Tiny McDermitt Has a Big Story

 

  Motorists on U.S. 95, heading north of Winnemucca, pass through the small enclave of McDermitt before crossing into the state of Oregon. With a population of about 95 and only a handful of businesses, the community is easy to overlook.

  But, like many rural Nevada towns, there is far more to the story of McDermitt than meets the eye.

  The settlement traces its beginnings to the establishment in the mid-1860s of a stagecoach station near the townsite that was called Quinn River Station because it was on adjacent to the East Fork of the Quinn (also known as Queen) River.

  It was a time of growing tensions between the native Northern Paiute and Western Shoshone people, who had lived in the area for thousands of years, and newly-arrived white settlers. In response, in April 1865 a military cavalry detachment was assigned to Quinn River Station to protect the stagecoach line, which ran between Silver City, Idaho and Winnemucca.

  Commanding the station (as well as Fort Churchill) was Lt. Colonel Charles McDermit (only one “t”). McDermit spent much of his tenure trying to deal with what became known as the Snake War.

  In late April, McDermit and a company of troops under his command departed Fort Churchill to put down any tribal hostilities. During the next few months, McDermit and his troops had several encounters with the Natives. Not surprisingly, his better-armed troops succeeded in capturing and killing many of their adversaries.

  On August 7, 1865, McDermit and his company reached the Quinn River Valley. About a half-mile from the camp, McDermit, riding ahead of his troops, was shot and killed by a Native warrior lying in ambush.

  McDermit’s body was taken back to Fort Churchill, where he was interred with full military honors (his body, along with 44 other men who died serving at Fort Churchill where later moved to Lone Mountain Cemetery in Carson City).

  Shortly after McDermit’s death, the military decided to establish a full-fledged fort at Quinn River Camp #33 (the previous name), which was renamed Fort McDermit in his honor. About this time, the name gained a second “t,” apparently due to a spelling mistake by a military clerk.

  During the next few years, the new fort gained a 600 by 285-foot parade ground, three buildings for officers, a barracks, a three-room hospital, supply rooms, and stables. All of the post structures were single-story adobe buildings.

  Fort McDermitt remained active for the next 24 years, making it the long active Army fort in the state. Troops from the fort participated in a number of violent encounters with Natives over the years, including the Bannock War and the Modoc War.

  In 1889, the fort was turned over to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, which adapted it for use as an Indian school on the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation. The school would remain open until 1957, when Humboldt County schools were integrated.

  The town of McDermitt, which developed about five miles from the fort, was apparently first known by the descriptive name, Dugout. The town, which eventually took its name from the fort, largely served to support the fort.

  Over time, however, McDermitt became a sort of mini-hub for local farms and ranches and, following the discovery of mercury in 1924, several mines that began operating in the area.

  The largest mine for many years was the Cordero Mercury Mine, which operated more or less continuously until 1992. According to some mining historians, the mines were among the most profitable mercury mines in the nation from 1933 to 1989.

  Since the closing of the mines, McDermitt has slowly declined. One of the oldest businesses, the White Horse Inn, opened in 1915 and operated until the 1990s.

  One of its unique aspects is that the building was erected on the boundary between Nevada and Oregon, so part of it lies in Nevada while part is in Oregon (no sales tax on that side!).

  The two-story building, which has been partially restored over the years, once served as the town’s main lodging house and, it is rumored, served as a brothel for a while. Today the place is for sale.

  Other historic building still found in McDermitt include an abandoned old stone jail built in 1890 and several adobe and frame buildings at Fort McDermitt.

  McDermitt’s largest operating business is the Say When Casino and there are two motels, several bars, and a couple of gas stations (one with a Subway sandwich shop). The town’s biggest events are the Indian Rodeo in June and the Twin State Stampede in July.

  For more information about McDermitt, go to: https://cowboycountry.com/mcdermitt.