Ruby Valley is an unincorporated community in Ruby Valley, in

Elko County Elko County is a county in the northeastern corner of Nevada, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53,702. Its county seat is Elko. The county was established on March 5, 1869, from Lander County. Elko County is the fourth ...

, Nevada, United States. It was the site of the

Ruby Valley Pony Express Station The Ruby Valley Pony Express Station, located at 1515 Idaho St. in Elko, Nevada, was built in 1860 in Ruby Valley, Nevada. It was moved in 1960 approximately to Elko, during the centennial anniversary year for the Pony Express, and then resto ...

, which has since been moved 60 miles to

Elko, Nevada Elko (Shoshoni: Natakkoa, "Rocks Piled on One Another") is the largest city in and county seat of Elko County, Nevada, United States. With a 2020 population of 20,564, Elko is currently growing at a rate of 0.31% annually and its population has i ...

and restored and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Ruby Valley has a small K-8 school and many cattle ranches.

Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge The Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge is located in southwestern Elko County and northwestern White Pine County in the northeastern section of the state of Nevada in the western United States. Established in 1938, it encompasses of wetlands in ...

and state-owned Gallagher Fish Hatchery are in Ruby Valley. On October 1, 1863, the Treaty of Ruby Valley was signed by Gov.

James W. Nye James Warren Nye (June 10, 1815 – December 25, 1876) was an American attorney and politician. He was most notable for his service as Governor of Nevada Territory and a United States senator from Nevada. Biography He was born in DeRuyter, N ...

of the Nevada Territory and Gov. James Duane Doty of the Utah Territory. Twelve chiefs signed for the Western Bands of the

Shoshone The Shoshone or Shoshoni ( or ) are a Native American tribe with four large cultural/linguistic divisions: * Eastern Shoshone: Wyoming * Northern Shoshone: southern Idaho * Western Shoshone: Nevada, northern Utah * Goshute: western Utah, easter ...

Nation of Indians. The treaty assured their ownership of property (that later became a U.S. nuclear test site). The treaty stated that the presence of U.S. settlements will not negate Native sovereignty. The Western Shoshone did not cede land but agreed to allow the U.S. government the "right to traverse the area, maintain existing telegraph and stage lines, construct one railroad, and engage in specified economic activities." The Union relied on this treaty to demonstrate to European governments and banks backing the Union that it could provide the gold needed for the American Civil War.

Notes

Unincorporated communities in Elko County, Nevada Unincorporated communities in Nevada {{ElkoCountyNV-geo-stub