Montello

The unincorporated community of Montello, Nevada is situated in Elko County.  It was originally established as a division point, which is railroad talk for "base of operations," for the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1904 after the railroad company's establishment of the Lucin Cutoff, a 102-mile railroad line which runs across the Great Salt Flats in Utah, beginning in Ogden and continuing to nearby Lucin. This new route had trains bypassing their old division point  and servicing stop in Terrace, Utah. Montello's official name was Bauvard, which was the name of the older siding which was built three miles southwest. The Southern Pacific built complete railroad facilities as well as a large hotel at Montello, and a school which was also used as a library were also built in 1910. Houses were shipped in on flatcars. At that time, there were approximately forty residents in town. The town became a place where railroad crews were changed and repairs to the trains were made. In 1905, stores, restaurants, saloons, a rooming house, and a hotel were built. At the same time, the post office was established. In addition to the railroad industry, the town was also a supply point or Delano a nearby mining camp. In 1912, the town was renamed Montello, which is the Shoshoni word for "rest." In the first part of the 20th century, Montello experienced massive growth, reaching a population of 800 at one point. But in the 1920s, employment at the railroad began to decline, and in 1925, a fire wiped out the town's entire business section. When the railroad industry switched over from steam-driven engines to diesel-fueled engines in the late 1940s and early 1950s, servicing at Montello was no longer necessary, and the Southern Pacific removed the servicing facilities including the roundhouses and shops. Because the repairs were no longer made at Montello, the railroad transferred its crews to Carlin and Ogden. In the early 21st century, some called Montello a ghost town, but the 2010 census indicates that there were eighty-four people living there, still using the houses, school, jail, and other buildings which survived the fire. Deer hunters enjoy the hunting nearby and frequently stay in town, and there are a few ranches still raising cattle.

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