Ely in White Pine County, Nevada — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Nevada Northern Railway

Photographed By Bill Kirchner, October 4, 2013

1. Nevada Northern Railway Marker

Inscription. Mark Requa's Nevada Consolidated Copper Company built a 150-mile line from Cobre on the Southern Pacific to Ely in 1905-06 to haul ore from Copper Flat mines west of Ely.

Ore was loaded into railroad gondolas at Copper Flat for the trip to the smelter at McGill, over a double-track trestle 1720' long. The trestle burned in 1922 and was replaced with an earth fill.

Passenger service and the "school train" carrying McGill youth to Ely High School ended in 1941. Copper ore still moves over the railway between the Copper Flat pit and the McGill concentrator and is still shipped out to Cobre. Freight trains also occasionally still ply the track between Ely and Cobre on the Southern Pacific and Ely and Shafter on the Western Pacific.

Erected by Nevada State Park System, White Pine Museum, Inc. (Marker Number 100.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical year for this entry is 1922.

Location. 39° 15.155′ N, 114° 52.716′ W. Marker is in Ely, Nevada, in White Pine County. Marker is at the intersection of Aultman Street and Odgen Avenue, on the right when traveling west on Aultman Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Ely NV 89301, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 14 miles of this marker, measured

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as the crow flies. Ely - Forging the Link (approx. ¾ mile away); U.S. Post Office Ely, Nevada - 1937 (approx. 0.8 miles away); The Liberty Pit (approx. 0.9 miles away); Jedediah Strong Smith (approx. 3½ miles away); Copper Country (approx. 5.1 miles away); The Ward Cemetery (approx. 12.3 miles away); Ward Mining District (approx. 13.2 miles away); Taylor (approx. 13.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Ely.

Also see . . . New Amended Text for Marker. The Nevada State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) recently updated the text of the roughly 260 state historical markers in Nevada. The Nevada SHPO placed the amended text of each individual marker on its website and will change the actual markers in the field as funding allows. Minor changes have been made to the marker for grammar and readability. In regards to content, the marker was amended to update the current status of the railroad. The railroad ceased operations in 1983 and part of the line currently serves the Nevada Northern Railway Museum for live steam rides. Also, the East Ely shop complex for the railway was listed as a National Historic Landmark District in 2006. The link will take you to the Nevada SHPO page for the marker with the amended text. (Submitted on November 12, 2013, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas.)

Photographed By Bill Kirchner, October 4, 2013

2. Nevada Northern Railway Marker

Photographed By Bill Kirchner, October 4, 2013

3. Nevada Northern Railway Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on October 19, 2013, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. This page has been viewed 557 times since then and 27 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 19, 2013, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.