It’s Impossible Not To Love This Quaint Former Nevada Mining Town
Eureka is the county seat of Eureka County and is located just off Hwy 50 (The Loneliest Highway in America) between Austin and Ely in central Nevada. In fact, Eureka’s nickname is “The Friendliest Town on the Loneliest Road in America.” At an elevation of nearly 6,500 feet, this quaint former Nevada mining town occupies just 1.4 square miles and has a population slightly over 600. First settled in 1864 by a group of silver prospectors from nearby Austin, Eureka County was created from adjacent Elko, Lander, and White Pine Counties, and the town became the county seat in 1873. Take a look at this quaint former Nevada mining town and its impressive history.
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Following the discovery of lead-silver deposits in 1864, Eureka experienced a boom that led to a population of nearly 10,000 people by 1878 who were trying to make it rich with the new discovery. However, this type of ore required different refining techniques which were not available at the time, and once production stopped, the town's population decreased significantly.
During the mid-1870s, Eureka overtook Austin in terms of size and productivity with the advent of the railroad. During its heyday, Eureka contained dozens of saloons and gambling houses, three opera houses, two breweries, five volunteer firefighting companies, and two militia companies in addition to other businesses like the newspaper, doctors, lawyers, bankers, merchants and hotels.
Eureka is one of the best-preserved mining towns in the entire American southwest. Many of the buildings were connected by underground tunnels so residents could brave the heavy winters (and reportedly to deliver beer to the Main Street saloons.)
Mining (particularly lead) was Eureka's economic mainstay, as the nearby hillsides were considered Nevada's second-richest mineral producer behind western Nevada's Comstock Lode.
The Eureka Opera House, built in 1880 and fully restored in 1993, remains the centerpiece of historic Eureka, hosting conventions and scheduling performances today.
The 1877 Jackson House has also been restored its original elegance. This now-hotel contains nine Victorian bedrooms upstairs and a bar and gourmet restaurant downstairs.
The Eureka Sentinel Building, (once the town's newspaper headquarters), is now a wonderful museum. In fact, the old newspaper back-shop is as it was when the last printer called it quits.
