A Nevada Northern Railway History
Photo courtesy of the Nevada Northern Railway
Mine promoter Mark L. Requa organized the White Pine Copper Company to buy the Ruth Mine in January 1903. The White Pine Copper Company consolidated with the New York and Nevada Copper Company in November 1904. They needed a means to transport the copper ore and Requa convinced financiers of the benefits to bring a railroad to the Robinson District.
The Nevada Northern Railway Company was formally incorporated on June 1, 1905 and a contract was given to the Utah Construction Company to build the line from Steptoe Valley to Cobre. The steel rails were ordered from the Fuel & Iron Company at Pueblo, Colorado and the ties came from local sources around Ogden, Utah.
Construction began on September 9, 1905. Heavy snows that winter stopped the work for long periods. Two feet of snow fell in Ely on May 31, 1906. Regular service to Currie, Nevada, 63 miles from Cobre occurred on June 2, 1906. Cherry Creek, Nevada, twenty-eight miles further south, celebrated the tracks arrival on July 16, 1906.
Eight grading camps employing 350 men located the last 47 miles to Ely. The steel-gang employed 150 men, and they were followed by a Harris Track-laying machine, occasionally laying a mile and a half of track a day. 85 men in the surfacing crew followed the machine. The rails were only 19 miles from Ely on August 24, 1906.
Requa drove a special copper spike made from copper mined at the Ruth mine on Saturday afternoon, September 29, 1906. Two special trains brought crowds of people to Ely for the two-day celebration featuring speeches, band concerts, mine tours and a barbecue for 4,000 people thrown by William McGill. Two dances were held Saturday night.
Click on the small photos to see an enlarged view
|
|
|
The shortline to the McGill Smelter was finished in the evening of September 29, 1906, and the line from Hi-line Junction to the mill was finished early in 1908. It took eighteen more months to complete the 13 miles up Robinson Canyon to the mines. The delay was caused by the need for two tunnels to be drilled through the mountains. One at Keystone was eliminated at the close of World War II. The other still exists and tourists pass through it on their ride on the "Ghost Train."
The Nevada Northern Railroad, was owned by Eastern Investors who wanted to control the entire area economically, but they did not get the cooperation they wanted from the citizens of Ely. They decided to build a stone depot in an outlying area calling it Ely City (now East Ely). This was to punish Ely and leave the town "off the map."
The citizens complained to the newly formed Nevada Northern Railway Commission. After numerous hearings, the Nevada Northern Railway was forced to build this small frame depot near the courthouse. It is named after Mark L. Requa, the popular Ruth Copper Mine owner, who convinced Eastern capitalists to bring the essential railroad to Ely in 1906 to transport his copper ore to Cobre. The old depot was converted into a Senior Center in the early 1980's and named in honor of Mr. Requa.
|
|
|
The Nevada Northern Railway carried the McGill and Ruth children to school in Ely and carried them back home each day until school buses became available. The train was also used by the mines employees to get to work and back home. Mothers caught the train to ride to Ely to shop. Because there was not enough passengers to make the operation financially feasible, regular train service had to be discontinued on July 31, 1941.
Kennecott Copper Company formally presented the intact Railroad to the City of Ely when they ceased mining in White Pine County in 1979. Today tourists and residents ride rolling stock pulled by an authentic steam engine or a diesel engine through downtown Ely, past the ghost town of Lane City, up Robinson Canyon to the historic mining district of Keystone and back or on the Hi-line route past McGill and back. When the trains run, it is a common sight to see people lining the route taking photographs of the train.
The East Ely Railroad Depot
Museum focuses on the industrial development of White Pine County, Nevada as
evidenced by the massive copper production in the area which began in 1900. Located
in the historic Nevada Northern Railroad Depot building, the museum interprets mining and
transportation heritage. The Museum sits on a complex of 24 historic buildings.
The vast document collection contains thousands of documents that represent the history of
the Nevada Northern Railroad. These documents range from payroll ledgers to original right
of way maps. Some historians call it the best-preserved shortline in America. Among the
working "Ghosts" are a 1909 Alco locomotive and a 1910 Baldwin engine.
There are over 70 pieces of rolling stock and vintage buildings to see.
Pages designed by
webpanda.com