Tonopah: Exploring the Queen of the Silver Camps - Part 2

St. Mark's Church, Tonopah

  Continuing last week’s walking tour of Tonopah, we move from Main Street and into the surrounding neighborhoods, which also contain a number of interesting historic structures.

  For example, the Brokers Exchange (northwest corner of Brougher and St. Patrick streets) is an impressive, single-story stone building erected in 1906. Old photos show that the Brokers Exchange was originally two stories high. A 1912 fire destroyed the top floor, which was removed when the building was remodeled in 1919.

  First used by a brokerage house, the building later served as offices for prominent attorney Patrick McCarran. Following the fire, the Tonopah Divide Mining Company (owned by prominent businessmen Cal Brougher and George Wingfield) rebuilt the structure. Today it serves as a senior center.

  A few doors away, is the Bass Building (119 St. Patrick), another of Tonopah’s substantial stone structures. Erected in 1904, this somewhat plain building is, nonetheless, important for being the third oldest commercial building in Tonopah.

  It was initially used a lodging house by businessman A.A. Bass. Partially destroyed by the 1912 fire, it was rebuilt the following year. Notice the building’s façade, which is covered by metal siding pressed to resemble stone. It was later used as offices of the telephone company and as a meeting hall.

  In the shadow of the Mizpah Hotel are other historic places such as the wood frame Water Company of Tonopah building. Constructed in 1909, this single-story structure is noteworthy for representing the town’s privately-owned water system.

  Behind the water company is the Tonopah Historic Mining Park, a 130-acre museum complex that contains several of the town’s original mine sites, shafts, stopes, head frames and offices.

  Another important edifice is the Nye County Courthouse, built in 1905. Constructed of stone and concrete, the two-story courthouse was designed in a Neo-colonial style. It is the largest stone building erected in Tonopah.

  The courthouse’s most notable features are its articulated arched entrance and the silver dome perched atop the building. The structure was modified in 1907 and 1968.

  Not all of Tonopah’s most significant buildings are located in the downtown core. The Tonopah Public Library (171 Central), built in 1906, is important for being one of the state’s first public libraries.

  This simple, single-story stone-block structure has always been used a library—something not too many other communities can claim. Construction was funded from local donations.

  A few blocks away is St. Marks Church (210 University), another well-preserved example of early Tonopah construction. Erected in 1907, it is considered one of the best examples of stonework in Tonopah (the work was done by E.E. Burdick, the same stone mason who built the courthouse).

  Directly east is the elegant St. Marks Parsonage house. Originally built by Burdick as his residence, many consider this Neo-colonial stone house to be one of the finest surviving early-20th century homes. It was later purchased by the church.

  Two houses on Ellis Street are worth mentioning. This area, known as University Heights, was Tonopah’s most prestigious neighborhood during its boom era (about 1900-1912).

  The Hugh H. Brown house (129 Ellis), was built in 1906 for a prominent Tonopah mining company attorney. Constructed of wood and adobe, this square structure is one of the best surviving structures made of that material.

  The other significant house in the neighborhood is the Uri B. Curtis/Tasker L. Oddie house, built in 1902 and enlarged in 1905. This wood frame structure features a series of three gabled roofs and a large bay window.

  The Curtis/Oddie house was first inhabited by Curtis, a pioneer Tonopah businessman, who sold it to Oddie in 1904. The latter, an attorney, was one of Tonopah founder Jim Butler’s partners. He later served as Nevada’s governor and U.S. senator.

  Farther up the hill is the George A. Bartlett house (corner of McQuillan and Booker streets), a once imposing shingle and stone mansion that is sorely in need of preservation.

  Despite its appearance, you can tell this was an impressive place when constructed in 1907. It is two and a half-stories tall and built in a rustic Eastern Shingle style that is accented by huge stone foundations and pillars.

