Photos courtesy of Mike Sinnwell September 2005
Eureka Nevada Townsite – Ghost town
Just passing thru and could not resist the temptation to snap a few photos. I was in a hurry as a storm was chasing me so I did not spend much time. If you get a chance stop in and see the original original courtroom complete with original wainscoting, pressed tin ceiling, and chandeliers.
Silver was discovered here in 1864 and some people claim this was the first important lead silver discovery in America. It took another 5 years before Eureka was born in 1869 but by 1878 around 9,000 folks called eureka home. Can you imagine this town with 100 saloons? Well it had that many plus the usual assortment of gambling houses, theaters, churches, hotels and opera houses. The newspaper, Eureka Daily Sentinel, was started in 1870 and is still printed today. (2015).
Yes, Eureka suffered as other mining towns did with several major fires, recessions, floods and ore veins that played out. Eureka’s star is still burning today, just not as bright as it did over a 150 years ago. Eureka is located on the Loneliest Road in America, Highway 50 across Nevada.