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.

 

Ely (Murray Creek Station)

DIRECTIONS: Located on U.S. 50.

"While discoveries were made as early as 1864, the town of Ely didn't form until 1870. Most mining was based in Mineral City, a few miles to the west. The original water rights on Murray Creek were controlled by J. R. Withington, but when George Lamb platted the Ely townsite in 1870, Withington relinquished the rights. The townsite, with only a few cabins, was more of a stage stop than a town. The first real house in town was built by Harry Featherstone, who ran the Murray Creek Station and post office. Featherstone also constructed a restaurant and a small hotel. Later he sold all of his holdings to R. A. Reipe, who enlarged the hotel and named it the Ely Hotel. The town was first called Ely during 1878, in honor of Smith Ely, president of the Selby Copper Mining and Smelting Company. The company built several smelting furnaces in Ely and gave the town its first real start. A post office opened in November, but Ely progressed very slowly. The population hovered between 25 and 30 until 1885.

In 1885, $5,000 was appropriated for construction of a courthouse. While a number of new stone buildings were built, most of the pre-1885 buildings in Ely were made from lumber salvaged from Ward and Taylor, nearby towns that had fallen on hard times. Sol Hilp, a prominent Nevada businessman, opened a store here. Then he ventured into politics, and his vast fortune soon vanished. Telephone service, along with light and power, arrived in 1886, controlled by A. P. Crompton. After the state legislature designated Ely as the new White Pine County seat in 1887, the town grew steadily until, by the end of the year, it was a bustling business center. Wells-Fargo opened an office to manage the flow of bullion through the district. The White Pine News moved to Ely in October 1888, from the fading town of Taylor. The paper, managed by W. L. Davis, remained in Ely until September 1907.

By 1890 Ely had a population of about 300 and was serviced by four stage lines: Ely-Eureka (six weekly trips), Ely-Frisco, Utah (two trips), Ely-Sunnyside (one trip), and Ely-Cherry Creek (two trips). In addition, a mail stage came to Ely seventeen times a week. Ely's economic prosperity was directly tied to the success of the mines located near Mineral City, Ruth, Kimberly, and Veteran. While Ely continued to grow, it wasn't until 1906 that the town really began to boom. Glowing reports of the richness of the Ely district attracted hundreds of hopeful people, including famous Nevadan Tex Rickard, who spent $15,000 to build the Northern Hotel.

The event of 1906 was the arrival of the Nevada Northern Railway on September 29. A big railroad-days celebration was planned, but the train arrived a day early! Mark Requa drove a special copper spike to complete Ely's economic lifeline. By the end of 1906, close to 5,000 residents were packed into Ely. The population explosion necessitated the building of a $35,000 schoolhouse in 1907. The financial panic of 1907 threatened to slow Ely's growth, but completion of the McGill Smelter in 1908 brought the town to new heights. Then low copper prices after World War I did slow growth. The copper mines closed, and the town's population shrank significantly. The mines were reopened during the 1940s and Ely revived. Now that the mines and McGill Smelter have once again closed, Ely is experiencing tough times once more. The town still has about 4,500 residents, and with new developments at Ward, Taylor, and Hamilton, and a new prison, Ely is looking optimistically toward the future. Hope springs eternal among the citizens that the copper mines will reopen and Ely will boom once again. Total production for the Ely district copper mines stands at more than $1 billion, making it the most productive copper district in Nevada history. When visiting Ely, be sure to visit the White Pine Museum and the East Ely Railroad Depot Museum. The latter is located at the old East Ely depot, where train rides are offered. These two facilities offer an excellent look at White Pine County's glorious past."

 

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