Jarbidge is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Elko County,

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a state in the Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the 7th-most extensive, ...

, United States. Located at the bottom of the Jarbidge River's canyon near the north end of the Jarbidge Mountains, it lies within the Jarbidge Ranger District of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest and is near the northwest edge of the Jarbidge Wilderness, approximately south of the

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

–

border. Jarbidge, along with the rest of Nevada except for the city of West Wendover, is legally in the Pacific Time Zone, but, along with other Idaho border towns such as Jackpot, Mountain City and Owyhee, unofficially observes the

Mountain Time Zone The Mountain Time Zone of North America keeps time by subtracting seven hours from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) when standard time ( UTC−07:00) is in effect, and by subtracting six hours during daylight saving time ( UTC−06:00). The ...

due to closer proximity to and greater connections with towns in southern Idaho. Jarbridge is popular locally with hunters and campers with many campsites available in the area and high populations of Elk.

Access

Noted locally for its extreme remoteness, no paved roads exist within almost 20 miles of Jarbidge. The community is usually and most easily accessed using a motor vehicle by way of Three Creek Road, which originates along U.S. Route 93 in Rogerson,

Twin Falls County Twin Falls County is a county in the south central part of the U.S. state of Idaho. As of the 2020 Census, the county had a population of 90,046, making it the fifth-most populous county in Idaho. The county seat and largest city is Twin Falls ...

; the final 18 miles of this route are unimproved, but usually, open all year. From Elko, the easiest access is by proceeding 55 miles north along Nevada State Route 225, then 27 miles east along Elko County Road 746, the North Fork-Charleston Road (signed for Charleston and Jarbidge), and finally 22 miles north along Elko County Road 748, the Charleston-Jarbidge Road. The latter two segments of this route are unimproved, at points, present serious road hazards, and receive no winter maintenance. They are often closed from as early as October or November to as late as June or July due to heavy snowfall.

History

"Jarbidge" is a name derived from the Shoshone language meaning "devil". Natives believed the nearby hills were haunted.

Gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

was discovered near Jarbidge in 1909, making it the site of one of the last gold rushes in the

Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

and, incidentally, was the site of the last stagecoach robbery in 1916. Its population swelled to near 2000 in 1911 but afterward began a slow decline when the mining facilities were largely cannibalized for the war effort during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Mining operations ceased completely in 1932. However, in 2013 permits for the removal of the gold were re-issued and the mine is reopening. Jazz musician Ralph Peña was born in Jarbidge in 1927.

References

External links

Elko County website- Jarbridge Advisory Board
{{authority control Populated places established in 1909 Unincorporated communities in Nevada Unincorporated communities in Elko County, Nevada Elko, Nevada micropolitan area 1909 establishments in Nevada