POPULATED TOWNS IN WHITE PINE COUNTY, NEVADA
BAKER - A small populated town with a business
center just outside the Great Basin National Park and Lehman
Cave.
The town is named for Absalom S. Lehman, an early settler
who first discovered the Cave named for him. One story of the discovery is that he
was riding his horse one day and its leg fell though a hole. Absalom later enlarged
the hole and discovered the cave with its thread-like helictites, dripstone columns,
stalactites and stalagmites.
Ab Lehman was born in PA on January 6, 1827, one of ten
children, to a Mennonite preacher. Absalom was raised in Ohio and all of his
siblings had biblical names.
Absalom Lehman became one of the 49ers who went to CA to
seek gold but did not find it. Then Lehman went to Australia and married Mary Taylor, a
young English girl. Mary Lehman died in childbirth along with their second daughter
in 1861. The eldest daughter, Lucy, was brought to America and reared by Ab's
brother, Jacob. Lucy Lehman later married a Denver streetcar conductor named Brown
and had two sons, Harry and Frank. Both boys moved to CA and had no descendants.
In 1869, Ab built a house and barn and planted an orchard
near Lehman Cave then he went to Ohio and married his second wife, Olive Smith. She
had no white neighbors, and saw only Indians for years. They had three children, one of
whom died in infancy. They had a son and a daughter, Laura Nevada Lehman, all born
in 1871 at the Caves. Olive was forced to leave the Cave area for Ohio in 1881 due to
health problems and wanting to see that her children got an education. Olive Smith
Lehman died in Ohio of TB in 1885 while Ab was visiting his wife and family. The children
were left there to be raised and never saw their father again.
Laura Nevada Lehman married Louis Mellenbruch, a
Northeastern Kansas farmer and had nine children, seven sons and two daughters. Many
of the children moved to southern Texas.
Absalom Lehman died in Salt Lake City on October 11, 1891
and was buried in the Mt. Olivet Cemetery in Salt Lake City, UT.
The Rhodes then bought the Cave area from the estate and
promoted the Cave until in middle 1920's when they were taken over by the government as
the Lehman Caves National Monument.
Indian
Hanged at Baker
CHERRY CREEK -
(1859)
Cherry Creek is located 55 miles north of Ely just off Hwy 93 at the end of S. R. 489.
Named for the wild choke-cherry bushes that grow nearby. It is a pioneer city of the Pony
Express and the Overland Telegraph days. There is some mining activity here today. The
town has a handful of year-round residents and a bar. A museum is displayed in the old
school house. Cherry Creek has three cemeteries.
The remains of the old horse race track can be discerned. Pictures
Jerry
Bowen's ©
Stories of Cherry Creek, White Pine County, Nevada
ELY - (1878)
At junction of US Highways 50, 6, and 93. Ely is 320 miles east of Reno, 190 miles
southeast of Elko and 245 miles north of Las Vegas. Ely was first called Murray
Creek Station where a stage stop was established at the mouth of Robinson Canyon . Large
color map of Ely and surrounding areas.
Joseph Featherstone operated a stage station and post
office in the Henry Riepe Building located on the corner of Aultman Street and Murry
Street. The Riepe building was the first structure to be erected on land now within
the Ely townsite. Henry Riepe's cousin, Richard A. Riepe, was the third Ely
Postmaster. Infamous Riepetown was named for Henry Riepe. The second building
in Ely was built by Albert Heusser and was being used as a blacksmith shop in 1907.
Ely celebrates its birthday on November 29, 1878 when the
new Post Office of Ely, Nevada was established. The Post Masters to 1949 were:
Name
|
Appointed |
Comments |
| James S. Rokoal |
November 29, 1878 |
|
| Harry Featherstone |
April 25, 1879 |
|
| Richard A. Riepe |
August 27, 1887 |
|
| William B. Graham |
July 22, 1889 |
|
| Sol Hilp |
July 14, 1893 |
|
| James P. McComie |
November 8, 1897 |
|
| William B. Graham |
April 20, 1901 |
(second term) |
| Quincy W. Hull |
April 2, 1908 |
|
| Edmund Q. Hull |
December 24, 1914 |
(Acting Postmaster) |
| George P. Annand |
March 3, 1915 |
|
| Vincent J. Russ |
November 24, 1918 |
(Acting Postmaster) |
| James D. Wallace |
July 28, 1919 |
|
| Henry J. Marriott |
February 7, 1928 |
|
| Alfred Tamblyn |
June 10, 1935 |
Cornerstone was laid in 1936 for the Postoffice located at 415
corner of Fifth & Clark Streets. |
| Donald S. Shaver |
May 4, 1943 |
(Shaver was the first postmaster to be
selected under the Civil Services System.) |
| Darrell G. Hooper |
September 30, 1946 |
(Acting Postmaster) |
| Darrell G. Hooper |
May 13, 1949 |
|
| Ron Diciano |
|
|
| Max Guyman |
|
|
| Michelle Camacho |
1994 |
New Postoffice building construction began in 1998 at 2600
Bristlecone Avenue. PO moved into in new building 1999. |
A. D. Campton owned the property that
became the Ely townsite, locating the land as a placer mine site but later abandoned the
project. The large deposits of copper in the Robinson Mining District made it too
difficult to extract gold and silver ore in the mining processes that were in use in the
early days.
