Niles Hotel is the Beating Heart of Alturas, California

Saloon Entrance of Niles Hotel in Alturas, California

One of the centerpieces of downtown Alturas, California, is the historic Niles Hotel, located on the corner of Main and Modoc streets.

The grand structure, which takes up nearly half a city block, traces its beginnings to 1908, when work began on what was to be called the Curtis Hotel. In 1912, Jay Eugene (J.E.) Niles, a prominent local businessman (he owned a large flour mill among other things), purchased the unfinished structure, completed the second and third floors, and renamed it after himself.

For decades, the 60-room Niles, which boasts several bars, meeting space, and large banquet rooms on the first floor, served as the social center of Alturas, hosting cattlemen, businessmen, railroad workers, farmers, and loggers. 

Niles, who was born in Michigan in 1853, sold the hotel in 1929 to Mitch and Babe Jurasevich, who lowered the ceilings, added steam heating and baths to the rooms (they had previously been heated with wood stoves) and installed the first elevator in Modoc County (sadly it no longer operates—but it is still there).

The hotel remains an important part of Alturas under the Jurasevich’s, who owned it for more than 40 years. In 1970, the Jurasevich’s sold the property, which went through a series of different owners, most of whom kept it open but made little attempt to improve, modernize or update the property.

In 1976, the hotel, now neglected and in need of work, closed seemingly for good. However, later that year it was purchased by Stephen and Cheryl Baker, who set about restoring it to its former glory. The Bakers devoted more than 12 years and an investment of more than a million dollars in antiques, labor and materials.

From 1995 to 1998, the Bakers leased the hotel to Michelle Marymee, then sold it to the John Vass family in 1998.

In 2011, Jim and Elizabeth Cavasso bought the old hotel, which was again in need of some tender loving care. With the help of the community, the Cavasso’s renovated the hotel and continue to operate it.

These days, the Niles remains a comfortable, albeit funky lodging house. Each of the rooms has been furnished with antiques in a particular theme, such as fishing (the Angler’s Haven room), Africa (Spirit of Africa room), the ocean (Beach House room), or the Old West (Lonesome Dove room).

Tucked inside the hotel is the Niles Coffee Company, which boasts Starbucks Coffee along with delicious baked goods and breakfast dishes, the Niles Saloon, a Victorian bar built in 1875, and the Niles Roadhouse, a restaurant serving lunch and dinner (hamburgers, salads, etc.).

A visit to the hotel is an opportunity to step back in time. It boasts tin-pressed ceilings, creaky wooden floors, an elaborate staircase from the main floor to the second floor, and beautiful wood paneled sitting and meeting rooms. The hotel’s accommodations are comfortable and reasonably-priced, and the staff is friendly.

Stop into the Niles Saloon for a nightcap and you’ll find a scene out of the TV show, Cheers, with a host of “regulars” who enjoy finding out where you’re from and sharing their stories (some of which are tall tales).

The Niles Hotel is located at 302 South Main Street in Alturas, California, which sits on U.S. 395 North (about 170 miles north of Reno). For more information, go to: https://nileshotel.com/ or call 530-233-3773.

While you’re in Alturas, check out the Modoc County Historical Museum (600 S. Main), which houses a number of exhibits detailing local history. It boasts a large antique firearm collection, as well as informative displays about Native American history. For more information about the museum, go to: https://sierranevadageotourism.org/entries/modoc-county-historical-museum/acce18f1-aa59-4839-9f52-5e71030841a1.

Laws Museum Tells the Story of the Carson & Colorado Railroad

Laws Railroad Museum and Historical Site

Mostly forgotten today, the Carson & Colorado Railroad (C & C) was once one of Nevada's more successful rail lines.

   Founded in 1880 by many of the same partners who owned the Virginia & Truckee Railroad, the C & C stretched nearly 300 miles from Mound House to the Eastern California town of Keeler.

   The C & C ceased operations in 1960, but some of its rolling stock, equipment, and buildings have been preserved at the Laws Railroad Museum and Historical Site near Bishop, California.

   To reach the Laws Museum, head two hours south of Carson City on Highway 395 toward Bishop. Turn east on Highway 6, just north of Bishop, and continue for four miles. The museum is located off the highway on Silver Cyn Road.

   The Laws Museum is actually a combination railroad facility and local historical society. The C & C artifacts include the original Laws depot, a water tank, roundtable, motorized passenger car, locomotive No. 9 and assorted boxcars and other rolling stock.

   Additionally, a handful of historic Bishop-area homes and movie set buildings, which were used in westerns filmed in the region (including "Nevada Smith" and "Will Penney"), have been relocated to Laws and converted into display space.

   The community of Laws grew up around the C & C railroad station located there. It was named for R.J. Laws, assistant superintendent of the railroad. By 1890, about 300 people lived in Laws.

   In the beginning, the C & C's owners hoped to take advantage of mining booms in Candelaria and Bodie. Unfortunately, by the time the railroad reached the vicinity of those mining towns both areas had started to decline.

   The company had planned to build the line from Mound House on the Carson River to Fort Mojave on the Colorado River (hence the name Carson & Colorado), but, due to uncertain finances, stopped at Keeler, about 140 miles north of Fort Mojave.

   Indeed, one of the most famous remarks about the C & C was uttered by Darius O. Mills, part of the railroad’s ownership group, who, upon riding to Keeler on an inspection tour, said that the railroad had been built either 300 miles too long-or 300 years too soon.

