Nye

Gentle Giant

Aside from its breathtaking stargazing, is it any coincidence that Nye's fate was also written in the stars? Maybe it's a surprise that Nye County is shaped like a mushroom cloud or a miner's pick axe? When we carved out this giant chunk of Nevada perhaps it was sheer coincidence that these two 'ingredients' played such an extensive role in Nye County's past. Being the largest kid in the park doesn't necessarily mean it has to be the most outspoken ... and this gentle giant is usually left behind the curtains. It was the search for precious metals that really brought interest in exploring remote central Nevada. Fortune seekers eventually found their way to the Monitor Range at the site of several claims and with it, a new spot on the map. It was little Ione in 1863 that placed Nye County on the map. In 1867, the action moved south to Belmont when new strikes were found further down the Toquimas. Here, Belmont sat high on the power chair until a "new hope" was discovered thirty years later.