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| BATTLE MOUNTAIN REALTY |
| One Version of Battle Mountain History |
Despite its colorful name, Battle Mountain has managed a rather staid existence since 1870 when the
population of Argenta deserted the little mining settlement and re-established themselves at Battle Mountain
Station on the Central Pacific Railroad.
The settlement depended for its prosperity on the railroad, and on the mines that blossomed and wilted along
the slopes and side canyons of the Reese River Valley all the way to Austin, 90 miles to the south. Galena,
Jersey City and Lewis were three of Nevada's most prominent mining camps in the 1870s, and all of them were
served by the railroad at Battle Mountain, as was Pittsburgh in the 1880s and Dean in the 1890s. After the turn
of the century the strikes at Hilltop, Bannock, McCoy and Betty O'Neal all shipped by way of Battle Mountain.
One of the Central Pacific's officials was James H. Ledlie, a former Union officer in the Civil War whom Ulysses
S. Grant called, "the greatest coward of the war." A siding near the southern end of the route through Reese
River Valley was named in his honor, and Ledlie was a familiar visitor to the railroad.
Grant's scorn dated from the ghastly Battle of the
Crater, a slaughter that ensued when a troop of
Pennsylvania coal miners dug a tunnel beneath the
Confederate lines protecting Petersburg, packed it
with explosives, and blew it up. Ledlie was to have
led his soldiers in the charge through the resulting
crater, but instead got drunk in his dugout and refused
to come out. The troops attacked without him and were
shot down like deer as they struggled across the great
hole. Interestingly, Ledlie was in Battle Mountain the
day in 1879 that Grant came to town on his triumphal
western speaking tour. No doubt Ledlie made sure to
stay out of his sight.
Battle Mountain was the last stop for W.J. Forbes, a famous Nevada newspaperman of the l9th century. He was
remembered by Carson City journalist Sam Davis: "Pioneers still laugh about his quips and fancies. Writing
under his pen-name Semblins he discoursed on every subject known to man, and his shafts so often hit the
mark that he became popular with all classes of readers." He edited and published a dozen newspapers in
Nevada and California, and in 1873 started the short-lived The New Endowment in Salt Lake City.
"Returning to Nevada," David wrote, "he started Measure for Measure at Battle Mountain. It was a wonderful
paper, but it did not pay, and a friend found him on the morning of October 30, 1875, lying stiff and cold across
his shabby bed. He had fought a fight against all odds all his life, was one of the brightest genuises the coast
had ever seen, but he lacked the faculty of making and saving money and lived in communities where his
mental brightness was more envied than appreciated."
In 1880 the Nevada Central Railroad was completed through the length of the Reese River Valley to the south,
connecting Austin with the transcontinental line, and the following year a short line was built to Lewis. But the
BM&L lasted less than a year, and the Nevada Central was only profitable as long as the mines at Austin were
operating at full capacity. By the middle 1930s most of the mines that generated traffic at Battle Mountain were
shut down and boarded up and the NCRR had passed into receivership for the last time.
Battle Mountain's 30-year snooze by the side
of US 40 ended suddenly when the DuVal
company invested more than $20 million in the
development of large copper ore bodies in the
hills to the south. All at once Battle Mountain
became a boomtown in its own right. The
schools overflowed, the sewer system burst its
seams, the municipal wells started pumping sand
and the cost of policing the town full of restless
young men doubled.
It took some doing, but Battle Mountain has sorted
things out now, the mine is now producing gold instead
of copper, and its employees have long since settled
into the comfortable life of the community.
Livestock and agriculture have an important place in Battle Mountain's history. 1978 World Saddle Bronc
Champion Joe Marvel grew up riding and roping on the family ranch southeast of town. One of the most
productive crops in this broad desert valley is lawn turf, grown here and retailed in Reno. Nevertheless, mining
is still the mainstay of the economy.
Battle Mountain's principal attraction for tourists is the bright stripe of enterprise still fronting on the highway
and the railroad tracks as it has since its founding so long ago. The Owl Club and the Nevada Hotel have been
welcoming visitors for well over a century.
You might enjoy the 37-mile drive to Wildhorse Reservoir, a 2-mile long lake equipped with boat launch
facilities, campsites and picnic areas and stocked with fish.
In the meantime there is the Elquist Memorial Park and the Olympic sized swimming pool on Nevada Route 305
which continues south 90 miles to Austin. There is also a lovely scenic view about three miles out of Battle
Mountain, especially at sunrise or sunset. Follow the signs to the dump and park with your back to town. In the
winter you're likely to see Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles and Hawks.
courtesy www.nevadaweb.com/cnt/cc/bmtn.html
population of Argenta deserted the little mining settlement and re-established themselves at Battle Mountain
Station on the Central Pacific Railroad.
