Railroad Pass, Elko, Eureka & White Pine Counties Nevada

Why am I writing about Railroad Pass? George Washington didn't sleep here. Bill Clinton didn't 'sleep' or 'whatever' here. Alexander Von Humboldt was never even near here. The Donner Party didn't go through it. The Pony Express and the telegraph went through Overland Pass, south of here. There never was even a railroad through the pass. How it got the name Railroad Pass - I don't have a clue. So why even include it here?

You can blame, or thank, Mr. Fred Zaga for this one. I made a special trip to see this pass just because of a story Mr. Zaga once told me. It goes, as a young man Fred use to cowboy in this part of the state. He said he met a buckaroo once who claimed to have been bucked off his horse in three counties in Nevada - all at the same time. It happened right here at Railroad Pass. Just up the hill from the road in Railroad Pass three counties meet in one spot (Elko, Eureka, and White Pine). You guessed it, that's where this cowboy was bucked off - or at least that's how the story goes. Thanks Fred. Because of you, I got to see a part of northeastern Nevada that very few other folks have ever had a chance to visit. It is a remote, wild and beautiful area.

Railroad Pass - At Eureka - White Pine County line looking East

Railroad Pass - At Eureka - White Pine County line looking West

Looking in a northerly direction - top of the hill is where the three counties meet.

Looking back, east, at Railroad Pass

Railroad Pass is a canyon that cuts between the Diamond Hills and Diamond Mountain. On the west side of the pass is Diamond Valley and on the east is Huntington Valley. At the head of Diamond Valley is Garcia flats an alkali flats with some sagebrush growing on it. If you cross Garcia flats to the west toward the Sulphur Mountains you end up at Union Pass. This is the location of a number of old mines and the ghost town of Union. I will save this for another page. For now here are some photos of Garcia flats and the Alkali Flats of Diamond Valley. The dirt road across these flats is incredibly dusty with deep ruts. I would hate to be caught out in the middle of them in a heavy rain. I think they would be "slicker than snot".

Leaving Railroad Pass - looking west across Garcia Flats (at the head of Diamond Valley) toward Union Pass. Ya can even see the glitter off of all the diamonds in the lower left corner of this photo - maybe.

At Union Pass looking east toward Railroad Pass and the Diamond Mountains. Garcia Flats and the Diamond Valley Alkali Flats are easy to see.

Close-up of Diamond Mountains and Alkali Flats of Diamond Valley. Taken from Union Pass.

In June, 2002, I received an e-mail Claudia Riordan, Jiggs (riordan@outbacknevada.us). In it she wrote: "Eureka was booming in the 1870-80's there was great speculation about a railroad line established from Elko to Eureka. Just about the time things started to get serious about breaking ground, Eureka began its decline. The RR was never built but the name Railroad Pass lasts as a reminder to what almost was!"

Links

There are many links on Railroad Pass, Nevada. But they are not of this one. Most of the links are of the Railroad Pass Casino just east of Las Vegas, Nevada.