Austin, Nevada
Home Up

 

 

Austin is in Lander County on US 50 (the "Loneliest Road in America") about 84 miles south of Battle Mountain (on I-80) and 179 miles east of Reno.  It is not at all ghostly, being located on a U.S. highway.  However, there are still buildings extant from the town's heyday, so comparisons are possible.  I visited in November 2001.

 

 

This is the photo of the International Hotel that appears on page 171 of Paher's book.  According to the book, it was first erected in Virginia City and then was moved to Austin in 1862.

This photo is undated, but, judging from the car, it looks to be from the 1920s or 1930s.  Interestingly, the caption states that it burned down in 1958!
 

If it burned in 1958, then what's this?! The concrete crown at the left front of the building appears to be the same in both photos, and perhaps that was all that was left of the front facade as the building was rebuilt.

 

 

This is the photo of Austin that appears on page 167 of Paher's book.  It was taken in the late 1860s by a government photographer.  The point of interest is the church in the left upper portion of the picture.

 

 This is the photo of Austin that appears on page 168 of Paher's book.  It was taken in the 1880s.  The church of interest is now facing us and is located in the left-center portion of the picture.  According to the caption, it is a Catholic church.

 

This is a photograph of the same church taken in 2001.  It looks pretty much the same, and it is apparently in current use.

 

 

 

This is the photo of the Stokes Castle that appears on page 173 of Paher's 1970 book.  According to the caption, it was built in 1897 as a summer residence for Anson P. Stokes.  Balconies, fireplaces, and a sun deck were built but were used only briefly that year and only intermittently for several years thereafter.  The photo is not dated but is probably contemporary with Paher's book (1970).
 

This photo of the castle appears on page 66 of Paher's 1993 book.  It has deteriorated considerably since the 1970 photo above it.  It's not much different in appearance from the 2001 photo below.

 

This is a photo of the Stokes Castle taken in November 2001.  It is falling apart, but it is being preserved as much as possible with a fence around it and a historical marker out front.