After an hour of driving from Ely, I arrived in the next town along the Loneliest Road in America, Eureka, Nevada. Eureka is exactly what you’d expect in a lonely western town: a wide main street, historic buildings, and not a lot of people.
I spent a few minutes walking around downtown Eureka. On the right, you can see the historic Eureka Opera House, which held its grand opening in 1881, and underwent restoration in the early 1990’s. The Eureka Opera House has one of only three horseshoe-shaped balconies in Nevada, and still uses a hand-painted stage curtain from 1924.
The Eureka County Courthouse is directly across the street from the Opera House. The courthouse was built in 1880, one year after a fire destroyed many of the buildings in Eureka (it didn’t destroy the old, wooden courthouse, but residents realized the structure was vulnerable).†
Watch for this old plaque as you wander through town, which declares this to be the 22-mile-long General Motors section of the Lincoln Highway.
There weren’t many businesses open in Eureka when I visited. The Owl Club looks like the only casino in town.
This old General Store appears to be permanently closed…
… as does the Eureka Cafe…
… and the Alpine Lodge. I did find one business open, though:
Raine’s Market is in a building constructed in 1887. It’s a true general store, with groceries and supplies crammed into every corner. They also had something else you’ve probably never seen in your local grocery store: trophy wildlife hanging from the walls. Unfortunately, Raine’s didn’t have many Loneliest Road souvenirs.
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