  The house, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was constructed for Bartlett, who was Jim Butler’s attorney. Bartlett later served two terms in the U.S. Congress and from 1918 to 1930 was a District Court Judge in Reno.

  High above Tonopah on Booker Street is the Arthur Raycraft house, an elegant single-story stone home with a pair of Queen Anne style turrets (it looks a bit like a castle).

  Constructed in 1906, the structure was owned by a prominent banker, who lost the house during an economic panic in 1907.

  Two good places to learn more about Tonopah’s rich history are the excellent Central Nevada Museum, 1900 Logan Field Rd., and the equally visit-worthy Tonopah Historic Mining Park, located behind the Mizpah Hotel.

  For more information about Tonopah, contact: www.tonopahnevada.com/.

A Walking Tour of Tonopah, the Queen of the Silver Camps - Part 1

 

Belvada Hotel, Tonopah

  One of the best ways to learn about the history of a town is to walk through the place, examining its buildings and soaking in the atmosphere.

  That’s certainly the case in the historic early 20th century mining town of Tonopah, once known as “Queen of the Silver Camps.”

  Fortunately, the town of Tonopah has developed a Historic Self-Guided Walking Tour of the community to help you on your quest to learn about this most fascinating of early Nevada mining camps. The brochure can be downloaded at: https://www.tonopahnevada.com/TONOPAHWALKINGTOUR.pdf.

  Silver was discovered at Tonopah—the name is Shoshone for “little wood, little water” or “brush water” and derives from the presence of natural springs in the area—in May 1900 by a part-time prospector and rancher named Jim Butler.

  Butler’s discovery was important because Nevada was experiencing a severe economic depression that started when Virginia City’s mines began to fail in the early 1880s.

  Within a year, Tonopah was a booming mining town with several thousand residents. Records indicate that miners extracted nearly $4 million in ore by the end of 1901.

  Two years after the Tonopah strike, large gold deposits were uncovered 30 miles south in Goldfield. The success of the two communities and several others in the region shifted political and business power to the area for the next decade.

  During Tonopah’s heyday, many substantial buildings were erected in the community, befitting a town on the rise. By 1902, it had two newspapers, a telephone company, a school, a water company, power plant, post office, and dozens of businesses.

  Over the next three years, it acquired rail service, a high-rise hotel and a county seat and courthouse. The town’s population peaked at about 10,000 in 1907.

  Among Tonopah’s early visitors were such luminaries as boxer Jack Dempsey, who wandered Central Nevada picking up club fights in 1915-16 (he was Heavyweight Champion of the World from 1919 to 1926) and famed lawman Wyatt Earp, who owned a saloon in Tonopah in 1902.

  Tonopah’s decline was rapid and steep—by 1910 it had lost nearly two-thirds of its population—but it never became a real ghost town.

  Over the decades, it has survived as a result of periodic mining revivals, county and state government jobs, tourism (Tonopah is the halfway point between Reno and Las Vegas) and the U.S. military, which has maintained facilities in the area since World War II.

  If you explore the streets of Tonopah you’ll still find plenty of reminders of its early days. For example, the town’s most prominent building is the Mizpah Hotel, an impressive, five-story structure located in the center of the town.

  The Mizpah (on the corner of Main Street and Brougher Avenue) was built in 1908 by a group of investors who included local businessmen Cal Brougher and R.J. Govan as well as mining entrepreneurs George S. Nixon and George Wingfield. Designed in a Neo-classical style, the building was constructed using locally-quarried stone, brick and concrete.

  As with many similar projects built in mining towns, the hotel was completed just as the community’s fortunes started to wane and was the last major construction effort in the town’s early mining years.

  While never abandoned, by the early 1970s the Mizpah had fallen into disrepair. It was renovated in 1979, then went through another period of decline. However, it underwent major renovations in 2011 and today offers a hotel, restaurant, meeting rooms and a bar.

