Pioche - Nevada
Pioche is one of the more genuinely historic mining towns in Nevada—less curated than others. It grew up when silver was discovered in the 1860s and 70s. When the remaining ore became uneconomical towards the turn of the century, Pioche declined, but didn’t die. It is often described as the roughest town in the American west; it is claimed that 72 people died violently before the first natural death. It was a bit of a free-for-all. And that included civic matters; the courthouse, originally budgeting just over 20,000 dollars, eventually cost around a million dollars due to incompetence and corruption. But now it’s a bit sleepy. It seemed like nothing much was going on. Less than 1,000 people live there now.
I met Dan outside his home on the main street. Like many in the old towns, he had collected what he called memories and memorabilia which he displayed out front. He’d been there, contentedly, all his life. Most people knew him, and if they didn’t a big sign outside the house made it clear - “Dan’s House”.
Pioche was the last stop before Vegas and my flight home. Common themes in these towns included US flags everywhere, collections of historical artifacts and personal memorabilia and a deep connection to the minerals that were, and sometimes still are, mined there.
