Explore modern and historical traces of the ranchers, cowboys, and Basque sheepherders who helped to establish this Nevada town.
By Lazelle Jones
August 2018
Driving across northern Nevada on Interstate 80, the vast expanses and raw beauty you see in every direction may make you wonder what kind of courageous humans first settled here. The answer can be discovered in the small towns that line that interstate between the Utah state line to the east and California to the west.
One Nevada town in particular provides insight. It’s Elko, which, as they say, sprang up “overnight” when the Transcontinental Railroad reached here in 1868. Take Exit 303 off of I-80 and you will enter a place with excellent historical attractions.
Idaho Street, a main thoroughfare, runs east to west through downtown Elko. Several venues along this street and within a couple of blocks of it tell a rich story.
A good place to begin is the Northeastern Nevada Museum, where a host of permanent exhibits and temporary displays are found. Parking is available for RVs (no charge) a couple of blocks away at the Elko Convention Center. The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday.
In front of the main museum entrance is a small shack. Get up closer, and you’ll realize it’s a former Pony Express station, which was moved here from its original location some 50 miles to the south. The short but stellar history of the Pony Express (1860-61) is included in exhibits at the museum.
A huge collection of the rifles and pistols used circa 1850 and forward augment your understanding of the demands placed on the people who passed through or chose to stay. Tools and implements used to harness this raw land are on view, as are exhibits about the various ethnic groups that at one time or another called this area of the Great Basin home. Rare 2-million-year-old mastodon bones that were found nearby are also on display.
Three art galleries include the works of Western artist Will James (1892-1942) and the contemporary art of emerging Western artists such as Jake Cloward. Cloward’s paintings and sketches are a blaze of neon colors and precisely detailed images that appear to pop before your very eyes. They represent the next evolution in the genre of Western art.
A look inside the original schoolhouse at Sherman Station in Elko, Nevada.
A couple of blocks west of the Northeastern Nevada Museum on Idaho Street is Sherman Station, a collection of original ranch buildings the Walther family built and used beginning around 1880. A livery stable, a one-room schoolhouse, a bunkhouse, a blacksmith shop, and the main ranch house provide a window into what ranching life was like back in the day. The two-story ranch house is now the Elko Visitors Center, open Monday through Friday (closed holidays).
The stable is the oldest structure, which dates to 1880. Photos on the walls on both floors of the ranch home were taken around 1900 or so; likewise, furnishings in the family’s bedrooms are circa 1900.
At the west end of town on Idaho Street is Elko General Merchandise, a store established in 1936. If you like shopping for quality work clothing and footwear, or simply enjoy checking out older retail spots, it deserves a look. Then, head on over to Railroad Street, which is one block south.
At 501 Railroad St. is the Western Folklife Center, home to the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, in its 34th year in 2018. Typically held in the middle of winter, the event attracts cowboy artists representing every genre of Western arts and culture. Poets recite their tales of life on the range; musicians perform cowboy songs; and workshops dig into all kinds of useful activities, including Dutch-oven cooking, jewelry making, and tack repair.
The other 51 weeks of the year, the Western Folklife Center features fine art and folk art, custom tack, and Western photography in its exhibit gallery, and hosts music events. An impressive new video presentation introduces visitors to cowboy music and ranching culture.
Elko’s most famous saddle maker was G.S. Garcia.
The center is located in the historic Pioneer Hotel, which has a “mile-long” saloon that’s right out of the Old West. A gift store features Western posters, books, art, and jewelry. This in itself is a real bonanza.
Cowboys who cut their teeth in the Great Basin are referred to as “buckaroos.” This term evolved from the Spanish word for cowboy (vaquero) and found its way east as the vaqueros pushed over the Sierra Nevada from California to take advantage of the vast expanses of land available for grazing cattle and sheep. Today the buckaroo culture is celebrated in Elko at the Cowboy Arts And Gear Museum, at 542 Commercial St. It explores the history, culture, and traditions of the Elko-area Great Basin cowboy. Inside the 1907 building, the legendary artisan G.S. Garcia operated his harness and saddle shop until 1938. Here, he crafted the saddle lined with precious stones that he displayed at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. It put Garcia’s name on the global map.
