Palisade, Nevada

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Palisade (originally called Palisades) is located in Eureka County in the northeastern section of the state of Nevada, in the western United States. It is about 10 miles (16 km) south of Carlin, and about 27 miles (43 km) southwest of Elko. Although now a virtual ghost town, it had a rich history following construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. Palisade Canyon (also called 12-Mile and 10-Mile Canyon), an important obstacle to the construction and operation of the railroad, lies just to the west.

View from Palisade, Nevada, looking southeast towards Pine Mountain.

Palisade Canyon, during construction of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1868 (LOC).

The same site, located just northeast of Palisade, 140 years later.

The early history of the town and surrounding area is summarized in a nearby highway marker:

PALISADE - Located in the tank-like depths of Palisade (12-Mile) Canyon, Palisade--first named Palisades--was surveyed and laid out by the Central Pacific Railroad in February, 1870. During the 1870's, it rivaled Elko and Carlin as a departure point on the Central Pacific for wagon, freight and stage lines to Mineral Hill, Eureka and Hamilton.

In October, 1875, with completion of Eureka and Palisade Railroad, Palisade became the northern terminus and operating headquarters for this little 90-mile narrow gauge line stretching southward to Eureka. Between 1875 and 1930, the town was the principal transfer and shipping point on the Central Pacific (Southern Pacific) and on the Western Pacific Railroad after its 1910 completion.

At its peak, the town boasted a population of 300. It was a self-contained community, and railroading was its business. There were passenger and freight stations, and sidings on both the Southern Pacific and Western Pacific Railroads, and a large ore transfer dock between the narrow gauge and standard gauge lines. All Eureka and Palisade (Eureka-Nevada after 1912) headquarter facilities were situated here.

After the little narrow gauge line ran its last train in September, 1938, Palisade went into a long decline. The post office was finally closed in 1962.

Palisade was the site of an elaborate hoax during the early 1870s, probably to boost tourism. Whenever a train arrived, the residents were said to stage rampant gunfights and bank robberies. Nobody was privy to knowledge of the hoax except the residents, and the showmanship died off after several years.