  Adjacent to the Mizpah on Main Street is the Brougher-Govan Block building, a three-story stone structure of Neo-classical Revival design that is now part of the Mizpah Hotel. Brougher and Govan built it in 1905 to house their banking operations.

  Next door to the Brougher-Goven building is the two-story stone Tonopah Liquor Company building. Constructed in 1905, it boasts a large stone pediment and a high standard of quality workmanship.

  Across Main Street from the Mizpah are a handful of other substantial buildings that help form the core of Tonopah’s historic commercial district.

  Directly opposite the Mizpah is the two-story Frank Golden Block, a stone structure on the northwest corner of Brougher and Main that was built in 1902. The building, now used as a lodge by a fraternal organization, was the first significant commercial building erected in Tonopah.

  Owned by an early Tonopah businessman, Frank Golden, the structure was Tonopah’s first major commercial structure and housed the town’s first locally-owned bank. It later served as a jewelry store and law offices.

  On the southwest corner of Brougher Avenue and Main Street is the Nevada State Bank and Trust Building, erected in 1906. This five-story structure is made of brick and granite and reflects the Neo-Classical Revival style.

  The State Bank and Trust didn’t occupy the building for long—the company folded in 1907 as a result of a spectacular mining stock swindle. In 2011, after sitting vacant for many years, the building was purchased by local business owners Fred and Nancy Cline, who began a comprehensive renovation in 2017.

  In 2020, it reopened as the Belvada Hotel, offering 40 rooms, including suites and rooms with kitchenettes, along with a coffee shop on the lobby floor.

  A few doors south of the State Bank and Trust is the H.A. McKim building, a significant two-story stone structure built in 1906. It served as a mercantile during Tonopah’s first few decades.

  The second part of our Tonopah walking tour in next week’s column.

Who's Who in the Old Tonopah Cemetery?

 

  The Old Tonopah Cemetery in the central Nevada mining town of Tonopah is a place with many stories—despite its relatively short life as an active burial ground.

Established in May 1901, it was only used until 1911 because its proximity to the Tonopah Extension Mine meant that tailings (the dirt pulled out of the ground during mining) kept getting washed over the graves, often destroying the headstones.

  To prevent the cemetery from ever expanding onto the mining company’s property, in 1911, the company donated property for what became known as the New Tonopah Cemetery, located farther west of the town, which remains in use.

  As a result, other than a hard rock miner named Norman N. “Curly” Coombs, who was buried in the Old Cemetery in 1966 (he had been born in Tonopah in 1914 and requested to be buried there), no one has been laid to rest in the cemetery in more than a century.

  In spite of his relatively short life as an active burial ground, the Old Cemetery is a fascinating place to visit. Located adjacent to the Clown Motel, it contains the final resting spots for an estimated 300 people.

  An informative brochure prepared by the town of Tonopah (available online at https://www.tonopahnevada.com/CemeteryBrochureOnline.pdf) contains an image of the original map of the cemetery as well as short descriptions about some of the more interesting folks buried in the cemetery, including:

  • Nye County Sheriff Thomas Logan, who, in his third term, was shot to death by a drunk gambler in the Red-Light District in the mining town of Manhattan in April 1906. According to historical sources, Logan, age 44, was killed while attempting to eject the man, who was harassing a saloon matron, from the bar. Despite being shot five times, Logan, who was an imposing six-foot, four-inches tall, was able to subdue the drunk until a deputy arrived on the scene. He died shortly after from his wounds.

  • George “Devil” Davis, who was the first Black person to live in Tonopah, is another resident of the cemetery. According to the brochure, Davis was known as a bit of a prankster and was well liked in the town. But, Davis apparently had a “dark side” because he was also an abusive husband.

  One evening, his wife, Ruth, came into a saloon and shot Davis in the back. She was sentenced to serve one year in the penitentiary for manslaughter. An article in the Tonopah Times Bonanza quoted the judge saying, “The evidence shows that the deceased was a bad and worthless man . . . [but] this did not warrant her in taking his life; she could have left him or applied to the court to dissolve the bonds that bound her to him.”

