Lost in Time: Exploring Ely, Nevada's Heritage of Trains & Mining

Today, Ely, Nevada is a hub for outdoor wilderness sports, but instead we take a look at the history of Ely, including trains, mining, and more, as we explore what is downtown still today. Ely is sometimes listed on some registries as a partial ghost town, but to me it seems alive and well.
0:00 Intro at the La Quinta Inn
0:21 General History of Ely, Nevada
1:36 Nevada Northern Railway Museum
4:43 Murals and Paintings Walking Tour
5:08 Ely Renaissance Village
5:52 White Pine County Seat/Courthouses
6:16 Veterans Memorial Park
6:34 Casinos and Red Light District
7:04 White Pine Public Museum
8:56 Personal Thoughts on Ely
9:33 Hometown Pizza

[@sammym.belfastchild]

Absolutely love the old towns of NV . Thanks for sharing.

[@marcob.7801]

I was in Ely when I was 18 years old. I had been chosen to accompany the curator of Invertebrate Fossils at the AMNH on an extensive field trip to Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Nevada when our 4 wheel drive vehicle broke down about 20 or 30 miles outside the outskirts of Ely (which my memory served) as a one horse town. So much for my memory. I remember spending the night in the desert though and saw the "lights of Ely" and a magnificent starred sky that still brings back memories.

[@RuralRoadtripper]

Neat memories!

[@marcob.7801]

@@RuralRoadtripper Indeed, if only they weren't so faded! LOL!

[@NormanSilv]

I love Ely, McGill and area and Nevada Nothern Railroad too.

[@RuralRoadtripper]

It's a neat little area!

[@janeburton7647]

Very Interesting! Thanks for sharing!

[@flyboy5994]

You missed the Reservation, Airport, Aquatics Center, High School and Magnet School. Great little town.

[@Nora-qm2ws]

Hello! From Ely, Minnesota! 😁

[@RuralRoadtripper]

We will have to film up there sometime! 😀

[@Nora-qm2ws]

@@RuralRoadtripper Yes, you should! It is pronounced the same, is also well known for outdoor wilderness sports, (located near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness) and also was a part of the iron ore Mining history.

[@peggynewman7159]

Enjoyed your video, thanks.

[@Mountain3180]

You should mention the large open pit copper mine that is still functioning. Also the highway out to the southwest is called Americas loneliest highway.

[@NormanSilver]

GReat plac to visit. Rich history of open pit mining. Very friendly people and good food, good comfortable accommodations and a railroad that i still running steamers. Bring a jacket.

[@adriaanboogaard8571]

I loved your Ely program. You showed me a lot I've missed do to only having short time visits in the past. It's worth going back for more. Years ago they offered a walking guided tour of the railway and I took it. Guided by a 94 year old but very spry retired railway employee from the days of steam. I'm sure he's long past. It was a privilege. They also had a great Bakery across the street from the depot then. I bought two pies and was in Mapleton Utah in time to trade them with my sister for some dinner. Just east of Ely before the long drive going towards Delta Utah is Majors place with a R.V. park that had a great old restaurant and bar with a wonderful fireplace. I hope it's all still as I last saw it about ten years ago

[@RuralRoadtripper]

Ely is a great little town!

[@ulrichskaarsgard7848]

Been through Ely many times. Really a creepy vibe especially coming in from the west on Hwy 50 near old town (1st street) late at night. Heavy energy here, you feel the past residents watching you.

[@RuralRoadtripper]

It’s definitely got a vibe!

[@danieldobert9461]

I was in Ely, Nevada . The first time was October 1997, during my solo road trip from Albany, NY to Las Vegas & Reno, NV.

[@RuralRoadtripper]

That’s a long road trip!

[@boydjensen3161]

My first College related job was in McGill at Kennecott Copper. Worked as a Lab Tech in the Assay office until I was drafted and went to Viet Nam. Returned to work as a Chemist, later. It is high country, 6437 feet downtown. Gets very cold in the winter... -20 to -40 F. Have seen in snow on the 4th of July (in1976). People where very nice, invited me for Thanksgiving and Christmas when I had no family, as a kid.

[@RuralRoadtripper]

It does seem very friendly

[@BlessingsfromNorthIdaho]

I lived in Ely, Nevada when I was a child. My brother was born there. A few years ago I visited and brought home a lilac shrub from my childhood home. It’s now planted in my North Idaho yard. Good memories.

