Ely is located on highway 93 in Northern Nevada and surrounded by other mining ghost towns in the unpopulated White Pine County. Most people who travel this way are on their way to the Great Basin National Park or Jackpot Nevada to gamble. I was sorry to find the Nevada Northern Railroad train station & track house needing much repair. I walked through the track house on my own, no guide, and was astounded at the history sitting there collecting dust. I truly wished something or someone would come along to help save this part of Nevada history.

Sometimes good things still happen in today's world. The mine has reopened and the town is gaining a little life. The grant money the Nevada Northern Railroad had just received in 2002 has been put to good use. Old locomotive number 40, the "Ghost Train" is a ghost no more. She has had her retrofit, she is all spruced up, and gadding about the rails hauling visitors to and fro with her helper old number 93.Hitched to the steam engine are the original passenger cars from a by-gone era. Each car has a wood burning stove that is used during the winter months. Many of the town's people have volunteered their time to conserve their train heritage, as well as train buffs from other areas who volunteer their weeks and summers to help out. The Nevada Northern Railway now attracts visitors from all over the world. Real train enthusiasts do not want to miss the best preserved short line railroad in America.

The railway offers two different routes and many special runs such as the Oktoberfest Train where a German dinner and beer are served on board. The polar express goes, of course, to the North Pole and includes a visit with Santa. The price of a ticket includes a guided tour through the machine shop and the RIP (Repair in Place) track house. Here you can see yet to be refurbished cars. I talked with visitors who rode on the Oktoberfest Train, they said it was so much fun they are planning to return next year to do it again.

The White Pine Public Museum is just not to be missed while visiting Ely. They have procured some very unusual relics for their museum and all ages will be enriched by the visit. Other places a tourist may want to visit while in Ely are the Charcoal Ovens. Why Charcoal ovens? Charcoal was needed to burn in the smelters located at the mouth of the mines. So the unusual beehive shaped ovens were built in late 1875 by Swiss-Italian masons. I found it amazing each of these six huge hand built stone-by-stone ovens is so identical and sturdy; they are still in perfect shape.

If you are the outdoors type you might like to take the scenic drive around Success Loop. It is mostly a dirt road that most cars can do except in springtime when the water run-off level is high. If you start at the McGill entrance you will exit close to the Charcoal Ovens. Do take the turn off to Cave Lake; it is a beautiful place for a look or a picnic, as well as camping and fishing. We saw abundant deer and antelopes on this trek. Returning from the Charcoal Ovens you might want to stop at the Willow Creek Trading Post for a buffalo burger and see the live buffalo. The Trading post itself has an unimaginable collection of "treasures" to browse through. You are sure to find that missing dish, part, or top among this collection. If you bring a cooler and ice you can buy frozen buffalo meat to take home.

I stayed at the liveliest place in town, the historic Nevada Hotel and Casino. Even though it was built in 1929 Ely's heyday, it is still the fun place to be in Ely. The casino itself is full of stuff besides the gambling machines. There are relics of the past, chandeliers, statues, etc. all sitting among the flashing neon lights of the slot machines. When I was there fantastic wood carvings by Nib Lock & Casper were on display in the casino. I was more than pleased with every meal I ate in their restaurant from breakfast to dinner.

The hotel was very cleverly redone and decorated in the historic train theme and many guest rooms themed to famous persons who once stayed there. Wayne Newton says he started entertaining at age 16 and learned to handle a crowd in the Hotel Nevada in Ely. One should take a walk down the hallways even if you are not staying there and enjoy the ambiance. The rooms have new furniture including bedding, but the plumbing is old and the bathrooms small. Still it is clean and full of atmosphere. I talked to patrons who say they come to Ely each year to ride the trains and stay at the hotel.

There are plenty of other lodging choices in town if you prefer newer accommodation; The Ramada Inn is near the train station, and modern with a smaller quieter casino and an indoor pool. The Jailhouse Motel and Casino is located downtown across the street from the Nevada Hotel. It too is newer construction and it features a unique fine dining restaurant where the tables are inside a jail cell. The White Pine 18-hole golf course will keep golfers from having withdraws during their visit.

There are new beginnings on the horizon for Ely, power plants and casinos, but the nostalgia is already there.

Call Northern Nevada Railroad and pick a time for a specialty historic train ride and take a fun couple of days in Ely Nevada the town that was and is.

Bobbie Green grew up in southern California. She is a member of the North American Travel Journalist Association. She is a freelance writer and has been published in various Senior Wire Publications, The Desert Valley Times, Nevada Magazine, Mesquite Local.com, Travel World International, and Leisuretravelreports.com. Besides enjoying her love of travel by doing it as often as she can, she enjoys photography and attends numerous travel trade functions. Presently she is enjoying desert living in Mesquite Nevada.

© 2006

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