Elko brims with history, events, outdoor activities

Central to a huge portion of rural Nevada, the busy capital of Elko County offers visitors a variety of recreational pursuits and plenty of special events.

Elko schedules rodeos, horse shows, horse racing, car shows, a county fair and more in the short weeks before winter returns. Big events coming up include the Elko County Fair and horse races Aug. 26 to Sept. 5 and the Ruby Mountain Hot Air Balloon Festival Sept. 23 to 25.

Elko is 430 miles from Las Vegas in northeastern Nevada. Head north on Interstate 15, then exit onto U.S. Highway 93 near Apex. This scenic route runs north, paralleling Nevada's eastern border, through beautiful Great Basin landscapes. At Wells, head west on Interstate 80 to Elko.

Born a railroad town in 1869, Elko grew into a center for business, finance and government, serving the needs of mining camps and isolated homesteads scattered over a huge, sparsely populated region. Mining boomed and went bust in cycles common to the industry, leaving ghost towns behind. Ranches raising livestock stabilized the economy and imprinted the town with its distinctly Western character. Today, Elko plays up its history and natural attributes to attract outdoor enthusiasts of every stripe.

The town draws visitors who enjoy diverse outdoor activities. Old roads and trails invite off-highway vehicle drivers and four-wheelers, mountain bikers and horseback trail riders. Some of those old roads lead to mining ghosts such as Tuscarora and Midas.

Opportunities for picnicking and camping abound, with at least nine campgrounds on public lands within an hour's drive of Elko. Hikers can follow a network of trails on lands administered by the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service and Nevada State Parks in such places as Lamoille Canyon, South Fork and Wildhorse State Recreation Areas and the Ruby Mountains, often described as Nevada's Alps. The area's streams and lakes attract anglers, and abundant wildlife draws hunters in season. Winter sports enthusiasts come to snowmobile, cross-country ski and even downhill ski off-trail from helicopter drops, one of the more extreme adventures.

Now in one of its periods of ascendancy, mining supports about half a dozen gold mines in northeastern Nevada and provides enough jobs that Elko has a stronger economy than many other parts of the state today. Visitors can see what it takes to extract the precious metal from Nevada's earth during a mining tour offered by Newmont Gold Company on the second Tuesday of each month from April through October. Reserve your place on the company bus by calling (775) 778-4068. Participants assemble at the Northeastern Nevada Museum at 9 a.m.

The city had the foresight some time ago to acquire the acreage of an old ranch at the edge of town and turn it into a city park that would probably be the envy of much larger towns.

The Northeastern Nevada Museum lies along one edge of this city park, an important stop for visitors interested in the area's past. The Elko Convention Center is also part of the park complex.

Buildings from another old ranch and early stage station, the Walther Homestead, were moved to the park to create Sherman Station, which houses the Elko Chamber of Commerce. Visitors may tour the 1875 buildings, including the main log ranch house, a one-room schoolhouse, a creamery, a blacksmith shop and barns that housed stage teams and coaches.

Downtown Elko could have lost the historic Pioneer Hotel. Instead, the substantial old hostelry was repurposed to house the Western Folklife Center, a hub of local events and a cultural repository.

Elko caters to visitors with a broad selection of restaurants and places to stay. The town boasts several popular Basque restaurants among many other eateries. Accommodations include at least 30 motels, small hotels and bed and breakfast inns. At least three area ranches accept guests, and there are six recreational vehicle parks.

Margo Bartlett Pesek's column appears Sundays.