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Deeth
Elko County, Nevada
| This page is
dedicated to Mrs. Bessie Grock Winchell, who was a life-long resident
of Elko County. Bessie Winchell wrote the priceless book
"Now and Then" in 1986 about living and growing up in Deeth
and Starr Valley, Nevada. Mrs. Winchell passed away on October
31, 2001 at the age of 82. Her obituary, included toward the end
of this page, only provides a peek into the life of this lively, courageous
and spirited woman. |
On
January 13, 2002, my dad, my son Harry, and I took a 'Sunday drive' 30 miles east of
Elko - on the I-80 Freeway - to the small town of Deeth. We drove the
muddy roads of Deeth, took a few photos, visited with a resident walking her
dog, and then drove south on the 'hardtop' to Starr Valley. But this
page is about Deeth. It is a very short distance from I-80, but in time
it is a hundred years from the freeway. This is shown best in the photo
of the windmill in the foreground, by the corrals, and the microwave tower in
the distance by the freeway. I think I was born a few generations too
late. I yearn for those times. I envy the ranchers, who with great
tenacity, struggle to hang on to those times ... when hard work, using what
you have learned, some sage wisdom, some good weather, family, true friends, and an undying
faith in God were all you needed to get by.
|
Howard
Hickson's Histories
Elko County
Place Names |
| Deeth: (Between Elko and Wells) Settled in 1868
and named after a man called Deeth who ran a small store on the banks
of the Humboldt River some two miles below the present town. |
|
Deeth's
History
compiled from
Bessie Winchell's book "Now and Then", 1986
Map
of Deeth
Deeth is at the confluence of
the Humboldt and Mary's River.
"The early Indians trapped
fish with willow traps woven out of pliant willow branches, narrow at
the neck and widening at the bottom." (Winchell, 1986).
They lived by hunting, fishing and gathering berries and
nuts.
Peter S. Ogden was one of the
earliest trappers to visit the area. He trapped the Mary's River
in the Spring 1831. Milton
Sublette and Nathan Wyeth trapped the Mary's River in 1832.
Thomas McCoy, of the Hudson Bay Company, trapped the Mary's River in
1833. He reported that he met with poor success as it had
already been trapped.
John C. Fremont wrote in 1844
of finding hot springs. His description of these springs match
those springs just north of Deeth on Hot Springs Creek.
Deeth was on the California
Trail - used by wagon trains headed west toward California.
However the town was not settled until 1868 during the construction of
the transcontinental railroad.
Deeth was founded by the
railroad. It became a supply center and shipping point for Starr
Valley, Ruby Valley, Charleston and Jarbidge. The town
flourished when gold was discovered in Jarbidge in 1910. Freight
came by railroad to Deeth. It was then transported to the gold
camp of Jarbidge via freight wagons.
In 1895, Nevada had a total
population of 45,761. Deeth 82, Elko 766, Ft. Halleck 21,
Halleck 43, Ruby Valley 52 and Wells 254. During the boom years,
caused by Jarbidge, the population of Deeth was 250. It
contained two large general merchandise stores, 2 hotels, a dance
hall, 5 saloons, an opera house, a slaughter house, a red light
district, a creamery, a school, a newspaper, a garage, blacksmith
shop, livery stable, post office, jail and 42 dwellings, 25 of which
were fine homes. On the hill north of Deeth there was the Indian
village. In her book, "Now and Then", Mrs. Winchell
describes her childhood memories of Deeth during these times, the
railroad, flood of 1910, ranching, the freight traffic, schools and
the advent of the automobile.
Her section on the life of the
Shoshoni Indians who lived in Deeth is a must read. |
USGS
Topographic Map of Deeth (1991)
USGS
Aerial Photograph of Deeth (1995)
Click on photos to see original high clarity digital
photographs
| Exit
333 to Deeth and Starr Valley on the east bound lane of the I-80
freeway. The I-80 freeway was constructed in 1975. When
you exit right you are on the old Highway, US40, that went into Starr
Valley south and then east to Wells. Take this road - it is
paved - and enjoy nice short detour into the ranching culture.
The road reenters I-80 freeway near Wells. |
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| Looking
east at the northern and middle areas of Deeth. Western Pacific
tracks are in the foreground. The Southern Pacific tracks
parallel these in the distance. |
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| Middle
and southern areas of Deeth. |
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| Northern
entrance to Deeth. RR tie house is on the left of the
road. This first group of photos are taken of northern Deeth -
along the road to Charleston. |
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| RR
tie house. According to Mrs. Winchell's map of Deeth this was
thought to be the area of Truetts Red Light. The actual
use/owner of this house is not shown on the map. |
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| Inside
RR tie house. Looking south out front door. |
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| A
little further down the road. |
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| The
sign in the window says "For Rent". It is actually a
very nice looking house from the outside. McCormick House (?)
