Cold Springs is an unincorporated community in Churchill County, Nevada, United States.

History

Cold Springs, less commonly known as Rock Creek, was established as a station along the Pony Express express mail route in March 1860. In 1861, a repeater which would eventually serve the first transcontinental telegraph was built about northwest of the Pony Express station. Later that year in July, a new station serving the

Overland Trail The Overland Trail (also known as the Overland Stage Line) was a stagecoach and wagon trail in the American West during the 19th century. While portions of the route had been used by explorers and trappers since the 1820s, the Overland Trail w ...

commercial and passenger stage line opened just south of the telegraph station, replacing the original Cold Springs station which had been pillaged by Native Americans in May 1860 amidst the Paiute War. The Pony Express ceased operations on October 26, 1861, and—with the completion of the

first transcontinental railroad North America's first transcontinental railroad (known originally as the "Pacific Railroad" and later as the " Overland Route") was a continuous railroad line constructed between 1863 and 1869 that connected the existing eastern U.S. rail netwo ...

in 1869—the Overland Trail ceased operations. Both ruins of the Overland Trail station and original Pony Express station were listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the

Cold Springs Station Site The Cold Springs Station Site, west of Austin, Nevada, is a historic stagecoach station site that was active during 1861-1869 as a passenger and freight station, and later for freight. Only stone ruins remain. Nearby is the location of the orig ...

on February 23, 1972 and the

Cold Springs Pony Express Station Ruins Cold Springs Pony Express Station Ruins, in Churchill County, Nevada near Frenchman, are the ruins of a Pony Express station built in 1860 or 1861. The ruins were listed as a historic site on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972. In ...

on May 16, 1978 respectively. Currently, the area just northeast of the stagecoach stations is the site of the Cold Springs Station Resort with a restaurant, bar, gift shop, and lodging accommodations, including a six-room motel, three cabins, and an RV park. The rest of the community of Cold Springs consists of residences and a

Nevada Department of Transportation The Nevada Department of Transportation (Nevada DOT or NDOT) is a government agency in the U.S. state of Nevada. NDOT is responsible for maintaining and improving Nevada's highway system, which includes U.S. highways and Interstate highways within ...

maintenance depot.

Geography

Cold Springs is located in eastern Churchill County along

U.S. Route 50 U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlanti ...

between the Clan Alpine and Desatoya Mountains. The community is in the ZIP code 89106, addressed to Fallon; the city lies approximately west via U.S. 50. The nearest city is

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

, approximately east.

References

{{reflist Unincorporated communities in Churchill County, Nevada