  • Bridget “Bina” Verrault is perhaps one of the most intriguing people buried in the cemetery. The brochure notes that Verrault and a partner, Izella Browne, ran a “Love Syndicate” in New York for many years. They would claim to be wealth widows and seduce rich men into giving them gifts.

  After they were arrested, prosecutors claimed the two had acquired nearly $100,000 in fine clothing, jewelry and money from their marks. Apparently Verrault managed to pawn some of her diamond rings and took off. She ended up in Tonopah, where she died of alcoholism at the young age of between 32-33 in 1907.

  • William “Big Bill” Murphy, who is applauded because of his bravery during a deadly fire in the Belmont Mine in February 1911. Murphy, who was only 25-26 at the time of his death, was born in Canada in about 1885.

  According to the February 25, 1911 Tonopah Daily Bonanza, Murphy “made three descents in the Belmont cage, on the first two of which he brought to the surface a number of his comrades but on the third and last trip down he was evidently overcome and met death as a hero, fighting for the lives of his fellow workmen.”

  For more information about the Old Tonopah Cemetery, go to: https://travelnevada.com/historical-interests/old-tonopah-cemetery/.

The Tale of Tuscarora's 'Witch Tree'

Road leading to the historic mining town of Tuscarora

  The year was 1884 and the place was the northern Nevada mining town of Tuscarora. In the offices of the Tuscarora Times-Review, editor John H. Dennis was searching for some kind of item to fill a hole in the copy on one of his paper’s pages.

  As Dennis would later tell the story, his staff was pestering him to come up with some type of story to fill a vacant space in the local news column. In that moment of desperation, he said he “gave rein to [my] imagination and hurriedly dashed of a few ‘sticksful’ of fiction.”

  The result was a short item that appeared the next day in his newspaper describing what he called “A Luminous Tree.” According to the one-paragraph story:

  “A very remarkable tree grows in Nevada. It is called by the superstitious Indians the witch tree. It grows to a height of six or seven feet, and its trunk at the base is about three times the size of an ordinary man’s wrist. The wonderful characteristic of the tree is its luminosity, which is so great that on the darkest night in can be seen plainly at least a mile away. A person standing near could read the finest print by its light.”

  Much to Dennis’ chagrin, the little item about the non-existent botanical wonder was reprinted in a number of other newspapers, including in the eastern U.S. and in Europe. Soon, his office was inundated with letters asking about the glowing tree.

  Reflecting on it 20 years later, Dennis wrote, “letters began pouring in with a request for further information and specimens of this wonderous (sic) foliage from all points of the compass, with several inquiries from tourists as to facilities for transportation, hotel accommodations, etc. in the vicinity of this wonderous specimen of phosphorescent forestry.”

  Annoyed by all the attention his fake news story had generated and feeling guilty about deceiving the public, Dennis, who typically was a straight arrow news editor, eventually decided to publish a follow-up item that claimed the local Native American people had destroyed the glowing bush and “all signs of its existence had been obliterated.”

  Despite that, the story apparently lived on for many more years. Dennis noted that his experience should serve as a warning “to little boys and girls never to tell a fib, even in fun.”

  None of this is to imply that the episode with the shining shrub was the high point of his life. Dennis, who was typically known as Major John Dennis (a title bestowed on him while serving as head of a volunteer militia), had a long and successful career in newspapers and as an elected and appointed politician in both Nevada and in California.

  In addition to serving as editor of the Tuscarora newspaper, he also was editor of Austin’s Reese River Reveille in the 1870s and, later, served as editor of the Nevada State Journal in Reno. From 1882 to 1886, he was a Nevada State Senator representing Elko County.

  For more information about the life of John H. Dennis and the fascinating story of the luminous tree, please pick up a copy of my book, “Frontier Fake News: Nevada’s Sagebrush Humorists and Hoaxsters,” published by the University of Nevada Press. It can be found in local bookstores and at https://unpress.nevada.edu/9781647790868/frontier-fake-news/.

