Elko County, Nevada

Elevation 5,799 feet

On July 14, 2002, we visited Currie Nevada. Earlier this year, I had read the Spring 1975, Northeastern Nevada Historical Society Quarterly (available at the Northeastern Nevada Museum). It contained a wonderful article entitled "Memories of Currie, Nevada" by Anna Leona Reynolds. Mrs. Reynolds passed away in Reno, Nevada, on June 7, 1974. This booklet is wonderful, is interesting to read and it makes the visit to Currie a hundred-fold more enjoyable. It contains her story of life in Currie from 1908 - 1921. This web-page is dedicated Mrs. Reynolds and her husband Earl Gilson Reynolds (who passed in San Mateo, California in 1957).

I wanted to start out this page by saying this is the southern most town in Elko County ... NOT ... it is beat out by Shanty Town. But it is close. So I will go with the second best start ... It is a town for sale - well mostly. The town is composed of five main segments. The major portion of the town, the business district (20 acres), is owned by Glenn and Brenda Taylor. It consists of Goshute Mercantile, the bar, adjoining house, cabins, RV park, garage, historic buildings, and corrals. There is also the Northern Nevada Railroad, Elko County School District - Currie Elementary school, Lear Ranch and the Nevada Highway Department. The Tayor's wish to sell their part of the town (Wendover Reality, Las Vegas Review-Journal Newspaper article). The Northern Nevada Railroad, 128 miles of railway connecting McGill Junction to Cobre, Nevada, is being offered for sale by the Los Angeles Department of Water & Power. It has been closed since 1983. The school district closed down the school last year, for lack of enough students. If you have kids you either need to home school or board them out to Wells, Ely or Wendover. The Lear Ranch - I didn't ask, but I'll tell you - ranch life ain't easy these days. The Nevada Highway Department - I guess someone has to keep the roads open this winter.

Brief History

first portion taken from "Memories of Currie, Nevada" by Anna Leona Reynolds

Currie was named for Joseph H. Currie who began a ranch here in 1885. "It was a stage and freight stop". Discovery of copper ore bodies in Ely prompted the construction of a railroad from Ely, White Pine County to the Southern Pacific main-line (about 20 miles south of Montello). The newly created town at the main-line was named Cobre, Spanish for copper. The mid-way station was here at Currie. The first passenger train from Cobre to Currie operated on May 22, 1906. On March 30, 1908, Earl Reynolds (with his newlywed wife Leona) began a new telegraph office and railroad agency station at Currie. Initially they lived in the depot building, but as time progressed they left the railroad and opened a general store in Currie. After Henry Ford began mass production of the automobile in 1913, the automobile became more popular. By the late-thirties, bus and auto travel from Ely to Wendover was more preferred than the railroad. On July 31, 1941, railroad passenger service was discontinued by the Northern Nevada Railway. But according to the Nevada Northern & Railroads of White Pine County Site from 1906 to 1941, in excess of 4.6 million rail passengers passed through Currie. The Ely copper smelters closed on June 20, 1983. One day later the railroad was closed. Ranching, the Goshute mercantile, serving locals and customers traveling along Highway 93, and the highway department are the mainstays of the Currie economy. Well, hopefully the following photos of Currie have loaded by now, so let's go see them.

USGS Topographic Map of Currie - 1982

elevations in meters

USGS Aerial Photograph of Currie - 1999

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Click Here for Historical Currie Photos

from the Northeastern Nevada Museum collection

Northern Nevada Railway

From the Nevada Northern & Railroads of White Pine County Site, NNRY Passenger Service Page - Brief History of Nevada Northern's Passenger Service we learn that

"Passenger service on the Nevada Northern Railway spanned a period of 35 years from 1906 to 1941. Over that time, in excess of 4.6 million passengers rode the Great Basin desert rails.

The first passenger train operated on 22 May 1906. A special run for Mark Requa and his guests was made over the 63 miles from Cobre to Currie, while the remaining line south of Currie was still under construction.

Regularly scheduled passenger trains and RPO service between Cobre and Ely were discontinued after 31 July 1941"

From the Nevada Northern & Railroads of White Pine County Site, Nevada Northern Railway Company - A Concise History 1906 - 1983 and to the present we learn this

Kennecott Copper Corporation (KCC) acquired full control of Nevada Con in 1933. The name was changed to KCC Nevada Mines Division a full ten years later. Meanwhile, regularly scheduled passenger service between Cobre and Ely was discontinued in 1941.

The mines were closed in 1978 and the KCC ore trains to McGill were discontinued. The McGill smelter closed on 20 June 1983, followed one day later by cessation of all Nevada Northern Railway operations."

This photo is the railroad crossing on Highway 93 between Ely and Wells, Nevada. I guess they kept the crossing just in-case there is a ghost train - I feel a poem coming on.

This is the sign that greets you at Currie.

