U.S. 50 between Carson City and Ely is a road less traveled.
It crosses the mountains and valleys that are lined up like dominoes across central Nevada. The pattern repeats itself relentlessly in a phenomenon geologists call "basin and range."The highway links outposts of civilization such as Eureka and Austin. Established as mining camps in the mid-1800s, they have withstood the boom and bust cycles that afflict towns whose fortunes are linked to silver or gold.
The highway follows in the footsteps of history. The Pony Express and the Overland Stage passed through these parts. In 1860, British explorer Richard Burton traveled with a mule train across Nevada along the Pony Express Trail. Samuel Clemens journeyed to Carson City aboard the Overland Stage the following year. That route to California was more direct than the wagon train trail that followed the Humboldt River to the north.
And it's lonesome. A photographer for Life magazine took U.S. 50 across Nevada in the early '80s. He dubbed it "the lonesomest road in America."
Nowadays, most people who drive across Nevada take I-80. So why, you might ask yourself, should you consider traveling U.S. 50 instead?
Because it cuts through the heart of the state, a region that remains faithful to its roots.
The handful of settlements along the highway have lost some of their luster. Boarded-up buildings aren't uncommon. But a number of people who live here are descendants of the hardy folks who settled the area.
"My grandfather came here for ranching and mining," said Joy K. Brandt, who resides in Austin.
Some of the things you won't find along Highway 50: shopping malls, traffic jams or air pollution.
You will encounter something city folk hardly ever hear. Silence. Pull off the highway and turn off your car's engine. Roll down the windows and listen. You will hear, quite simply, nothing.
Take a deep breath. The scent of cedar perfumes the air.
U.S. 50 is an east/west route that crosses the Nevada/Utah border near Baker. It continues to Delta and connects to I-70 near Salina. On the other side of Nevada, it continues from Carson City to South Lake Tahoe on to Sacramento.
Alternate 50 breaks away from 50 west of Fallon and continues to Fernley, Sparks and Reno.
Portions of the Nevada section are straight as an arrow. "It's the straightest road we've ever seen," said three English women who drove the road last fall. They were on their way from Yosemite National Park to Salt Lake City. "The road is straight all the way to the horizon. There are no roads like that in England."
A couple from San Francisco described the drive as "dead-bang gorgeous," and the "closest thing to serenity" they had encountered.
If you, like the English tourists and the couple from San Francisco, take the road-less-traveled, here are some of the things you'll see:
Ely
Ely got its start as a stagecoach stop. Thanks to copper deposits discovered at nearby Ruth at the turn-of-the-century, the town went from rags to riches in a mining boom that lasted 70 years. The Liberty Pit mine closed in 1979, leaving Ely on its own to eke out a living.
Tourism is now a major industry. Before Kennecott Copper (owners of the Liberty Pit) closed its operations in 1982, it gave Ely the Nevada Northern Railway - its rolling stock, rights-of-way and maintenance shops. The NNRR now operates as a tourist railroad during summer months. The depot in Ely is part of the Nevada State Railroad Museum. The NNRR is a major "find" for railroad buffs and considered the best-preserved short-line railroad in the country.
An update on the Liberty Mine: It is reopening under new owners.
Eureka
Considered one of the Silver State's best preserved mining towns, Eureka has several historic gems: the recently restored Opera House, which received the National Trust for Historic Preservation Honor Award (the first ever for Nevada); an old frontier courthouse; and a fully furnished newspaper office.
The Jackson House has been restored and is once again open to overnight guests.
The Opera House is open for self-guided tours Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Grand Hall resembles the original configuration and decor. The rest of the building has been updated into a full-service convention center.
To put your name on the Opera House's mailing list, which will notify you of upcoming concerts, send your request to the Eureka Opera House, P.O. Box 284, Eureka, NV 89316, or call 1-702-237-6040.
Another gem is the Parsonage House, next to the Methodist Church. The church is now a private residence beautifully redone by master woodworker Frank Bleuss. He and his wife, Carol, moved to Eureka from Carson City. They renovated the parsonage next door to the church into a one-bedroom guest cottage. It has a fully-equipped kitchen, hand-crafted furniture and antiques. It rents for $50 a night. Phone number: 1-702-237-5756.
Pick up a self-guided tour pamphlet and show yourself the town.
Austin
Population 300, Austin began life in 1862, when a former Pony Express rider discovered silver. In 1865, it was Nevada's second largest city with a population of 5,000.
Mining wasn't the only way to make a killing. The Methodist minister financed the construction of his church by selling stock in the Methodist Mining Company. The church still stands as do most of the town's old churches.
Hustlers sold stock in Reese River Navigation Co., which was supposed to freight ore north from Austin on the Reese River to the railroad near Battle Mountain. The river, however, is ankle-deep in the wettest of times. You'll likely cross it without realizing it.
Austin has not aged gracefully. But there are some good places to eat (Carol's Country Kitchen, Toiyabe Cafe and the International), and the cemetery west of town is a library of weathered headstones that feature 19th-century prose.
These words grace the grave of Michael H. Finnegan, who died in 1891:
Would I were dead if death could be the end
of all the loving that makes life so fair
If love can die I pray the sun may send
an arrow through my heart that death may tear
Away this mortal state and make me soon forget
The sweet hope of love's eternal day
Which may yet die like purple violets
strewn on the robe of him who passed away
Fallon
Mother Nature and Uncle Sam dictate the fortunes of Fallon. Settled as a ranching community in the late 1800s, it's now famous for the Hearts O' Gold canteloupe grown in the area as well as the Naval Air Station located nearby. The best bet for visitors, besides taking a bite of cantaloupe if the season is right, is Churchill County Museum. Located off the main drag in a former Safeway store, the museum has a surprising array of artifacts including steam-driven farm machinery.
Highway 50 may be the road-less-traveled but it's the more interesting one.
Just ask Mark Twain.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
For information
To request a free travel information packet about Nevada, call 1-800-NEVADA-8. To request a "loneliest highway kit," call 1-800-237-0774.