How Well Do You Know Your Nevada Railroad History?

Virginia & Truckee Railroad Today

  Railroads played an essential role in the development of the Silver State. In fact, if not for the development of the Central Pacific Railroad in the 1860s, Nevada might not even exist today.

  The following are a few trivia questions related to Nevada’s railroads that are designed to test your knowledge of the state’s rich rail-related history.

  Q: When did the first railroad locomotive enter Nevada?

  A: On December 13, 1867, the first locomotive, from the Central Pacific Railroad, edged across the state line near present-day Verdi. Construction of the line, which started in Sacramento, California, had begun on January 8, 1863, and took five years due to difficulties in building over (and through) the Sierra Nevada range.

  Q: What rail official was responsible for naming Reno?

  A: Reno was named by Judge Edwin B. Crocker, attorney for the Central Pacific Railroad (and brother of Charles Crocker, superintendent of the railroad) in honor of General Jesse L. Reno, a Union officer killed in the battle of South Mountain, Maryland in 1862.  

  Q: What potential rival to the Central Pacific Railroad conducted a survey in 1862 for a rail line from Sacramento to Virginia City, via Placerville and Lake Tahoe?

  A: The San Francisco and Washoe Railroad Company, incorporated in 1864, planned to build along a route roughly parallel to today's Highway 50.  The line would have connected with the Placerville & Sacramento Valley and the Sacramento Valley railroads.  The company envisioned eventually extending the line from Virginia City to Austin but never got off the ground.

  Q: What Nevada railroad advertised itself as “Queen of the Short Lines?”

  A: The famous Virginia & Truckee Railroad, which ran from Virginia City to Carson City to Reno (during its peak period), and included a branch line to Minden.

  Q: What railroad name was apparently so popular it was used twice in two different parts of the state?

  A: The name was the Nevada Central Railroad, which applied first to a shortline between Pioche and Bullionville that ran from 1872 to about 1883, then to a later, more successful line between Battle Mountain and Austin that operated from 1880 to 1938.

  Q: What Northern Nevada town was created in 1902 after the Southern Pacific Railroad (formerly the Central Pacific) moved its shops and facilities there from Wadsworth?

  A: The new company town was originally called "East Reno," then "New Reno," then, in 1903, "Harriman," after the President of the railroad.  In 1905, it was officially incorporated as "Sparks," after then Governor John Sparks.

  Q: What did Carson & Colorado Railroad owner Darius O. Mills once say about his railroad during an inspection tour of the line in 1883?

  A: Mills arrived in Hawley, California in the Owens Valley, which at the time was the end of the 293-mile line that was supposed to continue to Mojave in Southern California. He scanned the sandy, dry desert along the eastern side of the valley—not near the more fertile agricultural region on the west side—and said the railroad had been built either 300 miles too long or 300 years too soon. The line did not extend beyond Hawley (later called Keeler) until after it was later sold to the Southern Pacific Railroad and its name was changed to the Nevada & California Railroad. The line survived until 1959.

Wander Eureka's Back Streets to Discover Additional Fascinating History — Part 2

Eureka Sentinel Museum (Photo courtesy of Travel Nevada/Sydney Martinez)

  Not all the history in the former mining town of Eureka is found on its Main Street. Go a block or two from the main drag and you’ll find plenty of other places that provide glimpses of the community’s rich past.

  Along the town’s side streets visitors will find aging brick, stone and wooden buildings from the last century beside newer homes and structures that speak of more recent developments.

  For instance, at the south end of town the Tannehill Log Cabin, located on Highway 50, which is believed to be Eureka’s oldest building. The crude log structure was constructed in either 1864 or 1865 and was reportedly the first house built in the town. Later, it was used as the town’s first commercial store.

