Schellbourne, formerly known as Fort Schellbourne and Schell Creek Station is a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

located in the

Schell Creek Range The Schell Creek Range is a linear mountain range in central White Pine County, in east-central Nevada. Its length is approximately in a north-south direction. Most of the range is contained within the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, with so ...

White Pine County White Pine County is a largely rural, mountain county along the central eastern boundary of the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2010 census, the population was 10,030. Its county seat is Ely. The name "(Rocky Mountain) white pine" is an old ...

in Nevada, United States, located north of

Ely Ely or ELY may refer to: Places Ireland * Éile, a medieval kingdom commonly anglicised Ely * Ely Place, Dublin, a street United Kingdom * Ely, Cambridgeshire, a cathedral city in Cambridgeshire, England ** Ely Cathedral Ely Cathedral, formal ...

. The town was a stopover along the Central Overland Route,

Pony Express The Pony Express was an American express mail service that used relays of horse-mounted riders. It operated from April 3, 1860, to October 26, 1861, between Missouri and California. It was operated by the Central Overland California and Pik ...

and original routing of the

Lincoln Highway The Lincoln Highway is the first transcontinental highway in the United States and one of the first highways designed expressly for automobiles. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated October 31, 1913 ...

. It is today

Nevada Historical Marker Nevada historical markers identify significant places of interest in Nevada's history. The Historic Marker Program was initiated by the Nevada State Legislature in 1967 to bring the state's heritage to the public's attention with on-site markers. ...

number 51. The site was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1972. Its boundaries were increased in 1977.

History

Schellbourne is named for Major A. J. Schell, who was in charge of troops responsible for protecting the Butterfield Overland Mail. The location was once a Shoshone Indian village. It became an Overland Stage and Mail stop in 1859, and a

station in 1860 as Schell Creek station. The Overland Telegraph came through in 1861. It was briefly known as Fort Schellbourne in 1862 when troops camped here to counter Indian harassment of the stages and mails. In the 1870s, Schellbourne became a mining town, with about 500 inhabitants. The Schellbourne post office was in operation from December 1871 until October 1925. It declined after the

Central Pacific Railroad The Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR) was a rail company chartered by Pacific Railroad Acts, U.S. Congress in 1862 to build a railroad eastwards from Sacramento, California, to complete the western part of the "First transcontinental railroad" in N ...

was completed in 1869, to the north. Then it revived as a mining camp in 1871 after gold discoveries nearby. with Nowadays it is well preserved ghost town on a private ranch. It is listed as

51. with

References

{{authority control Buildings and structures completed in 1860 Schellbourne Buildings and structures in White Pine County, Nevada Pony Express stations 1860 establishments in Utah Territory Schellbourne National Register of Historic Places in White Pine County, Nevada Formerly Used Defense Sites in Nevada Unincorporated communities in White Pine County, Nevada Great Basin National Heritage Area Pony Express