The museum is a relatively new endeavor that had a fresh opening early in 2017. For details about open hours, ask while you’re at the Elko Visitors Center, or call ahead: (775) 389-1713.
On the corner at 500 Commercial St. is J.M. Capriola Co., a saddle and tack source for the last 100 years. Here, Western history can be witnessed in real time. Downstairs the store showcases silver bits, bridles, saddles, leather belts, lariats, tack, and ready-to-use cowboy gear. Upstairs is where those saddles, bridles, chaps, and leather items are designed and handcrafted. A mini museum also upstairs exhibits gear that’s been used by Western stockmen in the Great Basin for the last century.
These leather chaps are among items on display at the Cowboy Arts and Gear Museum in Elko, Nevada.
In 1870, two Basque cattlemen moved 3,000 head of cattle from California into the Elko area and started what would become a very large and prosperous ranch. By the turn of the century, these brothers diversified into sheep. This started the practice of hiring out contract sheepherders from the Basque regions in Spain and France. It continued until around 1970. At one time, the Elko area had one of the largest concentrations of Basque sheepherders in the United States.
Evidence of the Basque culture is everywhere in Elko. You can taste it in the restaurants that serve traditional Basque fare, and perhaps even hear Euskera, an old-world language whose origin has yet to be traced. You can see it especially at the Star Hotel, located on the street corner opposite J.M. Capriola.
Built in 1910, the Star Hotel was a home away from home for Basque sheepherders, who rested there after months of living alone, taking care of animals on the open range. This is where they spoke their own familiar language (Euskera), ate the foods they enjoyed, and socialized around friendly games. It remains the same today, with the rooms upstairs reserved for retired Basque sheepherders. You may see them playing cards as they converse in their native language. However, the restaurant in the Star Hotel is open to the public. In addition to Basque foods, a favorite Basque drink, pinion punch, is served in copious amounts. Whether you dine here or simply stroll through and take a momentary step back in time, be sure to check out the photos that line the walls. Some date back to when the hotel first opened.
The previously mentioned Elko General Merchandise store on Idaho Street is another Basque-owned place of business. It was established by Basque herder Jose Anacabe, who came to America in 1901. He knew how to outfit newly arriving sheepherders before they went to work. You can see where the herders stood to buy their supplies. Incidentally, the typical length of a sheepherder’s contract was three years, with a single sheepherder (and a couple of good dogs) responsible for 1,000 to 2,000 animals.
To make sure the Basque heritage is not lost, each year the largest Basque event in America, the National Basque Festival, takes place in Elko. The festival typically is held around the end of June. Expect food, dancing, traditional clothing, games, and more — a total celebration of Basque culture.
Visitors to the J.M. Capriola Co. mercantile can see this photo (which depicts saddle and harness makers), among other historical items.
Just outside of Elko along I-80 are two more places related to the area’s history. One lies 8 miles west of town at Exit 292: the California Trail Interpretive Center. This state-of-the-art museum is open year-round, Wednesday through Sunday. The trail was used by Gold Rush 49ers and other travelers; in this area, the pioneers followed the Humboldt River westward until it faded away into the ground. The story of the quarreling Donner Party is told here in detail. Parking is plentiful, even for the largest of RVs.
Speaking of ‘49ers, east of Elko in the town of Wells (Exit 352 off I-80) is the Trail of the ‘49ers Interpretive Center. This small but well-displayed collection is inside the town’s visitors center.
If you find yourself along I-80 in Nevada, consider a stop in Elko to immerse yourself in the intriguing history and culture of this part of the Great Basin.
Further Info
Elko Convention & Visitors Authority
700 Moren Way
Elko, NV 89801
(800) 248-3556
(775) 738-4091
www.exploreelko.com
Campground and RV park lists are located online at www.exploreelko.com. More campgrounds may be found in campground directories and in the FMCA RV Marketplace, published in the January issue of FMC and at FMCA.com.
Elko Area Chamber of Commerce
(775) 738-7135
www.elkonevada.com
Travel Nevada
(800) 638-2328
www.travelnevada.com