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| 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.
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