ghost town
A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...
in
Washoe County
Washoe County () is a county in the U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2020 census, the population was 486,492, making it Nevada's second-most populous county. Its county seat is Reno. Washoe County is included in the Reno, NV Metropolitan Statis ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...
, in the United States. Nearby there is a new community called New Washoe City.
History
Old Washoe City was founded in 1860 as a
lumber camp
A logging camp (or lumber camp) is a transitory work site used in the logging industry. Before the second half of the 20th century, these camps were the primary place where lumberjacks would live and work to fell trees in a particular area. Many ...
for
Virginia City
Virginia City is a census-designated place (CDP) that is the county seat of Storey County, Nevada, United States, and the largest community in the county. The city is a part of the Reno– Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Virginia City dev ...
. With unlimited water available from
Washoe Lake
Washoe Lake ( Washo: c'óʔyaʔ dáʔaw) is a lake located near Carson City in the Washoe Valley of Washoe County, Nevada. It is a very shallow lake with a surface area that can vary greatly from year to year. Washoe Lake State Park sits on th ...
, mills were built for reducing ore. Dozens of trips were made daily by mule-driven ore wagons to Virginia City, hauling timber and farm produce. The return trips brought Comstock ore for milling. Water was available in the area, which allowed both quartz and saw mills to be powered. These events lead to the founding of Washoe City.
Washoe City became the county seat of Washoe County when it was created in 1861. The new county seat attracted lawyers, doctors, and dentists, among others. The streets were lined with restaurants, stores, saloons, livery stables, drugstores, bath houses and shaving emporiums. The Washoe City post office opened in July 1862, closed in October 1888, reopened in November 1888 until December 1894. In October 1862, the Washoe ''Times'' printed its first newspaper. Later, a school, churches, a hospital, and a courthouse and jail were built.
By 1865, Washoe City had a fluctuating permanent and transient population that may have reached 6000. Washoe City started to decline after the completion of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad to the
Carson River
The Carson River is a northwestern Nevada river that empties into the Carson Sink, an endorheic basin. The main stem of the river is long although the addition of the East Fork makes the total length , traversing five counties: Alpine Count ...
in 1869. Within a few years, the population was reduced to 2,500 residents. Milling and lumber demand was beginning to decrease, which was another player in the fall of Washoe City.
In 1871, the county seat of Washoe County was moved to
Reno
Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. It is the county seat and most populous city of Washoe County, Nevada, Washoe County. Sitting in the High Eastern Sierra foothills, ...
, and in 1880, only 200 people lived in Washoe City. The post office was named Washoe from December 1894 until Jan 1914. By the early 20th century, Washoe City was empty. Nowadays, there are just the remains of many of the original buildings.
In popular culture
In ''
Hell On Wheels
Hell on Wheels was the itinerant collection of flimsily assembled gambling houses, dance halls, saloons, and brothels that followed the army of Union Pacific Railroad workers westward as they constructed the first transcontinental railroad in 18 ...
'' season 5, episode 12 ("Any Sum Within Reason"), much of the critical action takes place in and around Washoe City.
References
See also
{{Portal, United States
*
List of ghost towns in Nevada
Most ghost towns in Nevada in the United States are former mining boomtowns that were abandoned when the mines closed. Those that were not set up as mining camps were usually established as locations for mills, or supply points for nearby mini ...