Austin, Nevada, a lonely town on the loneliest road

On one memorable trip, I headed to Austin and instead of starting out in Fallon, I began in Battle Mountain, motoring south through the Reese River Valley, along State Route 305, another lonely Nevada byway. According to the web, the valley has only one person per square mile. I believe it; I didn’t see a single person, but there were quite a few cattle grazing among the sage. It’s a pleasant, peaceful 88-mile drive.

    If you like having the feeling of being alone in the world and still have a few people around you, then Austen is the place for you. It’s one of Nevada’s most isolated towns, but it’s still easy to find. One author put it this way, “'Like an Easter egg hidden on a billiard table, Austin is hard not to find. All motorists traversing U.S. Highway 50, the 'loneliest-road-in-America,' eventually have to drive down the 'main street' of Austin, whether they want to or not.'” 

    History tells us that Austin began in 1862 when Will Talcott’s pony express horse supposedly kicked over a rock laden with silver and gold.

The news got out and the rush was on. It became the biggest stampede since the Comstock Lode strike in 1859. In less than a year 10,000 people populated the Reese River Mining District and eventually Austin was in the heart of it. By the time the ore played out close to $50,000,000 worth of gold and silver had come out the mines.

    I’ve never been in Austin in June. Some day I want to go there to check the accuracy of an article I read on the town’s name. According to the author “there’s hardly a place in town that isn’t graced with yellow rose bushes and they undoubtedly come from Texas,” and Austin claims to be named after Austin, Texas. I put two and two together and came up with this possibility: “The Yellow Rose of Texas,” a song written in 1858 may have been the inspiration for all the roses. Perhaps one of the founding fathers was from Texas? Could be. I’ve tried to find out for sure, but I haven’t yet...still looking.

    Today, there are only 340 hardly souls living in Austin. The last time I was there a couple gas stations, three motels, four churches and a hardware store were still in business. The nearest supermarkets and shopping mall are over a hundred miles away, so if you live in Austin, you better be well organized, know how to take care of yourself, and like long drives.

   

There’s a story that has circulated for years about the Reese River. Seems back in the early days of Austin, a grand scheme was hatched which involved using the river to transport loads of ore from Austin north to the mills in Battle Mountain, which would take advantage of the fact that the river, unlike most rivers, flows south to north. So The Reese River Navigation Company (RRNC) was established and stock was sold to investors who had never seen the river, except for a line on a map. But it would have been impossible then as it is now to float anything larger then an inner tube down the Reese and even that would be problematic. For much of the year the river is a series of puddles connected together by land, so it turns out it was all a hoax. The story first appeared in Nevada newspapers in 1946. There’s no evidence that the RRNC ever existed or that stock was ever sold. People nevertheless believe the story, because it continues to be repeated. 

    I had breakfast at the International Cafe, not bad.

The building is part metal, part wood, which is typical of the architecture during those early mining days. They used whatever was available. The food may not be sensational, the service may not be the greatest, but the old building and it ambiance is well worth a visit.

    When I found out that there was a castle nearby, I immediately thought of knights and moats. Well, it turned out to be not like any castle I’d ever seen. This castle was patterned after one in Italy. Around 1896 a man named Anson P. Stokes built what became Stokes Castle. It’s basically a square three-story tower made of hand hewn granite stones, cemented together with rock wedging and clay mortar. Stokes was a mine developer, railroad magnate and a banker, probably a man with deep pockets. Stokes wanted a summer home with a view of the Reese River Valley.

The design had a kitchen and dining room on the first floor, a living room on the second floor, sleeping quarters on the third floor and a battlement terrace on the roof. Each floor had a fireplace and plate glass windows. The two top floors each had balconies. Stokes and his family abandoned their summer home after only spending a short time there. They sold all of their holdings and left, never to return. Stokes Castle never saw another owner. In 2003, it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

    Austin's oldest church is also the oldest Catholic Church in Nevada. St. Augustine was constructed in 1868. Ringing the church bells, located in the 75-foot tower, calls for the bell ringer to go into the men’s restroom. That's where the rope is located. Odd but true.

    OK, so Austin isn’t what you call a destination, but nevertheless as long as you have to pass through it you might as well stop and have a look around. Besides you’ll probably be either out of gas or hungry by the time you get there. Never can tell what you might find.

k