Murals Illustrate Ely's Rich History

 

Ely's Murals

    In Ely, Nevada, the building walls tell stories.

   Over the past two and a half decades, more than two-dozen building walls in the former copper mining town have been turned into works of art. Each now boasts a mural that tells a piece of the history of eastern Nevada.

   The effort to turn blank walls into artwork began in 1999, when a local business owner, the late Norm Goeringer, owner of the Hotel Nevada and several other Ely properties, hired well-known Nevada cowboy artist Larry Bute of Fallon to paint a giant mural titled, “Cattle Drive,” on the side of his building on the corner of Aultman and 4th streets.

   The giant full-color image depicts both a Nevada Northern Railway locomotive (which was headquartered in East Ely) and a cattle drive.

   Several other business owners liked the idea and a handful commissioned Bute to paint additional murals on their buildings. Eventually, a non-profit group formed, called the Ely Renaissance Society, which began raising money to transform empty walls into huge murals.

   Supporters of the mural project point to the town of Chemainus, British Columbia, as inspiration for the effort. There, more than 30 murals have been painted on local buildings and have helped revitalize a decaying lumber town.

   Similarly, Ely has experienced considerable economic turmoil as its once thriving copper mining industry faded in the 1980s and 1990s. The murals are a way to help Ely attract attention and visitors.

   In 2004, the town even hosted the Global Mural Conference, which brought about 100 mural artists and community arts and culture experts to town for several days of meetings and workshops.

   Wandering the streets of Ely, visitors can easily spot the town’s signature murals, which now number 28. In fact, the community has even developed a walking tour map and an audio tour, which can be found at www.whitepinemainstreet.com/ely-mural-and-arts-audio-tour/.

   While Larry Bute painted a handful of the murals, other artists have also contributed, including Wei Luan, Paul Ygartua, Don and Jared Gray and Colin Williams as well as Ely artists Chris Kreider and Don Cates.

   A walking tour of the murals is like leafing through the community’s photo album. The first mural commissioned by the Ely Renaissance Society, dedicated in 2000, is a patriotic scene showing an early 20th century Fourth of July celebration.

   Titled “4th of July Celebration,” the mural can be found on a building at 2000 Aultman Street.

   At 201 High Street, you can find another Bute painting, entitled “The Blacksmith Shop.” This image is a re-creation of an old-time blacksmith shop and faces the spot where an actual blacksmith shop was once located.

   A few of the other murals on the tour include:

   • “United By Our Children”—Located on a building at the corner of Aultman and Great Basin Boulevard, this mural by Paul Ygartua depicts local children representing the various ethnic groups that have settled over the years in the Ely area.

   • “Liberty Pit”—On the right corner of Aultman and 4th streets, this painting by Wei Luan is an historic interpretation of the Liberty Pit, a copper mine. The workers in the portrait represent various ethnic groups that came to Ely to work in the mines.

   • “Charcoal Ovens and Railroad Murals”—This pair of murals at 595 Aultman by Chris Krieder recognizes the efforts of the Italian workers who built the Ward Charcoal Ovens and laid the tracks for the Nevada Northern Railway.

   • “Basque Mural”—Painted on the side of the Cruise-In Car Wash at 1603 Aultman, this mural by Don and Jared Gray shows a Basque sheepherder, his horse, sheep camp on wheels and sheep herd. The mural represents the region’s rich Basque heritage.

   • “Cherry Creek Hot Springs”—The west side of the Economy Drug Store at 696 Aultman features this mural by Wei Luan, which depicts the former gold mining town of Cherry Creek and a well-known hot springs resort that was once there.

   • “Ghost Signage Mural”—Perhaps one of the most unusual murals is this historic collage of signs at 740 Aultman that have been restored by painter Paul Ygartua. Over the years, the wall had been painted and repainted with advertisements for different businesses. Ygartua created a ghostly effect by restoring all of the various signs atop each other.

   It all adds up to a community that’s proud of its history and heritage and eager to make sure neither are forgotten.