Battle Mountain, NV

Battle Mountain, Battling Back

Nobody said life would be easy out West—and it isn’t—so those who stayed on after the mines wore out and the railroad left had to come equipped with determination, ingenuity, faith, and pure grit. The people of Battle Mountain, Nev., know all about that.

Located off Interstate 80 in north-central Nevada, Battle Mountain is a small community clinging tenaciously to an uncertain existence. Since the 1870s, the town’s history has been interwoven with mining and the railroad. Both industries still operate in Battle Mountain, but mining has been going through a recession in recent years. Many businesses have closed, and some residents have moved away. During the heyday of mining in the early 1890s, the town’s population rose as high as 6,500. Now it hovers at about 3,500.

Battle Mountain is combating the typical “boom and bust” cycle that traditionally follows the mining industry by trying to bring other business to town. Tom Reichert, the new planner/economic developer for Battle Mountain, has only been on the job a short time.

“We have a lot of land zoned commercial and industrial,” he says. “We have tremendous transportation potential—with Interstate 80, the railroad, and an airport that can handle (Boeing) 737 jets. We’re working on getting some federal and state grants to develop an infrastructure for manufacturing and industry.”

Another area the town is exploring is tourism.

“We know we’re not a tourist destination,” says Shar Peterson, director of the Battle Mountain Chamber of Commerce. “We’re trying to diversify into other areas. We don’t want to be a ghost town.”

The town recently lost the historic Trail of the 49ers Interpretive Center to nearby Wells, Nev., (pop. 1,479) when Battle Mountain couldn’t find the resources or staff to maintain the center, but townspeople remain determined to connect their community’s past to its future.

The historic Twenty-Five Ranch cookhouse recently was moved into town from the 140,000-acre working ranch and will serve as the Historical Society’s museum. The organization is raising money to rehabilitate the building, while a walking tour of downtown that highlights the town’s historic buildings is also being developed by the chamber. Twenty-one buildings are now on the circuit, including several that were moved in from old mining towns surrounding Battle Mountain.

Out at Battle Mountain’s airport, an airplane showcase is in the works. Sue Deming, the airport board’s sole member, is working to find grant money and volunteers to open up a museum. Five old planes patiently await helping hands to undertake minor restoration, mostly just cleaning and polishing.

“Newmont Mining has already committed to providing manpower and some funding,” Deming says of the company’s help in getting the fledgling Battle Mountain Air Museum off the ground. There’s interesting history to preserve at the airport, including Amelia Earhart’s landing in 1931. The legendary pioneering pilot was flying her part-airplane/part-helicopter contraption, called an “autogyro,” across the country and landed in Battle Mountain to refuel.

The town also hosts several unusual annual events to coax visitors. Every June the Pony Express 100 auto road race takes off from town. Promoters actually close off State Highway 305 between Battle Mountain and Austin, as racers running the 90-mile track take aim at the course record of 194 mph.

Even though the town has been through some rough times, things are looking up in Battle Mountain. The Owl Club, a landmark hotel/casino/restaurant, has reopened after being closed for nearly a year, and Newmont Mining is creating a new enterprise—the Phoenix Project, considered one of the best undeveloped gold mines in North America—in Copper Canyon, just outside town. Encouragingly, state economic developers toured the area recently and expressed interest in Battle Mountain’s tourism possibilities.

The boom-and-bust cycles have been weathered before, but this time it’s just a little bit different. The town is fighting back, and one can’t help but think Battle Mountain will thrive again thanks to the tenacity of its townspeople.

Sherril Steele-Carlin is a freelance writer from Reno, Nev.

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