[@RuralRoadtripper]

I love that you now have the lilac plant!

[@BlessingsfromNorthIdaho]

@@RuralRoadtripper me too. I brought it home in my suitcase, lol. My time in Ely was the best part of my childhood and I have that lilac from my childhood home to remember it.

[@MarkNieting]

The hotel is awesome! Stayed a week

[@RuralRoadtripper]

Sweet!

[@sunnyskye213]

Really enjoyed ur vid.!!!!! Thank U...

[@vicO1323]

I've stayed at the Hotel Nevada several times on my summer trips between Arizona and Washington. The rooms are small but clean but it's fun to stay in one of the oldest hotels in Nevada. I see there's more to see than I realized.

[@RuralRoadtripper]

More there than you might think.

[@Rick-nc3hm]

I started the second grade there. I am 72 so there is the math. I have visited there many times. A very cool town.

[@RuralRoadtripper]

It is a very cool town! Thanks for watching.

[@iworkout6912]

Stayed many times at the Hotel Nevada which was the tallest building in Nevada at one time. (before Vegas grew to what it is today) It has a small casino and the rooms for rent are nice. Some rooms have a theme, which makes them more interesting. The hotel has an elevator and restaurant which is now a Denny's. (I even won a Royal Flush playing video poker) There are more modern hotels in town if you want that. But I recommend the Hotel Nevada. Train rides on the Nevada Northern are really fun. Steam or Diesel the ride is quite long and includes a tunnel as you travel west along side US50, the 'Loneliest Road in America', t-shirts available in Ely.

[@RuralRoadtripper]

I love staying in historic hotels. So much more character.

[@binarydinosaurs]

Hurrah for small cities called Ely! Greetings from, I guess, the original Ely in the UK :D The name comes from all the eels that used to live in the river and marshlands around here. (I realise that you're not from Ely NV, but hey, maybe local residents will see this)

[@user-mn5bx3gj4y]

Nice

[@jameshazen1679]

Picked up the 1/2 Volkswagen engine for my Legal Eagle XL ultralight that I'm bulding from a fellow on the south side of Ely in 2017. Seven years later I'm about to get it flying!!!! Got to get my hip replaced first.😊

[@RuralRoadtripper]

I’m jealous! I have always wanted to learn to fly.

[@jameshazen1679]

I have my pilots license In 1974, haven't flown as pilot in command since 1984 now at 82 and because of kidney stones can't passed physical , but don't need that to fly an ultralight.😅

[@NBZW]

Now you’re talking, some very interesting history in that area…Some of my Italian ancestors worked the mines there, the stories they told were unbelievable by today’s standards.

[@RuralRoadtripper]

Yes! So many different cultures represented in the history of Ely.

[@NBZW]

@@RuralRoadtripper yup, one class lived on top of the mountain the Italian’s below the Chinese. What can I say? 😉

[@user-ju9cv9pr6f]

Bucket list item

[@vincentrizzi9797]

i want to explore the abandoned mines up there

[@RuralRoadtripper]

I’m sure they are fascinating!

[@michaelbruchas6663]

Long distance bike tours base out of Ely in Spring to Fall…

[@RuralRoadtripper]

Yes! Lots of great outdoor experiences in that area.

[@garysmith8276]

There's no Ely, Nevada? Where have I been then ?

[@RuralRoadtripper]

That’s what I’m wondering, too.

[@jamesfranklin2203]

Does still exist a railroad line between from Ely to Carson City?

[@RuralRoadtripper]

I’m not sure

[@markfrench8892]

There never was a rail connection between Ely and Carson City.

[@dguy7436]

You overlooked the maximum security prison just outside Ely. It is the largest employer in the area. It has its own death row and execution chamber…What?!? You just wanted all the nice stuff???

[@RuralRoadtripper]

Focusing on what visitors can do in the area more than on the not so nice stuff.

[@Phil-oj5nr]

A town of 4,000 is not a city!

[@RuralRoadtripper]

It’s literally called the City of Ely on their official government website.

[@irvingr.fatback886]

There is no such place as Ely, Nevada, this is actually Elk River, Nevada

[@RuralRoadtripper]

That’s not what the map says… I can’t find an Elk River Nevada.

[@brushfuller330]

A_hole

[@shannonhenson609]

Then ....why do the buildings say Ely? 2:08