Ely became the second White Pine County seat in 1887 when
the courthouse burned in Hamilton for the second time. Legislation during 1887 moved
the county seat to Ely and the town became a permanent one. The Fall of 1887 saw the
first term of court in the new frame courthouse before it was finished. A canvas served as
a roof and as protection from the elements. A. L. Fitzgerald (later Chief Justice of the
Nevada Supreme Court) was the first presiding judge. Ely was chosen as the county
seat because three major roads converged at that site. The roads became Highway 50, 6 and
93. Ely's population stayed at about 400 people until the copper boom and the
arrival of the Nevada Northern Railroad in the early 1900's.
In 1907 the population was estimated over 2,000 and the
town had electricity, two banks, several general stores, two daily newspapers, schools and
churches.
Ely grew in residences in the Murry Canyon area and
elsewhere during the middle 1950's when the Kennecott mine company sold their company
owned houses and buildings in McGill, Ruth, Kimberly, and elsewhere to its employees. The
buildings at all of the towns but McGill had to be moved and many were moved to Ely or New
Ruth.
Pictures
Ely --
A Play In Three Acts
Significant Buildings
Walking Tour
Businesses, Churches, Organizations
Ely City Cemetery, Ely, White
Pine County, Nevada
Most of these interment
files are very large and will take
some time to download.
LUND - (1898 )
Lund is a small agricultural community established by Mormon settlers. Lund has a
cemetery and is about 2 miles east of Preston.
Postmasters:
Arthur Carter May 1931 - Nov 1961
Lund
area and school history link
Lund
School website
Lund pictures
McGILL -
(1906) (Pictures)
McGill is a small town bordering US 93, 12 miles north of Ely. Named for William N. McGill
who sold part of his ranch property for the Steptoe Valley Mining and Smelter Company
(Nevada Consolidated Copper Co.) (Later Kennecott).
The smelter and reduction plant was built
during 1906 to 1908 to process copper ore that was mined west of Ely. Water was
readily available from Duck Creek. Tailings were deposited in a pond on land owned
by the Cumberland & Ely.
The McGill ranch Post Office had been established in 1891.
After the mill was built, the little settlement was briefly known as Smelter before being
changed to McGill. McGill was a "company town" that was strictly managed
by the copper company. Houses of ill repute and gambling dens were prohibited. The town
was segregated by nationality and the center of town was reserved for only those who had
reached high status jobs within the mining company. Residents lived in neighborhoods
segregated according to their national origin.
The concentration mill, other buildings and trestle which
covered an area of nine acres caught fire and burned to the ground in July 1922. By
1930, the mill was rebuilt and handled 14,000 tons of copper ore daily.
McGill has remained populated and has a business center.
The local swimming hole is just north of the town. The historical and intact
McGill
Drugstore Museum and soda fountain is a step into the past.
Smelter at McGill ca.
1909 - panoramic view - Library of Congress
NEW RUTH - (1954 -
present)
New Ruth is located on State Road 44, 2 miles southwest of its junction with US 50 at a
point 7 miles northwest of Ely. Dubbed as the "traveling town," the site of Ruth
has relocated at least three times, possibly five times. Ruth was originally named for
Ruth McDonald (Marcotte), the only daughter of D. C. (Dan) McDonald, locator of the
original Ruth Mine that touched off the Ely area copper boom.
The Old Ruth townsite now lies beneath the huge tailings
of the Ruth Mine's open pit. Most all of the buildings were moved a short distance to New
Ruth or to Ely in the middle 1950's when mining operations were extended by Kennecott
Copper Mines. In February 1958 most of the buildings had been moved to New Ruth and
Kennecott was offering 165 single unit homes, 2 apartment building, 12 dorms, the staff
house and a few vacant lots for sale at prices ranging from $2,500 to $4,000.
Citizens of the brand new town of New Ruth held a special
meeting on July 9, 1958 and the "people" created the New Ruth Town
Council. The seven people elected to represent New Ruth to the County Commissioners
were: Chairman Mike Marich, Secretary Bob Bransford, Marshall Dale, Gail Moulton, Galen
Brouse, Gordon Frisby, and Dale Brown.
