Pioche, Nevada
Pioche is an unincorporated town in Lincoln County, United States, about 180 miles northeast of Las Vegas. U. S. Route 93 is the main route to Pioche and bypasses the town center just to the east, with Nevada State Route 321 and Nevada State Route 322 providing direct access, its elevation is 6,060 feet above sea level. Pioche is the county seat of Lincoln County. Pioche is named after François Louis Alfred Pioche, a San Francisco financier and land speculator from France; the town's population was 1,002 at the 2010 census. The first modern settlement of the area occurred in 1864 with the opening of a silver mine; the settlers abandoned the area when local Indian tribes launched a series of massacres. Recolonization was launched in 1868, after the Indian raids were stopped and François Pioche bought the town in 1869. By the early 1870s, Pioche had grown larger, to become one of the most important silver-mining towns in Nevada; because of the town's remoteness which had earlier allowed the Indian raids to occur, Pioche had a reputation for being one of the roughest towns in the Old West.
Local lore says. This legend is immortalized by the creation of Boot Hill, now a landmark in the city. Pioche has a cool semi-arid climate bordering on a humid continental climate due to its high altitude and exposure to rain-bearing winds; the high elevation means summers are much cooler than in Clark County, with temperatures of 100 °F or 37.8 °C reached upon only one afternoon every five years, 90 °F or 32.2 °C reached only upon 23.1 afternoons. The hottest month recorded was July 2005, with a mean maximum of 93.0 °F or 33.9 °C, a record hot day of 105 °F on July 17, nine days above the century mark from July 11 to 19. Although summers are dry with mild nights, it is not unknown for “Arizona rains” to penetrate into Lincoln County during July and August, as happened in August 1945 when 5.01 inches of rain fell on a total of eleven “wet” days, during August 1955 when seventeen days saw at least 0.01 inches or 0.3 millimetres of rain. The fall season sees warm days and cold nights: the freeze-free period extends from May 17 to October 10, although temperatures below 0 °F or −17.8 °C are rare during winter with an average of 1.1 mornings falling this low.
The coldest month has been January 1949 with a mean maximum of 27.7 °F, although in a normal winter only 10.3 afternoons will not top freezing. During the winter, days are cool to cold – although in January 7.1 afternoons top 50 °F or 10 °C – and nights are cold, although snowfall is erratic. During the wet and cold spell of January and February 1993, 98 inches or 2.49 metres of snow fell in Pioche. Pioche is known for its "Million Dollar Courthouse," built in 1872; the original cost of $88,000 far exceeded initial estimates and was financed, refinanced with bonds totaling nearly $1 million. Pioche contains the county administrative offices and has one of the oldest grade schools in the state. Next door to the courthouse sits the old Mountain View Hotel, where President Herbert Hoover is said to have stayed in 1930. Built in 1895, the hotel served the lodging needs of dignitaries visiting Pioche on court business. Although the building no longer serves as a hotel, it is an example of turn-of-the-century western architecture.
There is another hotel, the Overland, still operating, with 14 themed rooms on the second floor over the main saloon. An aerial tramway carried buckets of ore from the mines to the Godbe Mill; the tramway ran during the 1920s and 1930s and was used for the transportation of silver and nickel ore. The abandoned tramway used cables which still stretch over parts of the town, with some original ore buckets intact. During Labor Day in September, the population swells for events including fireworks, history-based theater and mining car filling contests called "mucking events." In December, the town holds a public Christmas tree lighting. The town of Pioche is Nevada Historical Marker 5. Pioche Chamber of Commerce
Panaca, Nevada
Panaca is an unincorporated town in eastern Lincoln County, United States, on State Route 319, about 1 mile east of U. S. Route 93, near the border with Utah, its elevation is 4,729 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 963, it is one of only two cities in Nevada that prohibits the other being Boulder City. Panaca was southern Nevada's first permanent settlement, founded as a Mormon colony in 1864, it was part of Washington County, but the congressional redrawing of boundaries in 1866 shifted Panaca into Nevada. It is the only community in Nevada to be "dry", the only community in Nevada, besides Boulder City, that prohibits gambling. Coke ovens here once produced charcoal for the smelters in nearby Bullionville, but the town's economy is predominantly agricultural; the name "Panaca" comes from the Southern Paiute word Pan-nuk-ker, which means "metal, wealth". William Hamblin, a Mormon missionary to the Paiutes, established the Panacker Ledge silver mine there in 1864.