(new) |
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| Foreground
is the approximate area of the Bradley Opera House. |
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| "DEETH
HEADQUARTERS of Russell-Bradley ranch" There is a 1909
photo of this house in Mrs. Winchell's book. It is identical
except a white picket fence surrounded the house. (Winchell, 1986)
L.
R. "Broadhorns" Bradley was
the second elected
governor of Nevada. Governor
Bradley died in Elko on March 21, 1879. He
is buried in a simple grave in the Elko Cemetery. The governor's
son John
Ruben Bradley was the active partner with George
Russell at this operation. |
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| Down
the road just past the 'big house'. Bradley Office. |
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| Next. |
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| Looking
back west from where we were. Ahead lies the corrals. |
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| Standing
in same place as previous picture looking north toward the freeway to
'the house on the hill'. According to Mrs. Winchell, this hill
was called Indian Hill and was occupied by Indian dwellings.
According to Mrs. Winchell, in 1989, it was the site "of
the home of Bob and Shirley Garrett. This home was built in the
1970's by Peter Marble." It was owned by the Rafter Diamond
Ranch. |
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| The
corrals. They look like they have been here a long time. I
am unsure but I think this is the McCormick Feed Lot shown on Mrs.
Winchell's Deeth map. |
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| West
edge of town. Left takes you up the Mary's River to Charleston
and straight ahead to O'Neal Basin. Next summer I'm going both
ways. First to Charleston. |
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| The
next group of pictures is of Deeth between the two sets of railroad
tracks. This is the Fire Department Building. |
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| Deeth
Mercantile and Old
Post Office. Original building burnt and was rebuilt on the same
site. |
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| New
Post Office. The East Humboldt Range is in the background. |
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| At
the post office looking south at the East Humboldt Range.
Western Pacific tracks are in the foreground. |
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| Behind
(east of) the new post office. According to Mrs. Winchell's map:
Travelle - Wise House (yellow in distance), Mahoney Brothers House
(white). The Deeth School (tore down) was just to the right (south) of
the white house. |
 |
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| Travelle
- Wise House |
 |
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| Bird
House |
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| South
of the old post office along the second set of railroad tracks was
August Alles Home (tie building). |
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| Southern
set of railroad tracks and Deeth Siding. Down by the willows on
the left was the Western Pacific Depot (now tore down). Directly
to the right of the tracks was the Western Pacific Stockyards (gone -
where the barite is now stockpiled). Directly to the left of the
tracks was the Standard Oil Bulk Plant (now tore down). |
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| Stockpile
of 'jigged' barite at Deeth Siding from the Old Soldier Mine, near the
head of Stormy
Creek, in the Snake Mountains, forty
some miles north of Deeth. I'm guessing there is 7,000 tons of jig product here. It has been here since the mine
closed in the early '80's. |
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| Ranch
houses just south of Deeth Siding (furthest to closest: Forbes
(gone), Wilber Smiley House and Bob Anderson House (moved to Starr
Valley)). If you follow this road it
takes you back to the blacktop road to Starr Valley. |
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| Grock
Bros Machine Shop just south of Deeth on the paved road. |
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|
Picture from the
base of the East Humboldt Range in Starr Valley looking north at Deeth.
Deeth is in the valley at the confluence of Mary's River and the
Humboldt River. |
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
|
Bessie Grock
Winchell's family plot next to the chapel at Starr Valley Cemetery |
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Elko
Daily Free Press, November 2, 2001 |
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Links
Elko,
Nevada Time-Line
Starr
Valley Cemetery, Elko County, Nv
L.
R. "Broadhorns" Bradley, Elko, Elko County, Nv
George
Russell Mausoleum, Elko, Elko County, Nv
Rossi
Mine - Barite, Elko County, Nv
|
References:
Winchell, Bessie, 1986, Now and Then, Bonanza Publishing, Prineville, OR 97754
Additional Information: Northeastern
Nevada Museum
| Stanley W. Payher,
1970, Nevada Ghost Towns & Mining Camps, Howell-North Books,
Berkeley, California, Page 220 has a wonderful article on Deeth.
If you enjoy Nevada history this book is the very first one to
buy. It is amazing how much history and how many photos are
packed into its 500 pages. The slip cover of mine is shredded,
the pages are marked up, the corners are dog-eared - but it is among
my personal treasures. If you cannot locate it locally, it is
available at the Northeastern
Nevada Museum. |
If you know or would like to add anything about this page,
please let me know.
© 2002 - Elko Rose Garden Association
Recent Photos by Dan Turner
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