Please remember to exercise caution when exploring Nevada's Ghost Towns & Mining Camps. Open shafts, drifts going into mountainsides, and old buildings, are all DANGEROUS. Be aware of your surroundings, and let someone know where you are, especially if your plans change.

Palisade (Palisades)

DIRECTIONS: From Beowawe, head east on poor road for 15 miles. Exit right and follow for 3 miles to Palisade.

"Long before Palisade became an important railroad center, the area was the scene of immigrant activity. Palisade was located near a couple of major trails. The first visitor was Zena Leonard, who traveled through picturesque Palisade Canyon (named after a similar formation along the Hudson River in New York State) in 1833.

The town of Palisade came into being in 1868 and served as a stop on the new transcontinental railroad, the Central Pacific. The station quickly became prominent as the shipping point for supplies to mining districts in the eastern portion in Nevada. A post office, with John Merchant as postmaster, opened on May 2, 1870. In August 1871, the growing town suffered a setback when a fire destroyed the Sutherland block of the town and caused $50,000 in damage. Palisade recovered quickly and in 1874 grew in importance when construction of the Eureka and Palisade Railroad was begun. The town became the headquarters for the railroad and its 4 locomotives, 58 freight cars and 3 gaudy yellow passenger coaches. By 1878, more than 31 million pounds of base bullion had been shipped by the Eureka and Palisade Railroad, keeping the Palisade shipping companies extremely busy.

A couple of fraternal organizations made their homes there. The International Order of Odd Fellows and Masons constructed beautiful lodges in the town. Catholic and Episcopal churches and a schoolhouse were built. The Eureka and Palisade Railroad Company built a large shop where the freight cars for the line were manufactured, thus saving a lot of expense for the company and employing some of Palisade's residents. While Palisade had a population of close to 600 in the mid-1870s, by 1880 the town had settled down to a consistent population of 250. In 1882, a brand-new spacious railroad station was completed and served as the station house for both the Central Pacific and the Eureka and Palisade railroads. When Eureka declined, however, Palisade declined. Palisade was still the main shipping point for the mining districts to the south, but Eureka was the principal supplier of income for Palisade's businesses. As Eureka's mines slowed down, the Eureka and Palisade Railroad runs became more and more infrequent. In May 1912 the railroad was reorganized and renamed the Eureka-Nevada. In 1908, a third railroad, the Western Pacific, began operation, but its arrival did not really help Palisade. A series of disastrous floods struck the town in 1910, wiping out many of the businesses and damaging all three railroads. In 1915 Palisade still had a population of 242, but within a few years the figure had shrunk to less than 150. When the Eureka-Nevada pulled up its rails in 1938, the end of Palisade was in sight. During the following years, only a few families continued to live in the town, and the post office operated until May 26, 1961. Soon after that, Palisade became a ghost town for good. Today only two buildings remain in the town, both of them small wooden cabins. Parts of several stone buildings and wooden rubble are also left. An extensive cemetery remains on the west end of the townsite. The ride to the site is well worth the trip for the beautiful scenic views in Palisade Canyon."

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