According to the U. S. Census Bureau, the Panaca census-designated place has an area of 3.3 square miles, all of it land. Along Nevada State Route 319 it is 19 miles east to the Utah state line and from there another 60 miles east to Cedar City, Utah. West from Panaca it is 1.0 mile to U. S. Route 93, at which point it is 14 miles south to Caliente. Panaca is near Cathedral Gorge State Park; the following Nevada historical markers have been placed in Panaca: Panaca Panaca Mercantile Store Panaca Spring Panaca Ward Chapel Panaca celebrates Pioneer Day on the Saturday closest to July 24. Events include a 6 a.m. cannon firing and races, a parade, art displays, a community dinner. This coincides with the Utah holiday commemorating the arrival of the Mormon pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley. Nevada portal Official website for Lincoln County Panaca's web page from the Nevada Commission on Tourism Panaca's page from the Lincoln Communities Action Team Panaca news from the Lincoln County Record newspaper
Nevada State Route 318
State Route 318 is a state highway in eastern Nevada. It is used as a shortcut for long-distance traffic along U. S. Route 93, bypassing the longer and less direct route U. S. Route 93 follows between Crystal Springs; the highway was established in the 1930s as State Route 38 and State Route 38A, was renumbered to SR 318 in 1976. At a total of 110.762 miles, it is the longest state route in Nevada. The road is used for open speed highway races twice a year. SR 318 begins on U. S. Route 93 at Crystal Springs in Lincoln County. From there, it travels north through Hiko. SR 318 parallels the route of the White River on its trek northward; the highway travels through the town of Sunnyside. The highway enters White Pine County and serves the community of Lund. SR 318 ends at a junction on US 6 25 miles southwest of Ely; the racing video game Need For Speed: Pro Street features a portion of the highway as a racing track for Speed Challenges. A county road approximating the course of the present highway was indicated on state maps by 1933.
As of 1935, State Route 38 was designated along the north end of the county road, between State Route 4 at Barnes and the town of Lund. This 12-mile segment of highway was paved by 1936; the remaining unimproved portions of the county road was made part of the state highway system by 1937—the five miles from US 93 to Hiko became the first iteration of SR 60, while the remaining 115 miles was designated SR 38A. By 1939, however, SR 60 was removed and replaced by SR 38A—the southern end of the route was shifted more easterly by this time. In 1942, the entire 107 miles length of SR 38A between US 93 and Lund had been graded to more follow the White River; the SR 38A designation was absorbed into SR 38 by 1946—by this time, SR 38 was 120 miles long. SR 38 would remain unchanged, except for gradual pavement upgrades, for several years. However, on July 1, 1976, Nevada began a major renumbering of all its state highway system. In that process, SR 38 was rechristened as the new State Route 318; the changes were first noted on the 1978 edition of the official state highway map.
The route number conversion was completed by 1982—by that time, the entire highway was paved. At the request of White Pine County's Board of Tourism and Recreation, the Nevada Board of Transportation renamed SR 318 from "Sunnyside Road" to the "Silver State Classic Challenge Highway" on May 24, 2012. More than 100 miles of the highway, between Lund and Hiko, Nevada are closed twice a year for the Nevada Open Road Challenge and Silver State Classic Challenge road races. Note: Mileposts in Nevada reset at county lines. Nevada portal U. S. Roads portal Media related to Nevada State Route 318 at Wikimedia Commons AARoads: Misc Nevada photos Silver State Classic Challenge official website
Hiko Springs (Nevada)
Hiko Springs spelled Hyko Springs, is a natural spring located at the farming community of Hiko, in Lincoln County, eastern Nevada. Its cool water flowing from the hillside spring supports the existence of the desert community. Hiko Springs flows beyond the spring for about 5 miles in the northern end of the Pahranagat Valley, it supplies irrigation water for valley farms there, for riparian habitats in the Key Pittman Wildlife Management Area. It fills the small Nesbitt Frenchie Lake within the Nevada state wildlife preserve. Hiko Range
Pahranagat Valley
The Pahranagat Valley is a Tonopah Basin landform in Lincoln County, Nevada. The more fertile part of Pahranagat Valley is a narrow ribbon of green like an oasis in the vast Nevada desert, it is 40 miles long running north and south and is watered by three large natural springs of water and many smaller ones as well. It has two near the north end of the valley and two towards the south end; the southern half of the valley including the two lakes is home to the Pahranagat Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Pahranagat Valley is bordered on the west by a range of mountains called the Mount Irish Range and the Pahranagat Range, it is bordered on the east by the Hiko Range. State Route 318 and U. S. Route 93 traverse the entire length of the valley; the more inhabited areas in Pahranagat Valley include Hiko, Ash Springs and Alamo, the town of Alamo being the largest and where all of the schools for the valley are located. The closest town to Pahranagat Valley is over 50 miles to the east at Nevada; the Crystal Springs area, used as a watering spot and campsite, was a principal stop-over on the Mormon Trail Alternate Route.