  If you head west, back into town, you’ll spot a small gas station and general store in a two-story brick building. This structure was built in 1882 as the Ottawa Hotel and was later converted to a general store. In the 1920s, it became one of the state’s earliest gas stations.

  On the corner on Edwards and Galena streets, on the hillside above the south end of Eureka, is the Zadow and Morrison residence, built in 1886. This elegant Victorian was originally owned by James Wilson, and then was purchased by William Zadow, who operated a local butcher shop and a hotel.

  Heading north on O'Neil Street, you encounter St. Brendan's Catholic Church, built in 1874. This sturdy stone structure was constructed with volcanic tuff taken from a quarry on the west side of town. It is still used.

  Nearby is the Presbyterian Church, now called the Eureka Bible Church. Built in 1873 by a Presbyterian congregation, the church has actually been used over the years by several different denominations.

  Down the hill from the Presbyterian Church is the Eureka Sentinel Museum. This two-story building, which has three distinctive arched front doorways, was built in 1879. Constructed of bricks made locally, the Eureka Sentinel building was home of the town newspaper, which was printed there until 1960.

  In the early 1980s, the building was restored and opened as a museum. Today, you can find an interesting collection of historic artifacts ranging from mining equipment to photos of the various floods and fires that hit the town.

  Additionally, it contains a 1872 printing press and a wall covered with historic handbills and posters printed at the shop.

  Nearby is the Colonnade Hotel, a whitewashed brick structure built in 1880. It began operating under its present name in 1886 and was closed from 1890 to the 1940s, when it was renovated and reopened. In recent years, new owners have lovingly restored the old hotel and once again offer rooms for rent.

  Farther up the street from the Colonnade is the former home of Governor Reinhold Sadler (1896-1902). Sadler built this two-story brick house in 1879 and it remains a private residence.

  A few houses away is the former Eureka County High School, built in 1924. It housed all grades until 1969, when a new high school was built above the town.

  On the other (east) side of Main Street, you can find a handful of other historic sites, such as the St. James Episcopal Church on Spring Street. Built in 1872 of volcanic tuff, this was Eureka's first stone church. It was used until 1907 and has been reopened in recent years.

  A few doors away is the former Methodist Church, now a private residence. This stone structure was erected in 1881 and used until the 1920s. By the early 1980s, it had deteriorated to four walls with no ceiling. In the 1980s, it was rebuilt as a home and workshop.

  If you wander north on Spring and Paul streets, you pass a number of picturesque, abandoned buildings, including the brick ruins of the Skillman House, built in 1870 by Archibald Skillman, who was the founder and publisher of the Eureka Sentinel newspaper.

  To the west are the photogenic remains of a stone warehouse, probably built in the 1880s. The walls and arches, made of beige volcanic tuff taken from a quarry on the nearby hillside, indicate a high degree of workmanship.

  In addition to its dozens of historic buildings, Eureka also has five large cemeteries located on the western edge of the town. This area, called Graveyard Flat and Death Valley in the 1880s, includes the city, county, Odd Fellows, Masonic and Catholic cemeteries. Chinese and Jewish cemeteries were also once here, but have mostly disappeared due to vandalism.

  For more information about Eureka, check out the Visit Eureka website at: https://www.visiteurekanevada.net/. A useful walking tour map can be found at: https://www.visiteurekanevada.net/walking-tour-map.

Great Stories Found Wherever You Walk in Historic Eureka — Part 1

 

Downtown Eureka, Nevada (Photo courtesy of Travel Nevada/ Sidney Martinez)

  History lives in every building in the historic Central Nevada mining town of Eureka.

  In fact, with the possible exception of Virginia City, no other Silver State community has managed to keep its historical character as intact as Eureka.

  Founded in 1869, Eureka quickly grew into a city of canvas tents, log cabins and wooden shanties. The haphazard boomtown construction made the town vulnerable to fire, the first of which occurred in 1872.

