White Pine County

White Pine County

At 8,877 square miles, White Pine County is the fifth largest county in north eastern Nevada and borders with the state of Utah. The county boasts clean air and water, dark skies, history and millions of acres of unspoiled public land ready for exploration.

The county is home to the  Great Basin National Park, one of America’s most remote and least visited national parks. It is also contains fourteen federally designated wilderness areas, offering an abundance of terrain available to explore for outdoorsmen and women.

European steelers arrived in the area began farming, ranching, mining exploration, activity generated by the Pony Express Trail which passes through the county.

Ruby Valley, White Pine County, Nevada - Ruby Valley Pony Express Station - photo taken in 1944
Ruby Valley, White Pine County, Nevada – Ruby Valley Pony Express Station – photo taken in 1944

The county was established by the Nevada legislature in 1869 from Lander County  The county is named after the heavy growth of limber pine trees in the area, which were then called white pine.  The first county seat was Hamilton which held the honor from 1869 to 1887, In 1887, a dire in Hamilton caused the county seat to relocated to Ely.

Designated Wilderness Areas

  • Bald Mountain Wilderness (Humboldt NF)
  • Becky Peak Wilderness (BLM)
  • Bristlecone Wilderness (BLM)
  • Currant Mountain Wilderness (Humboldt NF) partly in Nye County, NV
  • Goshute Canyon Wilderness (BLM)
  • Government Peak Wilderness (BLM)
  • High Schells Wilderness (Humboldt NF)
  • Highland Ridge Wilderness (BLM)
  • Mount Grafton Wilderness (BLM) partly in Lincoln County, NV
  • Mount Moriah Wilderness (Humboldt NF / BLM)
  • Red Mountain Wilderness (Humboldt NF) partly in Nye County, NV
  • Shellback Wilderness (Humboldt NF)
  • South Egan Range Wilderness (BLM) partly in Lincoln County, NV; Nye County, NV
  • White Pine Range Wilderness (Humboldt NF)

White Pine County Map

White Pine County 4×4 Trails

Pony Express Riders "Billy" Richardson, Johnny Fry, Charles Cliff, Gus Cliff - Ernest and Elaine Hartnagle (original tintype from the Martin E. Ismert Collection - Kansas City, Missouri) - http://www.historybuff.com/library/refrichardson.html

The Pony Express Trails and Stations In Nevada

The Pony Express operated for a very brief period of time from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861. The mail service allowed quick delivery…

White Pine County Points of Interest

Articles published by Destination 4x4 which are tagged as points of interest located in White Pine County, Nevada

Ghost Towns of White Pine County, Nevada

Aurum, Nevada – White Pine County Ghost Town

Ghost Towns of White Pine County, Nevada Aurum is a historic ghost town and mining camp in White Pine County, eastern Nevada, situated in Silver…
Ghost Towns of White Pine County, Nevada

Cherry Creek, Nevada – Nevada State Historic Monument

Ghost Towns of White Pine County, Nevada The Cherry Creek area, located in northern White Pine County, Nevada, has a rich history tied to its…
Copper Country, Eureka pit / Copper Flat pi, Libery Pit, Robinson Mining District, White Pine County Nevada

Copper Country – Nevada State Historic Marker 9

Located in White Pine County, Nevada is Copper Country, Nevada State Historic Marker number 9. Copper Country, Eureka pit / Copper Flat pi, Libery Pit,…
Ghost Towns of White Pine County, Nevada

Eightmile, Nevada – White Pine County Ghost Town

Ghost Towns of White Pine County, Nevada Eightmile (also known as Eight Mile or Eight Mile Station) is a historic locale and ghost town site…
Photo of Fort Ruby as it appeared in 1868, when famed western photographer Timothy Sullivan captured this image.

Fort Ruby

Fort Ruby, also known as Camp Ruby is an old U. S. Army post which was built in 1862 during the American Civil War, The post is located in…
Main Street in Hamilton, Nevada, 1869 showing the two-story Withington Hotel,

Hamilton Nevada – White Pine County Ghosttown

Perched at an elevation of 8,058 feet in the stark, sagebrush-draped foothills of the White Pine Range, Hamilton stands as a weathered sentinel in White…
Ghost Towns of White Pine County, Nevada

Hobson, Nevada – White Pine County Ghost Town

Ghost Towns of White Pine County, Nevada Hobson is a small ghost town in White Pine County, eastern Nevada, located in or near Ruby Valley…
Drawing of Jedediah Strong Smith (1799–1831), created around 1835 after his death by a friend from memory. It is the only contemporary image of Smith.

