East Ely Depot - Ely, Nevada
Posted by: 
Volcanoguy
N 39° 15.555 W 114° 52.143
11S E 683855 N 4347710
The East Ely Depot was placed on the National Register in 1984 and is focal point of the White Pine Historical Railroad Foundation’s Nevada Northern Railway which operates a variety tourist train rides.
Waymark Code: WMTPX8
Location: Nevada, United States
Date Posted: 12/26/2016
Views: 3
The Nevada Northern Railroad Passenger Depot of East Ely was built in 1907. Architecturally, it is a well designed example of a vernacular railroad depot which combines Mission Revival and Renaissance Revival stylistic elements. Culturally, the depot is a reminder of the major impact the railroad had on this area. The establishment of the Nevada Northern Railroad provided the basis for White Pine County's economic development. It allowed ore mined at Ruth, seven miles west of Ely, to be transported to McGill, thirteen miles north of Ely for smelting. It was then shipped via the Nevada Northern to the main Southern Pacific line, where it was transported to refineries and markets in the East. The copper industry was responsible for White Pine County’s prosperity for much of the twentieth century, and it determined the character of the communities of Ely, Ruth, and McGill. The high design quality of this depot reflects the railroad’s prominence when it began its operations in 1907
In its early years the lower floor of the depot was used as a ticket office, baggage area, and divided waiting room with men’s and women’s benches. The upper floor housed offices of the Nevada Northern personnel. Passenger service ceased in 1941, the first floor was then used for storage and offices. The second floor was used for Nevada Northern Railroad offices until 1981 when the personnel using the depot were moved to the Kennecott offices in McGill.
In the late 1980s, Kennecott donated a portion of the railroad as well as the railroad's yard and shop facilities to the White Pine Historical Railroad Foundation which today operates the property as the Nevada Northern Railway Museum. The ground floor of the East Ely Depot is operated by the Foundation for ticket sales and gift shop for the Railway. The second floor of the Depot is operated by the State of Nevada as the East Ely Railroad Depot Museum which preserves the contents of the Kennecott offices as they were when Kennecott closed them in 1981.
Much of the history above comes from the National Register of Historic Places files: (
visit link)