  Four years later, seven major downtown buildings were destroyed by fire, despite the best efforts of a new steam pumper. That was followed by the town's worst fire, in April 1879, which burned nearly half the community and caused more than $1 million in damages. An 1880 blaze torched 300 homes and businesses.

  Fire wasn't the only danger. Flash floods ripped through the town in 1874, 1876 and 1878. Fifteen residents lost their lives in the flooding of 1874.

  Because of the dual threats of fires and floods of the early years, Eureka's residents rebuilt many of their structures, particularly in the downtown out of brick, with fireproof iron shutters and doors.

  The sturdy construction helped lessen the fire danger and has allowed the town to stave the usual ravages of time. Today, Eureka is one of the finest examples of a 19th century mining town found in Nevada.

  Eureka's main street is lined with well-preserved brick and wooden commercial buildings, most of which are still used. Two of the most prominent are the Eureka County Courthouse and the Eureka Opera House and Theatre.

  The two-story brick courthouse, completed in 1880 and restored a few years ago, is one of the state's most classic frontier halls of justice topped with an elaborate white cornice. Like many of Eureka's buildings, the courthouse has iron shutters on doors and windows.

  The Opera House, restored a few years ago and reopened as a convention center, was originally built in 1880. The two-story red brick building was constructed with two-foot thick masonry walls, a brick and iron front, and a slate roof, to make it completely fireproof.

  Adjacent to Opera House is the Jackson House, an impressive two-story brick structure. Built in 1877, it was originally called the Jackson Hotel, then the Brown Hotel, and later the Jackson House. It was restored in the early 1980s and, when open, has served as a restaurant in recent years.

  On the other side of the Opera House is the modern-looking post office, actually housed in an historic brick building. It was originally home of the Eureka Meat and Groceries, which was built in 1880. The interior still has a press tin ceiling with floral and bird designs.

  Down the block, on the corner of Main and Gold streets, is the former San Francisco Brewery, erected in 1880. Later it served as a saloon and soda pop bottling plant, then as the post office and as offices.

  South of the Jackson House, you come to the main part of downtown. On the corner of Bateman and Buel streets is a two-story brick building, now a private residence, which was once the Ryland Building. Built in 1880, it originally contained offices and bedrooms, and later a restaurant.

  West is the partial facade of the Foley-Rickard-Johnson-Remington Building (now vacant), once a magnificent two-story brick building. Built in 1880, the structure was a hardware store with the Odd Fellow's Hall on the second floor. The upper level was demolished in 1983, following an earthquake.

  Nearby Raine's Market, also on Main Street, includes two historic brick structures, both built in 1879-80. The northern portion was originally a saloon, while the other part served as a clothing store. Inside, you can find the original hardwood floors.

  At the end of the block is the local bank, located within a stone building built in 1879 (although it's been modified and covered with stucco). The structure was originally a saloon, then converted to the Farmers and Merchants Bank in 1924. Later it became part of the First National Bank of Nevada.

  Across the street from the bank is the brick Masonic Building, built in 1880. It has served as a dry goods store, jewelry store, barbershop, bathhouse, tailor shop, tinsmith shop and post office. Just after the turn-of-the-century, the Masons began holding meetings in the basement.

  Al's Hardware, a half block up the street, is another Eureka institution. A portion of the stone building was built in 1873, then rebuilt following the fires in 1879 and 1880. In the 1880s, it served as a boarding house and saloon, then as the Eureka Cash Store. In 1946, Albert Biale opened the hardware store, which his family continues to operate.

  On the opposite side of the street you can find additional historic buildings such as the Tognini and Company building, which dates back to 1877; the Eureka Cafe (1873), and Jim and Lorraine's Cafe and Bar (1873).

  An excellent resource for exploring Eureka is the Walking Tour Map found at https://www.visiteurekanevada.net/walking-tour-map.

  Next week, we’ll wander some of Eureka’s side streets looking for more history.