Near the small town of Wells in Elko County is one of Nevada’s most intriguing ghost towns—one that has absolutely no ties to the state’s mining history. The modern day Nevada ghost town of Metropolis was the project of Massachusetts businessman Harry L. Pierce who sought to make Metropolis the center of a new, huge farming district. In 1910, Pierce’s New York-based Pacific Reclamation Company purchased 40,000 acres below Emigrant Canyon and contracted to have a dam constructed on Bishop Creek with the hopes of using the reservoir to irrigate the town. However, water usage rights disputes caused nearby Lovelock to file a law suit. Consequently, farming difficulties and a host of natural disasters eventually destroyed the short-lived town.
Metropolis is located just over 15 miles northwest of Wells in Elko County.
Travel Nevada/Flickr
In order to demonstrate Metropolis’ intended permanence, Pacific Reclamation built an amusement hall, a school train depot, post office, and a modern hotel in the new town.
Kira B./Yelp The Chronicle began semi-monthly publication in September 1911, followed by regular passenger train service in 1912. Graded streets, cement sidewalks, hydrants and streetlights soon followed. The population—predominantly Mormons—swelled to nearly 700. By the 1920s, Metropolis had nearly 2,000 residents.
The remains of the Lincoln School is an impressive sight, indeed.
jtstewart/Flickr Constructed in 1914, this $25,000 brick school was only operational until 1947.
The Lincoln School ruins is the most conspicuous site in the area.
Travel Nevada/Flickr The brick school’s claim to fame was in its dramatic features on an otherwise flat terrain. Today, the archway entrance remains, whereas the top floors lay in ruins.
Concrete stairs lead to the wrecked remains of the school’s basement, decorated with graffiti.
Travel Nevada/Flickr While the ground floor remains remarkably mostly intact, one never knows when this, too, will give way. Thus, when exploring the area, pay heed and exercise caution around the sizeable holes throughout the structure.
Some of the graffiti decorating the ruins:
Travel Nevada/Flickr
The school’s skyline companion is the hotel, which is also in ruins.
Travel Nevada/Flickr When it was constructed, this magnificently modern three-story structure was outfitted with an electric generator, central heat, and hot and cold running water in every room. Today, all that remains of Metropolis’ once grand hotel is its foundation and a concrete block.
Valley View Cemetery sits southwest of Metropolis behind an unlocked cattle gate.
jtstewart/Flickr
Several generations of pioneer families are buried here. Names like Bake, Hammond, Hepworth, Hyde, and Uhlig are prevalent, and some graves are as recent as the mid-2000s.
jtstewart/Flickr
In addition to the school, hotel, and cemetery, various scattered remnants of vehicles and glass are all that remain today.
Travel Nevada/Flickr
Eventually, marauding coyotes and a rise in the jackrabbit population was followed by drought, typhoid, and hordes of crickets set Metropolis on its doomed path. Pacific Reclamation declared bankruptcy in 1920. By 1922, the railroad had discontinued service to the area. By 1924, the population dwindled to 200, fires overtook the hotel and amusement hall, and the last store closed in 1925. Then, the post office closed in 1942. By 1950, Metropolis had become a modern day Nevada ghost town.
Travel Nevada/Flickr
Kira B./Yelp
The Chronicle began semi-monthly publication in September 1911, followed by regular passenger train service in 1912. Graded streets, cement sidewalks, hydrants and streetlights soon followed. The population—predominantly Mormons—swelled to nearly 700. By the 1920s, Metropolis had nearly 2,000 residents.
jtstewart/Flickr
Constructed in 1914, this $25,000 brick school was only operational until 1947.
The brick school’s claim to fame was in its dramatic features on an otherwise flat terrain. Today, the archway entrance remains, whereas the top floors lay in ruins.
While the ground floor remains remarkably mostly intact, one never knows when this, too, will give way. Thus, when exploring the area, pay heed and exercise caution around the sizeable holes throughout the structure.
When it was constructed, this magnificently modern three-story structure was outfitted with an electric generator, central heat, and hot and cold running water in every room. Today, all that remains of Metropolis’ once grand hotel is its foundation and a concrete block.
Eighty years past its prime but still more modern than most of Nevada’s mining-era ghost towns, Metropolis continues to fascinate. Have you visited this unique modern day Nevada ghost town? Please share your comments below.
OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article.
