A Visit to the Renaissance Village in Ely, Nevada

From late May to the third weekend in September, the Renaissance Village in Ely, Nevada, is a hidden gem that gives a peek into Ely's fascinating past. The Renaissance Village is a collection of old mining houses, each decorated in a different nationality to showcase how many different ethnic backgrounds made up Ely's history.

Tucked up onto the hillside, you suddenly come upon the Village General Store, which is the starting point for visiting the Renaissance Village.


You step into the past as you step inside.

We also met up with our guide, Glen Terry, who is so knowledgeable about the village and the whole area.

First he took us into the English House. I wasn't sure how much the kids would like this trip back in history, but they were fascinated.

We had fun looking at the furnishings and decorations.

Then, after a visit in the French House and with a few more instructions, Glenn let us roam through the other houses on our own.

Here's a map of the village.

We went into the Spanish house next.

Many of the houses had old stoves like this.

The Spanish house had some nice chiles.

Next was the Italian house.

Plaques in the houses give more info about the history of that heritage in the area.

The kids noted we have a radio of similar vintage in our house. We tend to have a lot of older things still hanging around!

It was great fun to see how each house, although similar, had quite a few differences.

Here are the kids trying to choose which house to go into next.

They chose the Greek house.

Desert Girl enjoyed looking at these fancy shoes.


The Greek living room.

 Back to the courtyard.

 

And then we went into the Irish house.

This house also had information on Pat Nixon, who was from Ely.

 

 Next up was the Asian house.

The china was beautiful.

Another plaque with fascinating info.

And some clothes.

The Renaissance village includes a covered patio that is used for special events.

We weren't quite finished--we still had the Miners Cabin.

It was very small.

And included a miner, ha!

Steps up from the Miner's Cabin lead to the train tracks for the Nevada Northern Railway. The Polar Express tops here in winter so Santa can get on and visit with everyone.

The kids surprised me with how much they enjoyed this visit to the Renaissance Village. I thought they'd be dragging their feet, but they were eager to explore and find cool things in each house. I believe the Renaissance Village will be open two more weekends in 2019. We look forward to revisiting again next year and finding more cool things to discover!

Ghost Town Visit: Frisco, Utah

 It was a rather tumultuous afternoon when Desert Girl and I pulled over along Utah Highway 21, about 15 miles west of Milford, Utah, to visit the ghost town of Frisco. Frisco was a boom-and-bust mining town, which at its height in the 1880s had 6,000 people living there. Amazingly, there are no streams, lakes, springs, or wells in the nearby area. Water had to be brought in for all those people. And perhaps that's part of the reason it had a reputation for being such a rough place. Why pay for water when you could drink whiskey?

Frisco started soon after two prospectors, James Ryan and Samuel Hawks, found ore in September 1875. They staked a claim, but soon sold it, thinking it would be small. (They had been working in a nearby mine in the San Francisco mountains, so perhaps they were basing their knowledge on that mine.) It turned out this ore body was large, producing 25,000 tons of ore, with high silver content, in the next few years. Nearby, the Horn Silver Mine was also found in 1875. It turned out to be the largest producer in the area. In 1877, five charcoal kilns were built to help with the smelting process. In June 1880, the Utah Southern Railroad Extension arrived in Frisco, making it even easier to ship in supplies and ship out ore. 1880 was also when the Southern Utah Times newspaper began publication, lasting over eight years. It was described as: “The Southern Utah Times is a wide-awake, pithy, gentile sheet.” 

When miners reported for duty on February 12, 1885, they were told to wait because there were tremors. The night shift emerged. And then there was a massive collapse down to the seventh level, closing off the richest part of the ore. Fortunately no one was killed, although tremors were felt as far away as Milford. Mining eventually resumed, but at a smaller scale.

Frisco gained a reputation as one of the wildest places in the West. It was known for numerous murders, with a cart assigned to pick up bodies and cart the off to boot hill for burial.

