Elko’s History

Around here, the term “Battle Born” really means something. Whether it’s the earliest indigenous peoples who hunted and farmed this land to the pioneers of the 1800s who traveled across the country in covered wagons only to have to fight the elements every step of the way, the people of Elko have always taken pride in their ability to fight, survive and come out better for the experience.

In historic Elko, these stories jump off the page and come to life as you walk in the tracks of early inhabitants, reimagining how settlers lived day to day in this sometimes rough and tumble stop along the Central Pacific Railroad. See a fully-preserved wagon encampment and a Shoshone village at the California Trail Interpretive Center, hear cowboy tales at the Western Folklife Center, dig into mining history at the Northeastern Nevada Museum before venturing out to area ghost towns and see a blacksmith’s shop and 1800’s classroom at the Sherman Station Visitors Center.

Elko’s history encompasses so many sites, you could spend weeks checking out Nevada homesteads, the transcontinental railroad, courthouses, museums and other high-desert history hot spots — and merely be scratching the surface. So, if you ask, “What is Elko, NV known for?” get ready to hear a whole bunch of tales from the past as you experience Elko history firsthand. We’re always willing to sit a spell and tell a few stories to appreciative listeners