In 1991 Elko was named "The
#1 small town in America" by author Norman Crampton. History
fills this town located on I-80.
Elko's most influential
characteristic is it's location, roughly at the center of the
Great Basin of northern Nevada. Historical evidence suggest the
Western Great Basin has been inhabited by Native Americans for
11,000 to 12,000 years. The general area in and around Elko was
occupied by the Western Shoshone.
Founded as a railroad town
site and rail head for the mines in 1869, Elko has served for
generations as the provincial capital of a cattle ranching empire
embracing parts of four states.
Fur trapper were the first
Euro-Americans to explore the area in the early 1800's. They were
followed by famed Explorers John Fremont and Kit Carson. John
Fremont identified the unique interior drainage and characteristics
which led to the name, Great Basin.
In 1841, the first of a
steady stream of pioneers and gold seekers passed through the
hills of Elko, making their way west in search of a new life.
Through the 1850's their wagons creaked painfully along the twisted
course of the Humboldt River, their metal-rimmed wheels cutting
tracks so deep in the rock they can still be seen today.
Along the way, some of the
pioneers settled in the valleys of this vast land ideal for raising
livestock.
The Central Pacific Railroad
gave birth to the "hell-on-wheels' tent town of Elko in 1868:
and just a year later, land plots were selling for $300 to $500
each. The town grew rapidly as a freight terminus to supply the
mines in the region. On March 5, 1869, the State Legislature Created
Elko County from part of Lander County and made Elko the county
seat.
Later the same year, the
Golden Spike was driven at Promontory Point, Utah, linking the
central Pacific and Union Pacific Railroads. Chinese laborers
who'd built the tracks for the Central Pacific Railroad were suddenly
abandoned and hundreds of the traveled west on foot and settled
in Elko. On the northern bank of the Humboldt River, the Chinese
planted Elko's first garden's, which they watered by hand. They
later built Elko's first water system and reservoir.
Cattle barons continued
to graze large herds and prosper in the Elko region until the
1889 "Winter of White Death" wiped out most of the livestock.
Soon afterward, the Basque sheepherders arrived, migrating to
Elko from the Pyrenees Mountains in Spain and France. Basque hotels
were quickly built to accommodate the sheepherders over the winter
months. Today, these establishments stills cater to the Basque;
however, they now also open their doors to guest. No visit to
Elko is complete without sampling their famous family-style Basque
cuisine and notorious Picon Punch.
Elko was one of Nevada's
best kept secrets until the 1980's when gold mining came along.
Then mining giants found a way to harvest the microscopic gold
stashed deep within the huge ore deposits of the Carlin Trend,
Just outside the city. And as they say, "The rest is history."
Elko has never been the same.
Today, Elko is a town with
a rich historic past... and bright golden future. Come share our
memories and make some new ones of your own.
Stop in and visit our
local sponsors. They can help you as you explore Elko.