We visited the cemetery, which painted a very different picture of Frisco. Instead of marked graves of criminals, or even adult-aged dead, we found a cemetery full of children's graves. It must have been a hard life out in the mining town. (One account I read said that heavy metals in the water contributed to the high child mortality.)

In the background you can see the main mining area, the Horn Silver Mine. Copper, gold, and other minerals were also found. 

With a telephoto lens, we could see the tailings and a big hole in the rock.

But we couldn't get any closer, as the roads are blocked off and No Trespassing signs are posted. 

We took a road that was open, but eventually it was blocked with this huge tank.

So we headed off in a different direction, eventually realizing that we were driving on the old railroad tracks. A spur from Milford had been built to Frisco, and later to Newhouse, a mining area around the mountain that reached its peak a couple decades later.

Soon we found what we were looking for--five charcoal ovens.

The fence around them has long been broken through. Unfortunately some people aren't so respectful of the charcoal ovens, which have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. (Click the link to learn more about the materials they were built with.) Despite their condition, they are still among the best preserved charcoal kilns in the state of Utah. We found evidence of campfires in several. 

Of course, the charcoal ovens were built with the intention of fires in them. The reason for charcoal ovens is to turn wood into charcoal, which can burn at a higher temperature and longer, which is very useful in smelting, an important process in mining.

As the sun started to come out, I wandered around looking for interesting views of the ovens. I found that on the backside, bricks had been used. I have no idea why.

 

A bit of paintbrush added some color to the scene. Beyond the ovens are remnants of the town of Frisco.

As far as the town of Frisco goes, many building fragments remain.

We also found this old boiler.

In addition to the old rocks and wood in the buildings, there is a new arrival: the invasive weed whitetop. It wasn't known when Frisco was inhabited, but unfortunately has moved in now. 

We enjoyed our quick visit to Frisco. There is so much more to explore here. And with the rich history, you can certainly imagine some of what happened in this ghost town. A great website with lots more info about Frisco is http://thetrekplanner.com/frisco-utah/

Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park, White Pine County

Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historic Park in White Pine County is a pretty cool place to visit.  Located east of Ely, Nevada, the charcoal ovens were built when silver mining was big in the area in the nearby Ward Mining District. They operated from 1876 to 1879.

Nearby pinyon pines and juniper trees were cut and put into the ovens. Then the ovens were heated and the wood turned into charcoal, which has a 96% carbon content. The charcoal was desired by the mines because it burned longer and hotter than wood.

I visited Ward Charcoal Ovens many years ago, but didn't have a return visit for many years, until the fall of 2017, before the Women in the Mountains Bicycle Clinic.


 On this visit, I wanted to check out some of the trails in the park. They have a nice trail network.

Here's a view of the riparian area. A small creek starts from springs in the park and then runs throughout the park.

There are some historic features that aren't preserved as well as the charcoal ovens.

Here's a view of the ovens from a higher vista on the trail.

I stayed in the campground, mainly so I could go take photos of the charcoal ovens at night. It was a fun photoshoot.

I didn't return to Ward Charcoal Ovens until Ely Outdoor Enthusiasts put on a trail run there in May 2019. What a terrific excuse to go back! They offered two- and four-mile runs. The kids signed up for the two-mile run and I did the four-mile run. Both courses were great, and we had a nice break in the rainy weather.  Here's a cool photo, courtesy of Ely Outdoor Enthusiasts, of the kids running:

I snapped a photo of the ovens during the race.

And then after the race, we went over to take a more relaxed look at them. Dogs are allowed on leash.


We went into the first charcoal oven.


It's so big! They could make a lot of charcoal in each oven, which was good, because sometimes it took 30 days of heating to make the charcoal. Then they had to let it cool, and on a calm day open the door. If it was too windy, they risked having the charcoal ignite and all their hard work literally go up in flames.

When the sun is shining, it makes for some spotlights in the ovens.

Another cool part of the ovens is the amazing lichens growing on them. They are now very colorful.

The entrance fee to Ward Charcoal Ovens is only $5 per vehicle. These are some of the best preserved charcoal ovens in the American West. I'm already looking forward to my next visit!