The county had stated that New Ruth had been excluded from this years budget (1958). The
first issue of business for the new Ruth Town Council Members was vote a resounding
"NO" on paying the county a special levy of $2.40 per house per month for street
lighting and $2.00 per month per house for street maintenance.
The New Ruth residents felt since the county had accepted the town plat in February 1958,
the streets and lights became the property of the county at that time. The new town
council went on to say that all 173 single-family homes in New Ruth were already on the
tax rolls and paying taxes so the residents should not have to pay the special levy.
Today the five New Ruth Council members are:
Chairman Martin J. Sorenson, Linda Ream, Connie DeLeon, Courtland Hall and Doyle Howes.
Mary Sorenson is the secretary.
Postmasters over the years in Ruth have been: pre 1923 was
___ Slojsanski; Post 1923: Mrs. Helen Willis, ___ Reinmund, Art Lewis, Zoe Kenyon,
Carl Hutton, (Acting) Elsie Arnn, Imogene Van Camp, Virginia Rowe, (OIC) Geneal Spencer,
(OIC) Donna Rowe, and since 1980 is Sharon Pickens.
Businesses in New Ruth in the 1999 include two bars, The New Ruth Club and the Commercial
Club, a post office, the DeLeon convenience store & car wash, a locksmith, two RV
Parks, two Laundromats, Webpanda.com, a web publishing business, a garage, pellet stove
supplier, mobile home and apartment rentals, and the Swap Meet, a recycling
business. The McKay School of Mines has summer classes in the old hospital / safety
building. All are located within a one block area on or near Main Street.
Pictures
Old Ruth ca 1912 -
Library of Congress - Excellent Panoramic Photo
Ruth was a "company town" that was
strictly managed by the copper company. Houses of ill repute and gambling dens were
prohibited.
Click on this view taken from Liberty 2 Pit
to see large photo. Shaputis Photo 1998
New Ruth has the following businesses:
Commercial Club - R. V. Park - Laundromat
DeLeon's Convenience Store and Car Wash
Ken's Lock & Security
New Ruth Club - Laundromat
Webpanda.com
PRESTON -
Preston is a small agricultural community established in the spring of 1898 by Mormon
settlers and named for William B. Preston, the elderly fourth presiding Bishop of the LDS
Church in Utah.
The land the townsite rests on was originally the
Maddox or Matties Ranch which operated pre 1896. In 1890, the ranch was leased by
Stephen Williams and in 1892, Agnes Timpson was teaching two children at the ranch. In
1894 Virginia Carothers was the ranch teacher.
Thirteen wagonloads of settlers left Moroni, Utah to
settle in White River Valley, via Water Canyon, arriving on March 20, 1898. Preston was
laid out near one of several springs that gushed up from underground.
Z. D. Bradley, presiding elder, and his wife, Martha Jane,
built the first wood home in 1898. William Davis and John Horsley, a rock mason,
manufactured bricks on the flat area between Lund and Preston. Albert Madison was
considered to be an excellent cabinet maker.
The first store was a log cabin operated by Mart Peterson
and H. A. Comins. The store was sold to Chris and Jim Jensen and later, to James Summers.
Other store operators over the years were: Marie Jensen, Dan Nicholas and Hyrum Whitlock.
Soren Peterson, the first choir leader, was also the
father of the first baby born at Preston. His son was named Preston Peterson after the
town where he was born. Early musicians were George Morley, Z. D. Bradley, and Andrew
Jensen.
The first teachers were: May Rutledge, then Louise Lewis
of Ely, NV and she was followed by Violet Redd of St. George, UT.
The First Postmaster was Oliver Cloward, followed by Tom
Windous, whose wife, Margaret Windous, was a midwife and doctor. Herbert Allred served as
a Deputy Sheriff in Preston for fifteen years.
Effie O. Read related a humorous story about a couple of
original settlers, Agnes and Jim Bernson, in her Preston article published in the Ely
Daily Times dated March 22, 1962. It seems that one day a stranger arrived at the Bernson
home to see Jim Bernson regarding a business matter. Agnes Bernson answered the door and
stepped out to point to where her husband was out working in the field.
Jim Bernson was attempting to rake hay using a fractious
team of horses. As the stranger and Agnes we looking in the direction of the field, they
watched the team bolt, tipping the hay rack over and throwing Jim Bernson to the ground.
The hay rack was quickly demolished from bouncing behind the runaway horses.
The stress of the moment caused Mrs. Bernson to excitedly
grab the man standing next to her and scream, "My God, you'll not get to see him now
for there goes Jim Bernson to hell in the band wagon."
Preston is located about 2 miles west of Lund and
has a small cemetery.
Home Page
White Pine
Cemeteries and Burials
White Pine County Interactive Map
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