Jedediah Strong Smith – Nevada State Historic Marker 84

Jebediah Strong Smith was an early frontiersman, hunter, trapper, author, cartographer, mountain man and explorer of the western United States and the subject of Nevada State Historic Marker number…
Photograph of the town of Kimberly, Nevada, taken in the 1940s

Kimberly, Nevada – White Pine County Ghost Town

Kimberly was a 20th-century copper mining company town in White Pine County, eastern Nevada. It was located in the Egan Range, west of Ruth and…
Ghost Towns of White Pine County, Nevada

Lages Station, Nevada – White Pine County Ghost Town

Ghost Towns of White Pine County, Nevada Lages Station (also known as Lage's Junction or Lages Junction) is a small ghost town and roadside settlement…
Nevada Northern Railway

Nevada Northern Railway – Nevada State Historic Marker 100

Nevada Northern Railway The Nevada Northern Railway (NN) was established to serve the burgeoning copper mining industry in White Pine County, Nevada, following the discovery…
Ghost Towns of White Pine County, Nevada

Osceola Nevada – Nevada State Historic Marker 98

Ghost Towns of White Pine County, Nevada Osceola, Nevada, located in White Pine County near Great Basin National Park, was the state’s most significant and…
Ruby Valley, White Pine County, Nevada - Ruby Valley Pony Express Station - photo taken in 1944

Ruby Valley Station

n was started in 1859 as part of George Chorpenning's mail route. Later the station served the Pony Express and Overland Mail Company line in…
Ghost Towns of White Pine County, Nevada

Schellbourne Nevada – Nevada State Historic Marker

Ghost Towns of White Pine County, Nevada Schellbourne, located in the Schell Creek Range in White Pine County, Nevada, approximately 43 miles north of Ely,…
Ghost Towns of White Pine County, Nevada

Shermantown, Nevada – White Pine County Ghost Town

Ghost Towns of White Pine County, Nevada Shermantown (also spelled Sherman Town) was a short-lived but significant mining and milling settlement in White Pine County,…
Main Street, Taylor Nevada 1882

Taylor, Nevada – White Pine County Ghost town

Taylor, Nevada, located in White Pine County approximately 15 miles southeast of Ely, was a quintessential mining boomtown of the late 19th century. Established following…
Pony Express Riders "Billy" Richardson, Johnny Fry, Charles Cliff, Gus Cliff - Ernest and Elaine Hartnagle (original tintype from the Martin E. Ismert Collection - Kansas City, Missouri) - http://www.historybuff.com/library/refrichardson.html

The Pony Express Trails and Stations In Nevada

The Pony Express operated for a very brief period of time from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861. The mail service allowed quick delivery…
Ghost Towns of White Pine County, Nevada

Treasure City Nevada – White Pine County Ghost Town

Ghost Towns of White Pine County, Nevada Perched precariously atop Treasure Hill at elevations exceeding 9,000 feet in the rugged White Pine Range of western…

Nevada State Historic Markers

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. Budget cuts the program became dormant in 2009.
Ghost Towns of White Pine County, Nevada

Cherry Creek, Nevada – Nevada State Historic Monument

Ghost Towns of White Pine County, Nevada The Cherry Creek area, located in northern White Pine County, Nevada, has a rich history tied to its…
Copper Country, Eureka pit / Copper Flat pi, Libery Pit, Robinson Mining District, White Pine County Nevada

Copper Country – Nevada State Historic Marker 9

Located in White Pine County, Nevada is Copper Country, Nevada State Historic Marker number 9. Copper Country, Eureka pit / Copper Flat pi, Libery Pit,…

Ely Forging The Link – Nevada State Historic Marker

The "Forging the Link" historical marker in Ely, Nevada, encapsulates the story of a town that became a vital hub in the American West due…
Main Street in Hamilton, Nevada, 1869 showing the two-story Withington Hotel,

Hamilton Nevada – White Pine County Ghosttown

Perched at an elevation of 8,058 feet in the stark, sagebrush-draped foothills of the White Pine Range, Hamilton stands as a weathered sentinel in White…
Drawing of Jedediah Strong Smith (1799–1831), created around 1835 after his death by a friend from memory. It is the only contemporary image of Smith.

Jedediah Strong Smith – Nevada State Historic Marker 84

Jebediah Strong Smith was an early frontiersman, hunter, trapper, author, cartographer, mountain man and explorer of the western United States and the subject of Nevada State Historic Marker number…
Nevada Northern Railway

Nevada Northern Railway – Nevada State Historic Marker 100

Nevada Northern Railway The Nevada Northern Railway (NN) was established to serve the burgeoning copper mining industry in White Pine County, Nevada, following the discovery…
Ghost Towns of White Pine County, Nevada

Osceola Nevada – Nevada State Historic Marker 98

Ghost Towns of White Pine County, Nevada Osceola, Nevada, located in White Pine County near Great Basin National Park, was the state’s most significant and…
Ruby Valley, White Pine County, Nevada - Ruby Valley Pony Express Station - photo taken in 1944

Ruby Valley Station

n was started in 1859 as part of George Chorpenning's mail route. Later the station served the Pony Express and Overland Mail Company line in…
Ghost Towns of White Pine County, Nevada

Schellbourne Nevada – Nevada State Historic Marker

Ghost Towns of White Pine County, Nevada Schellbourne, located in the Schell Creek Range in White Pine County, Nevada, approximately 43 miles north of Ely,…
Main Street, Taylor Nevada 1882

Taylor, Nevada – White Pine County Ghost town

Taylor, Nevada, located in White Pine County approximately 15 miles southeast of Ely, was a quintessential mining boomtown of the late 19th century. Established following…

Ward Charcoal Ovens

The Ward Charcoal Ovens, located in the Ward Mining District of White Pine County, Nevada, approximately 11 miles south of Ely, are a remarkably preserved…

Ward Mining District – Nevada State Historic Marker

The Ward Mining District, located in White Pine County, Nevada, near the present-day town of Ely, is a significant chapter in the state’s mining history.…

References