The settlement depended for its prosperity on the railroad, and on the mines that blossomed and wilted along
the slopes and side canyons of the Reese River Valley all the way to Austin, 90 miles to the south. Galena,
Jersey City and Lewis were three of Nevada's most prominent mining camps in the 1870s, and all of them were
served by the railroad at Battle Mountain, as was Pittsburgh in the 1880s and Dean in the 1890s. After the turn
of the century the strikes at Hilltop, Bannock, McCoy and Betty O'Neal all shipped by way of Battle Mountain.
One of the Central Pacific's officials was James H. Ledlie, a former Union officer in the Civil War whom Ulysses
S. Grant called, "the greatest coward of the war." A siding near the southern end of the route through Reese
River Valley was named in his honor, and Ledlie was a familiar visitor to the railroad.
Grant's scorn dated from the ghastly Battle of the
Crater, a slaughter that ensued when a troop of
Pennsylvania coal miners dug a tunnel beneath the
Confederate lines protecting Petersburg, packed it
with explosives, and blew it up. Ledlie was to have
led his soldiers in the charge through the resulting
crater, but instead got drunk in his dugout and refused
to come out. The troops attacked without him and were
shot down like deer as they struggled across the great
hole. Interestingly, Ledlie was in Battle Mountain the
day in 1879 that Grant came to town on his triumphal
western speaking tour. No doubt Ledlie made sure to
stay out of his sight.
Battle Mountain was the last stop for W.J. Forbes, a famous Nevada newspaperman of the l9th century. He was
remembered by Carson City journalist Sam Davis: "Pioneers still laugh about his quips and fancies. Writing
under his pen-name Semblins he discoursed on every subject known to man, and his shafts so often hit the
mark that he became popular with all classes of readers." He edited and published a dozen newspapers in
Nevada and California, and in 1873 started the short-lived The New Endowment in Salt Lake City.
"Returning to Nevada," David wrote, "he started Measure for Measure at Battle Mountain. It was a wonderful
paper, but it did not pay, and a friend found him on the morning of October 30, 1875, lying stiff and cold across
his shabby bed. He had fought a fight against all odds all his life, was one of the brightest genuises the coast
had ever seen, but he lacked the faculty of making and saving money and lived in communities where his
mental brightness was more envied than appreciated."
In 1880 the Nevada Central Railroad was completed through the length of the Reese River Valley to the south,
connecting Austin with the transcontinental line, and the following year a short line was built to Lewis. But the
BM&L lasted less than a year, and the Nevada Central was only profitable as long as the mines at Austin were
operating at full capacity. By the middle 1930s most of the mines that generated traffic at Battle Mountain were
shut down and boarded up and the NCRR had passed into receivership for the last time.
Battle Mountain's 30-year snooze by the side
of US 40 ended suddenly when the DuVal
company invested more than $20 million in the
development of large copper ore bodies in the
hills to the south. All at once Battle Mountain
became a boomtown in its own right. The
schools overflowed, the sewer system burst its
seams, the municipal wells started pumping sand
and the cost of policing the town full of restless
young men doubled.
It took some doing, but Battle Mountain has sorted
things out now, the mine is now producing gold instead
of copper, and its employees have long since settled
into the comfortable life of the community.
Livestock and agriculture have an important place in Battle Mountain's history. 1978 World Saddle Bronc
Champion Joe Marvel grew up riding and roping on the family ranch southeast of town. One of the most
productive crops in this broad desert valley is lawn turf, grown here and retailed in Reno. Nevertheless, mining
is still the mainstay of the economy.
Battle Mountain's principal attraction for tourists is the bright stripe of enterprise still fronting on the highway
and the railroad tracks as it has since its founding so long ago. The Owl Club and the Nevada Hotel have been
welcoming visitors for well over a century.
You might enjoy the 37-mile drive to Wildhorse Reservoir, a 2-mile long lake equipped with boat launch
facilities, campsites and picnic areas and stocked with fish.
In the meantime there is the Elquist Memorial Park and the Olympic sized swimming pool on Nevada Route 305
which continues south 90 miles to Austin. There is also a lovely scenic view about three miles out of Battle
Mountain, especially at sunrise or sunset. Follow the signs to the dump and park with your back to town. In the
winter you're likely to see Bald Eagles, Golden Eagles and Hawks.
courtesy www.nevadaweb.com/cnt/cc/bmtn.html
