Staycations & Vacations
Old West attractions to enjoy in your home state and in the wild West beyond.
By: Meghan Saar 03/01/2009
EUREKA, NV
Ice Rink Courthouse: The town’s first courthouse was a renovated ice rink, and the wooden structure was rebuilt as a brick two story after the 1879 fire; it is still in use as a courthouse to this day.
Eureka Opera House: Built in 1880 and restored in 1993, shows are still held here, and you can learn about the plays, masquerades and other social occasions pioneers enjoyed at the opera house.
Survivor of Fire: The town’s pride and joy is the Tannehill cabin, built as a residence in 1864, which still stands to this day, despite fires and floods that have destroyed other historic structures.
Newspaper Museum: An 1800’s newspaper room with original press equipment is the highlight at the Eureka Sentinel Museum, remembering the newspaper printed from 1879 until 1960.
Rest Your Head Here: Today’s 1877 Jackson House Hotel was gutted in the 1879 fire, advertised as the state’s only fireproof hotel after it was rebuilt in the 1890s, became the Brown Hotel in 1910 and was restored in 1981 to serve as lodging once again.
Near Eureka:
Elko (84 miles northeast), a former railhead for the White Pine mines in 1869, embraces its heritage at the Western Folklife Center, which also puts on the Cowboy Poetry Gathering, celebrating 25 years this past January.
Ride the Ghost Train in Ely (124 miles southeast), on a restored Nevada Northern Railway route to the copper pit mines at Ruth and the smelter at McGill.
Winnemucca (162 miles northwest), formerly Ogden’s Camp and Frenchman’s Ford before being named for the Paiute chief in 1863, is home to the 1863 Winnemucca Hotel, where Basque meals are still served. The town also honors Butch Cassidy for the Wild Bunch robbery that took place here in 1900.
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