Re: Pioche, Nevada

Pioche is in a beautiful location. It sits up on a mountain side with a commanding view of eastern Nevada mountains, forests and plains. It is a town frozen in time. The tramway buckets hang in mid air descending down to the valley floor, as if someone turned off the machinery last week. The headframes of the mines are mostly still in place as are the ore bins. The buildings are straight out of the late 19th century and early 20th century. Narrow gauge railroad grades are all over. One line, the Pioche and Bullionville ran through an incredibly stunning bit of geography called Condor Canyon which opened in the north end of Meadow Valley. If anyone likes the old West, this is it. It has all the character of Virginia City, but none of the crowds.
Unfortunately, Pioche, and Lincoln county where it is located, is economically dead as a post. Mining is not what it used to be, and ranching is a problem with all the regulations ranchers now have to deal with. Thank God, when we settled this area, there was freedom to do and build whatever a man was capable of doing. AH! but how times have changed. The national motto nowdays shoud be: "YOU CAN'T DO THIS AND YOU CAN'T DO THAT"
Yet, during Labor Day Pioche is a rollicking place with dancing in the streets, parades, and festivities of all sorts in the local saloons. It kicks off the hunting season and what is normally a town that is far away and asleep, comes alive with fellowship, fun and frolicking. It is what has made me love Nevada.