NV Weekend Pt 3: Ghost Town #1

Similar to many other ill-fated boomtowns that decorate the Nevada countryside, the small town of Ione has managed to hang on all these years and continues to pride itself as the “Town That Refused to Die.”

Originally founded in 1863, Ione catapulted to success as a trade and milling center after silver was discovered in the nearby Shoshone Mountain Range. By the time Nevada officially became a state in 1864, Ione’s population soared over 600 and proudly held the title of Nye County’s seat. During this time, an $800 stipend was granted to construct the county’s very first courthouse.

If rumors are to be believed, this one-room ramshackle is the 1863 courthouse. And if, indeed true, it's the oldest still standing courthouse in the state. Wow.

We so wanted to spend money and help the economy in this little town. Too bad this saloon, built in 1864, was closed. It truly is the most substantial building in the town. I read that up until sometime in the late 1980s, they still sold gas, with a gas pump and phone booth out front. It was locked up tight with all the evidence of abandonment. Sad.