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2000 Aultman Street
Ely, Nevada  89301
775-289-4710
wpmuseum@sbcglobal.net

A Shoshone Indian basket at the White Pine Public Museum.

A well drilling rig and the Cherry Creek Depot.

Our wonderful historic doll collection.

Mark Requa was responsible for developing the huge copper mining operations in White Pine County and for building the now famous Nevada Northern Railway. Learn more about it at the White Pine Public Museum.

The Nevada Northern Railway Depot in Cherry Creek, NV was moved to the White Pine Public Museum in Ely in the fall of 1990. Local elementary school students raised $11,000 to fund the move. The building, now 99 years old, is a step back in time.

White Pine Public Museum

“Home of the Cave Bear”

White Pine County ~ Its Beginnings

The first people in White Pine County were the Shoshone Indians.  In 1860, the Pony Express Telegraph and the Overland Stage brought explorers and prospectors into the county.  Between 1860 – 1900, gold silver and lead discoveries were quickly followed by dozens of boomtowns, each with their brief time in the sun.

The rush to White Pine County in 1867 was the biggest and brightest of them all.  By 1869, 30,000 souls had made the trek to the slopes of Mt. Hamilton, and the county was officially formed.  However, the ore played out just as quickly.  By 1875, mining had all but ceased.

In 1887, the State Legislature designated Ely as the new County Seat after a disastrous fire destroyed much of Hamilton.  Ely had been a quiet state stop and post office before then but the new growth developments spurred growth along the banks of Murry Creek.  A Wells Fargo office, newspaper, some saloons and a few modest homes and other businesses soon joined the new County Seat.

The year of 1906 marked the arrival of the Nevada Northern Railway.  This made possible the development of the copper industry and was instrumental in the economic growth of Ely, McGill, Ruth, and the many other towns of the copper period.

The History of the
White Pine County Public Museum

 Spearheaded by the Ely Business and Professional Women’s Club, 109 citizens joined together to develop a museum in White Pine County on August 1, 1959.

 The museum opened with exhibits loaned & donated by the generosity of the citizens of White Pine County.

 It’s incorporation as the White Pine County Public Museum was on June, 1960.  The museum received a grant (Max D. Fleischman) in August of 1961.

 The museum is supported by the Tour & Recreation Board, donations, memberships, admissions, and donations by visitors.

Our Research Collection

Early record books of White Pine County and businesses are kept at the museum.  They are used to help historians in their research about the area and its people.

Our Mineral Collection

Our mineral collection contains a wide variety of copper ore samples, petrified woods, fossils of ancient marine life and a collection of polished rocks. 

Our Gift Shop

Don’t forget to visit our Gift Shop.  We have Nevada and other history books, USGS Topographical maps, post cards, candy, jewelry, and more.

Our Historic Murals

Ely is fast becoming known as the “City of Murals”.  Thanks to the efforts of the Ely Renaissance Society, the museum received the first mural in Ely, painted in the year 2000.  The mural was painted by Colin Williams, titled the “4^th of July” and cost approximately $20,000.  It is located on the outside of the main museum building.

Come Visit Us...

2000 Aultman Street
Ely, Nevada  89301
775-289-4710
www.wpmuseum.org
wpmuseum@sbcglobal.net

We Welcome Tourist Groups

Seasonal hours. Please call ahead.

This page has received visitors since Aug 20, 2010

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Click on any photo to enlarge...

The bones of two giant short-faced bears (Arctodus simus) were discovered in a White Pine County cave in 1982.

This model of the 12,000-year-old “Cave Bears” is exhibited at the White Pine Public Museum.

Historic “4th of July” mural on the side of the museum.

The original one-room school house from Baker, Nevada

A jail cell from the old Ely City Jail.

A historic bell from Hamiliton, Nevada (now a ghost town).