   In 1900, the C & C was absorbed by the Southern Pacific Railroad, which, in 1905, incorporated the railroad into a new corporation that it called the Nevada & California Railway. In 1910, the line was finally extended between Keeler and Fort Mojave.

   During those years, the line experienced its most profitable period because of the active mining booms in Tonopah and Goldfield, which were connected to the line via the short-lived Tonopah & Goldfield Railroad.

   The Laws to Keeler portion of the route was finally abandoned on April 29, 1960 because it had become unprofitable.

   At the urging of local legislators, the Southern Pacific donated the equipment and facility at Laws to the City of Bishop and Inyo County. The museum officially opened in 1966.

   A walk around the Laws site is a chance to learn the rich history of the area. Nearly a dozen buildings are spread out across the site, each filled with historic artifacts and displays.

   The visitor center, which includes a well-stocked gift shop, is located inside of a false front western structure that was built by Paramount Studios for the movie, "Nevada Smith," which starred Steve McQueen.

   Adjacent are other western-style structures, also former movie sets, which now house historic displays ranging from doctor's tools and utensils, to a General Store that contains antique tins, scales, grinders, cash registers and other items.

   A 1915 chicken coop now houses a nice collection of brands, saddles, cowboy gear and a turn-of-the-century horse-drawn hearse that was once used in Bishop.

   The former Laws Post Office has been preserved as well as an old miner's cottage, now known as the Stove House, which is filled with antique wood stoves.

   The Print Shop contains all of the original desks, presses and other equipment used between 1870-1885 to produce the Inyo Independent newspaper, which later became the Inyo Register.

   The Pioneer House, built in 1920, houses a schoolhouse display (desks, photos, etc.) as well as a nice gun collection, a large camera collection and historic telephone equipment.

   Other buildings contain an extensive Indian basket and arrowhead collection, a huge bottle collection, and a re-creation of a 1920s ranch house, with antique furnishings.

   The restored depot, built in 1883, is the centerpiece of the facility and still contains its original benches, lights and counters. The luggage room has been well stocked with period chests, footlockers and suitcases, while the main room offers two nice model railroad exhibits.

   For more information, go to www.lawsmuseum.org. 

Beatty is the gateway to Death Valley, Ghost Towns and Natural Attractions

Beatty Museum

 From its earliest days, the reason behind the founding of the southern Nevada community of Beatty was water.
  Located directly east of dry and desolate Death Valley, it is no surprise that the presence of the precious stuff would make it a desirable place to put down roots.
  While the history is murky, most records indicate Beatty was originally settled in about 1870 by a man named Landers. All that is known about Landers is that he built a small stone cabin adjacent to a bubbling spring in the area, which was eventually named Oasis Valley.
  In 1896, Montillus Murray Beatty acquired the Landers ranch and moved into the stone cabin. He planted trees around the structure and cultivated a variety of crops.
  When gold was discovered over the hill in the Bullfrog mining district (so named because of the unusual green color of the ore), Beatty's ranch was the closest source of plentiful water and fresh produce. In addition to having a natural spring, his land was atop the Amargosa River, which runs underground through the area.
  The town of Beatty was established in 1904, south of the ranch. It quickly became an important supply point for surrounding mining towns like Bullfrog and Rhyolite, and later thrived because it was located between the booming mining town of Goldfield and the railroad yards of Las Vegas.
  Beatty sold his ranch and springs in 1906 and moved into the growing town of Beatty, which, by that time, boasted 1,000 residents and a major hotel, the 23-room Montgomery Hotel. He died two years later at the age of 73, after suffering an injury while hauling wood.
  In 1906, a rail line was completed that linked Beatty to Las Vegas, and the following year a line was built connecting the town to Goldfield.
  The Bullfrog mining boom, however, ended almost as quickly as it began, with most mines shutting down by 1909. Beatty, while experiencing a decline, was able to survive because of the same things that first attracted people there—availability of water and location on the road linking central Nevada to southern Nevada.
  Today, visitors find a pleasant small community with several hotel/motel casinos, including the Exchange Club Motel and Casino, the Death Valley Inn and the Stagecoach Hotel and Casino.
  In recent years, Beatty has become popular with the RV crowd, attracted by the comfortably warm, winter weather and proximity to Death Valley National Park. The town boasts a half-dozen RV parks.
  In addition to serving as the gateway to Death Valley, which is directly west on Nevada State Route 374, Beatty is only four miles from the ghost town of Rhyolite.
  Established in 1905, Rhyolite was once one of Southern Nevada’s premier mining towns. The ruins of a number of substantial structures, including the Rhyolite Depot and the Rhyolite Bottle House (a former residence constructed using about 15,000 bottles) remain standing.
  Beatty is also only about ten miles from the Amargosa Sand Dunes, including Big Dune, a 2,731-foot high mound of sand that is popular with all-terrain vehicle drivers.
  Beatty’s rich history is presented in nice displays and historic photos at the excellent Beatty Museum and Historical Society at 417 Main Street (775-553-2303), which is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, check out its website at: www.beattymuseum.org/.
  Additionally, a good source of information about the history of Beatty is “A History of Beatty,” by Robert D. McCracken, published by Nye County Press. A condensed version of McCracken’s book, titled, “Beatty: Frontier Oasis,” is also available.