Today Austin is a living ghost town, and is perhaps the best preserved example of an early Nevada mining town. It contains three beautiful churches. The Catholic church and the Methodist church were both built in 1866. The Methodist Church is now used as a community center, and the Catholic church occasionally has services, however the small size of the parish does not justify a full time priest. The Episcopal church, considered by some to be the prettiest frontier church still standing, was built in 1878 and is still in regular use. The International Hotel, first built in Virginia City in 1859 and moved to Austin in 1863 still serves meals and drinks, but does not rent out rooms (there is a motel across the street). Austin contains numerous other historical buildings, in various states of repair.
Stokes Castle, a strange three-story stone tower, is located just outside of town. It was built in 1897 by Anson Phelps Stokes, a wealthy eastern capitalist who had a financial interest in several of the local mines. It was only occupied for a month, and then fell into disrepair.
Related Travel Information
Austin is a small, unincorporated community located in Lander County, Nevada. As of 2004, its population is approximately 340. It is located on the western slopes of the Toiyabe Range at an elevation of 6,605 feet. U.S. Highway 50 passes through the town.
Named for Austin, Texas, Austin was founded in 1862, as part of a silver rush reputedly triggered by a Pony Express horse who kicked over a rock. By summer 1863, the Austin and the surrounding Reese River Mining District had a population of over 10,000, and it became the county seat of Lander County (the seat was shifted
Jarbidge, Nevada is a small town located on the edge of the Jarbidge Wilderness, several miles south of the Idaho/Nevada border.
The name "Jarbidge" originates from the Nez Perce word "Jahabich," which means "devil." This was the Nez Perce name for the near-by mountains.
Duckwater, Nevada is located in central Nevada at approximately 38°54? N 115°41? W, about the same latitude as the top of the "slant" and almost exactly parallel with Sacramento, CA. It is in Nye County, on the eastern edge of the Duckwater Indian Reservation. The city of Las Vegas is about 200 miles to the south-southeast.
The population of Duckwater is 368 (2000 Census). The average household income is about $43,980. Some main streets include "Meadow Road", "Duckwater Falls", and "Sugarshack Road". The nearest airport is Ely Airport in Ely, NV.
Panaca is a town in Lincoln County, Nevada, near the border with Utah. As of the census of 2000, there are 761 people in the town.
Panaca is near Cathedral Gorge State Park.
Jackpot, Nevada is a small, unincorporated town in Elko County. Located less than a mile from the Nevada/Idaho border on U.S. Highway 93, Jackpot has been a popular gambling stop for those living in southern Idaho for many years. The town was founded on April 7, 1959 after Idaho outlawed all forms of gambling. The town has a permanent population of around 1,500.
Jackpot has six main hotels and motels with a built-in casino: Barton's Club 93, Cactus Pete's Resort Casino, Four Jacks Hotel and Casino, West Star Hotel and Casino, The Horseshu Hotel and Casino, and the Covered Wagon Hotel.
