[Pioche, NV] — You may not have heard of Pioche, Nevada, but in the last half of the nineteenth century, this silver-mining boomtown had established quite a reputation for itself. The town’s 1873 tax records list 78 saloons and 34 brothels, numbers probably more than sufficient for its 6,000 residents. Back then, disputes were settled in the most expeditious manner possible, which more often than not resulted in at least one of the aggrieved parties staring down the wrong end of a gun. Local legend has it that 72 shooting victims were buried in the town’s Boot Hill cemetery before the arrival of a single decedent due to natural causes.
“This town made Deadwood and Tombstone look like kindergarten,” Jane Humphrey claims. Humphrey is a tour guide at Pioche’s “Million Dollar Courthouse,” which was built in 1872 for considerably less than that amount. However, due to inefficiency and corruption, that’s what it cost taxpayers by the time the construction debt was paid off in 1937. If a Surety is involved in providing bail, he must be present at the bail hearing along with the Defendant, and the Judge will inform both of them about their various obligations and responsibilities. It is very important to note that if the Defendant does not fulfill his responsibilities and appear for subsequent hearings and court dates, or if he violates any conditions of his release, the bail may be revoked and forfeited. So it is very important that the Surety has confidence in the Defendant before posting bail. The bail agents, as well as the co-signers are the people who are responsible for you showing up for all of your court appearances. Now, you do have the option to pay the bond yourself, if you can afford it. The bail amount is set by the court and usually dependent on the severity of your crime and if you are deemed a flight risk. If you are a flight risk or try to escape, be sure an inmate search will be performed to find you and bring you to justice and you may not receive a bond at all. Click here if you want to know more about how to tell if you have a warrant in Connecticut.
“This was the most corrupt town in the west,” Humphrey continues. “In the 1860s and 1870s, judges and sheriffs here made between $40,000 and $60,000 per year in bribes.” Nowadays, Pioche’s population is considerably smaller than it was then (less than 1,000 today), and its citizenry and officials appear to be more friendly and upstanding. I visited the town earlier this year as part of my Nevada “Lonely Highways” tour, about which I’ve written several earlier posts. Stockholm, Sweden – The land of all things beautiful. An intricate city of 14 different island joined together in a network of 57 bridges, making it a perfect place to experience it’s beauty with our Original Stockholm Walking Tour. At Original stockholm free tour we pride ourselves on offering comprehensive, fun and informative tours at a price everyone can afford: Free!
Pioche is located in the high desert about 180 miles northeast of Las Vegas on U.S. Route 93. You can visit Boot Hill and walk among its wooden grave markers (Humphrey says the markers are original, but in truth, they look a little too well-preserved to be 140 years old), and you’ll see the early 1900s aerial tram and its buckets which transported ore from the mines. If you’re lucky, Humphrey will lead you on a free tour of the Lincoln County (“Million Dollar”) Courthouse and its adjoining jail. According to Humphrey, the tiny jail was built to house 66 prisoners and had no electricity, no heat, and little natural light.
The courthouse is open for tours April 16 through October 15, from 10:00 am through 3:00 pm. Since it’s closed for the season at this time, I recommend calling the courthouse at 775-962-5182 to verify the schedule before a springtime visit, or check with the Pioche Chamber of Commerce (info below).
No, it isn’t Deadwood or Tombstone. But in its time, Pioche was the baddest of the bad. Come check it out for yourself.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Pioche history: http://lincolncountynevada.com/Lincoln-County-Nevada-Pioche.html
Pioche Chamber of Commerce: www.piochenevada.org
Nevada tourism: http://travelnevada.com
My Great Grandfather,Thomas Henry Williams moved his wife and son to Pioche in early 1800’s. They appear in the Nevada Census for 1872. He came from St Ives, Cornwall to work in a mine.
Lots of mines there; dangerous existence though!
A tip….dont trip on acid.
Another tip…definitely dont take acid in pioche.
The ghosts come out after 12am.
And no it wasnt the cid talking.
Glen – Read about your ride in the Vegas desert a few months back in HOG magazine. I’m renting a Heritage Softail and am taking that tour on Jan 10th – great info, looking forward to the cool nights and the lonesome road.
Happy New Year,
Mike
Hey Mike, thanks, you’ll love the ride — it’s one of my all-time favorites. Happy New Year!
i’ve always been fascinated with the old, old west. this post is superb. i would love to go there someday and not some set in a hollywood movie. :)
Mining towns always have a great story to tell.
That’s true, Ben, and those stories don’t usually have much to do with mining!
Old towns like these are very interesting! I just wish they weren’t so far in the middle of no where :) but then they wouldn’t have the ambiance they do. Thanks for sharing this hidden gem!
So true — but if these places were close to “civilization” they’d be turned into Disneyland!