In the late 1850s, the area was a haven for outlaws who pastured hundreds of head of stolen cattle and horses on its meadows. Silver ore was discovered in 1865 on Mount Irish, Logan sprang into existence. A mill to process the ore was built in the ruins of which are still in existence. Since the late 19th century, Pahranagat Valley has been an agricultural community. Presently it is a bedroom community for many who work in Las Vegas though the commute is over 100 miles one way; the geology of the region includes the Alamo meteor impact which scattered layers of impact debris across the area near Alamo. The Pahranagat Valley is home of several endangered species like Fluminicola merriami, Bufo nelsoni and endemic subspecies of Gila robusta, Rhinichthys osculus, Crenichthys baileyi, Microtus montanus. Nevada State Historic Preservation Office Ghosttowns.com History of Lincoln County
Bullionville, Nevada
Bullionville is a ghost town in Lincoln County, United States, 1/4 mile east of U. S. Route 93, one mile north of Panaca and 10 miles south of Pioche, Nevada; the town prospered between 1870 and 1882, is now abandoned. Bullionville was established in February 1870, after the Raymond & Ely five-stamp mill was moved to the site; the site was selected because of the dependable supply of water from Meadow Valley Creek. The camp named Ely City, was renamed Bullionville that year. From 1870 to 1872, nearby Pioche's mills were built at Bullionville because of its excellent water supply; the construction of a narrow gauge railroad, began in 1872, with the purpose of hauling ore between the mills and nearby mines. The 21-mile long Pioche and Bullionville Railroad was moving ore by 1873. Bullionville's population grew between 1872 and 1875, with a population of 500; the town had hotels, multiple saloons, blacksmith shops and daily stage service to Pioche. In 1875, a water system between Bullionville and Pioche was completed, which supported Pioche's water requirements for milling.
After 1875, Bullionville declined, the settlement's mills were moved between 1875 and 1877. The railroad between Pioche and Bullionville stopped running by 1880, the town was abandoned. There are no original buildings to mark the site of the original settlement. List of ghost towns in Nevada
Coyote Springs, Nevada
Coyote Springs, Nevada, is a master-planned community being developed in Lincoln County and Clark County, Nevada. The community was planned by developer and attorney-lobbyist Harvey Whittemore and Pardee Homes. Thomas Seeno and Albert Seeno, Jr. became the sole owners of Coyote Springs following Whittemore's resignation from the Wingfield Nevada Holding Group amidst legal troubles. No homes had been built as of 2017. A golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus has been constructed, but additional work was put on hold due to the economic recession in the United States and complex legal issues; the planned development has attracted controversy because of environmental concerns and allegations of political favoritism. The community was planned to cover 65 square miles. While in Lincoln County, initial development was planned for the Clark County portion of the land. Coyote Springs is located between U. S. Route 93 on the west and the Meadow Valley Mountains to the east, a drive of less than an hour from the City of Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Strip.
The Coyote Springs valley is bisected by several major washes including the Pahrangat Wash and the Kane Springs Wash. The only access to the community is via U. S. Route 93 and Route 168; the land belonged to the Bureau of Land Management until 1988, when Congress enacted the Nevada-Florida Land Exchange Authorization Act. This act authorized the exchange of 29,000 acres of BLM-administered lands in Coyote Springs Valley, together with 10,000 acres in Mineral County, for 5,000 acres of environmentally-sensitive private land in the Florida Everglades owned by Aerojet Corporation; the purpose of the trade was to provide habitat protection for recovery of ESA-protected species in Florida. The United States did not impose any use restrictions on the lands when conveyed to Aerojet, who planned to use 2,700 acres to construct facilities for rocket manufacturing and testing, but Aerojet never built the facilities. Aerojet sold the conveyed lands to Harrich Investments LLC in 1996, who in turn sold the Coyote Springs parcel to Coyote Springs Investment group in 1998 with the intent of building a planned community at the site.
Construction of a golf course, designed by professional golfer Jack Nicklaus, began in 2005. In 2009, BrightSource Energy announced plans to build a 960 MW solar thermal power plant within the development. Generators provided electricity until 2012. Construction on the community itself was planned to start following the official ground breaking held on July 5, 2006. Regulatory issues involving water rights and environmental issues delayed construction. An economic recession in the United States placed construction plans on hold. Progress was stalled further by various legal battles between the owning partners; as of September 2016, construction of the development had not begun. Coyote Springs has proven controversial because of environmental issues and allegations of perceived favors granted developer Harvey Whittemore by politicians including Senator Harry Reid. In 2012, Whittemore was convicted on three felony charges related to illegal campaign donations to Harry Reid. Whittemore split from his business partners, Thomas Seeno and Albert Seeno, Jr. in 2010, resigning from Wingfield Holding Group and selling his stake in Coyote Springs.
The Seenos had accused Whittemore of embezzling funds from the company, including improper use of Wingfield resources to support the troubled Whittemore Peterson Institute. Whittemore responded with a countersuit. Wingfield and Pardee Homes have been engaged in legal battles. In February 2009, the Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental advocacy group, announced plans to sue the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Bureau of Land Management for violations of the Endangered Species Act; the Center contends the Coyote Springs development and resultant loss of water resources and habitat would harm the desert tortoise and hasten the extinction of the Moapa dace, both endangered species. The Fish and Wildlife Service and Nevada's water authority responded that they, are interested in protecting the Moapa dace, a small fish living in the Muddy River north of Las Vegas. Coyote Springs Coyote Springs golf courses
Media related to Hiko, Nevada at Wikimedia Commons
