, Hamilton and other mining camps in the region.

Palisade, Nevada in the 1870's. A busy railroad town. Two separate ox teams can be seen resting in the street. There were scheduled runs of the teams, hauling supplies to mining camps nearby. - Stanley W. Paher, Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps, (1970), Howell North, p 192, John Zalac collection
Palisade, Nevada in the 1870’s. A busy railroad town. Two separate ox teams can be seen resting in the street. There were scheduled runs of the teams, hauling supplies to mining camps nearby. – Stanley W. Paher, Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps, (1970), Howell North, p 192, John Zalac collection

A Railroad Town

In May, 1870, the town establishes a Post Office. Shortly thereafter, in 1874, the Eureka and Palisade Railroad in established. Following the formation of this transportation conduit to Eureka, the population of Palisade flourished. By the end of the 1870’s the town boasted commercial stores, houses, two churches, a school along with a multitude of hotels and saloons.

Although the town has a low crime rate and a sheriff, it did maintain the pretext of the wild western town. It is common, when a train arrived, the the residents would stage “gunfights” and “bank robberies” in order to boost tourism. In 1885, the town builds a new train telegraph office and train station, which services both railroads.

Tracks of the Central Pacific Railroad and two story station seen in downtown Palisade. - Stanley W. Paher, Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps, (1970), Howell North, p 192, John Zalac collection
Tracks of the Central Pacific Railroad and two story station seen in downtown Palisade. – Stanley W. Paher, Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps, (1970), Howell North, p 192, John Zalac collection

Nearby, the mines in Eureka begin to fail in 1885. As the mines declined so did the railroads, jobs and population.

In 1908, the Western Pacific Railroad travels through the town and serviced Northern Nevada. Following flooding of the Humboldt River in 1910, all three railroads are damaged and the town never recovers to its previous acclaim.

President Hoover Assassination Attempt

Rail Watchman Shot as He Fights 2 Men With Dynamite at Nevada Bridge

Both Suspects Escape

17 Sticks of Explosive are Found on Right of Way

Elko, Nev. November 8, 1932 – What Southern Pacific officials said they believed was an attempt to wreck President Hoover’s special train was frustrated near Palisade, west of here, last night, when a watchman surprised and frightened away two men carrying sticks of dynamite near the railroad right-of-way.

New York Times – November 9, 1932 

Palisade Nevada Map

Palisade Nevada lies along the banks of the Humboldt River just west of Nevada State Route 278. The town site is about 10 miles (16 km) south of Carlin, and about 33 miles (53 km) southwest of Elko.

Nevada State Historic Marker 65

Nevada State Historical Markers identify significant places of interest in Nevada’s history. The Nevada State Legislature started the program in 1967 to bring the state’s heritage to the public’s attention with on-site markers. These roadside markers bring attention to the places, people, and events that make up Nevada’s heritage. They are as diverse as the counties they are located within and range from the typical mining boom and bust town to the largest and most accessible petroglyph sites in Northern Nevada Budget cuts to the program caused the program to become dormant in 2009. Many of the markers are lost or damaged.

The Nevada State Historic Marker is located near the intersection of Nevada Route 278 and Palisade Ranch Road.

Located in the tank-like depths of Palisade Canyon, Palisade—first named Palisades—was surveyed and laid out by the Central Pacific Railroad in February 1870.  During the 1870s, it rivaled Elko and Carlin as a departure point on the Central Pacific for wagon, freight, and stage lines to Mineral Hill, Eureka, and Hamilton.

In October 1875, with completion of Eureka and Palisade Railroad, Palisade became the northern terminus and operating headquarters for this little, ninety-mile narrow-gauge line stretching southward to Eureka.  Between 1875 and 1930, the town was the principal transfer and shipping point on the Central Pacific (which later became the Southern Pacific) and on the Western Pacific Railroad after its 1909 completion.

At its peak, the town boasted a population of 300.  It was a self-contained community, and railroading was its business.  There were passenger and freight stations, sidings on both the Southern Pacific and Western Pacific Railroads, and a large ore transfer dock between the narrow gauge and standard gauge lines.  All Eureka and Palisade (Eureka-Nevada after 1912) headquarters facilities were situated here.

After the narrow-gauge line ran its last train in September 1938, Palisade went into a long decline.  The post office was finally closed in 1962.

STATE HISTORICAL MARKER NO.  65
STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE
NORTHWESTERN NEVADA HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Town Summary

NamePalisade Nevada
Also Known byPalisades, 10-Mile Canyon, 12-Mile Canyon
LocationEureka County, Nevada
Latitude, Longitude40.6102, -116.1986
Elevation4,850 feet
GNIS847450
Nevada State Historic Marker No65
Population300
Post OfficeMay 1870 – 1961

References