Railroad

This section is on the railroad. The depot is on the right (east) of the photo - left of the tracks. The Currie Hotel (not to be confused with the Steptoe Hotel - now gone) is the two story yellow building on the left of the photo. The Lear Ranch is beyond the hotel.

The depot is on the left of the tracks. Across the tracks from the depot is a raised platform. This was the Freight House. Both the Depot and the Freight House are shown in the historic Currie photographs. The freight building was taken down sometime after 1989.

In the depot looking out the bay window east toward the school.

In-side the depot

Out-building just north of the depot.

Depot is on the left, Currie Hotel is in the center of the photo and the Lear Ranch is on the right. The distant mountain range is the Cherry Creek Range. The valley is the Steptoe Valley.

Old building foundations are in the foreground.

Buildings along the tracks north of the depot. I don't know what they are but I assume the belong to the railroad. I would guess the house on the right is a section gang house. Looking at the old photos of Currie, there was a water tower just beyond the red house just left of the tracks.

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Railroad switch is in the foreground

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In-side above building

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Railroad tie building

Water tower foundation (see old photos)

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Buildings just north of town.

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Currie Hotel

Mariana Goyenetche lived her childhood in Currie. Her mother owned the Currie Hotel which she ran until Mariana went to high school in Ely. A few years after Mariana moved to Ely, her mother moved there as well and bought the Spokane Rooming House there.

In the above link there is some great information about the old Currie Hotel, including what facilities were available at the time.

Steptoe Valley in the foreground and Valley Mountain is in the distant horizon.

Taken between side of hotel and the Reynold's original general store. There is a wonderful photo of this same place on the historical photographs page. It shows one of the first automobiles to travel across the United States.

According to the old photographs on historical photographs page: The rock building was the Reynold' s original store in Currie, Nevada. Later it was used for an ice house then a store room, a chicken house, it is now used for storage. Rocks to construct the building were from a quarry near Currie.

This is the residence for the Goshute Mercantile. It is currently owned by Glenn and Brenda Taylor. I am not sure but I think this was constructed by the Reynolds.

Goshute Mercantile. On the historical photographs page are some wonderful photos of this building taken through time. Make sure you look at the gas pumps (no longer there).

Cottages are on the right of the photo.

The old gas pumps were located where the copper ore rock is now located (next to Harry). The green mineral is malachite and the blue is azurite.

Behind the store is this old railroad tie building.

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View from the Goshute Mercantile (looking southwest). The Steptoe Valley is in the foreground and the Cheery Creek Range is in the distance.

Gas Pump - Out of Order

Goshute Residence. Currie hotel is in distance.

Old foundations with trailer park in distance.

The trailers were vacant when we visited the town.

The old school. The current school (now closed) is the blue roof in the distance.

In the article "Memories of Currie, Nevada" by Anna Leona Reynoldsis the following description of the school:

"My husband wrote to Carson City and was told that 11 children were enough to have a school ..."

The state sent men to build a school not far from the Phalan place. We could not, by hook or crook, get but nine children, so we imported an Indian, his wife and two children. That made the 11 needed..."

"The new building turned out to be our civic center for all dances, parties and election boards. When we had any of these events we just moved the desks out. It was lovely - a nice building and furnishings for those days."

On the historical photographs page you can see an old photo of this school with the bell on the roof.

The old and the new schools. The Currie school closed last year (2001). The last teacher was Jackie Nordling, who had previously taught at the Ruby Valley school. It is my understanding she now teaches in Jackpot, Nevada. The distant trailer behind the new school is the teacher's residence.

Garage behind Goshute Mercantile.

Highway Maintenance Yard at Currie.

Lear Ranch at Currie. It is my understanding that the Lear Family had originally ran the Sadler Ranch over in Huntington Valley south of Jiggs, Nevada.

These are some of the older ranch buildings. The distant shed is shown on the historical photographs page.

Spruce Mountain, north of Currie. It is shown here because this range is mentioned many times in Mrs. Reynold's article.

Highway 93 from Wells to Currie by Spruce Mountain.

links

Time-Line, Elko County, Nv

Cobre, Elko County, Nv

FOR SALE: TOWN WITH A VIEW

Glenn and Brenda Taylor, who own half of Currie, are selling their part of the community.

Old Nevada Saloons

Elko County

Randy Stowell

Ultimate Brush Buckaroo

Horse trainer, rawhide braider, and hair-rope maker,
this Elko cowboy survives and thrives in the desert.

Mariana Goyenetche lived her childhood in Currie, a small town southwest of Wendover, Nevada. There, her mother owned the Currie Hotel which she ran until Mariana went to high school in Ely. A few years after Mariana moved to Ely, her mother moved there as well and bought the Spokane Rooming House there.

Over the years, Mariana has run the Spokane, as well as living on ranches with her husband and running a grocery store in Ely as well. In this interview there is some great information about the old Currie Hotel, including what facilities were available at the time.

Currie School