Jacobsville, Nevada | |
|---|---|
  Jacobsville  Jacobsville | |
| Coordinates:39°30′04″N117°10′52″W / 39.50111°N 117.18111°W /39.50111; -117.18111 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Nevada |
| County | Lander |
| Named after | George Washington Jacob, an agent for theOverland Mail Company[1][2] |
| Elevation | 5,699 ft (1,737 m) |
Jacobsville[3] is a ghost town located inLander County, Nevada, six miles west[4] ofAustin, on the east bank ofReese River, 0.7 mi N ofUS 50.[3] Jacobsville was also known as Jacobs Spring, Jacobsville Station, Reese River and Reese River Station.[3]
The station possibly began as a mail station operated byGeorge Chorpenning's 1859 mail posts near the Reese River.[5]The station was burned by Indians in 1860 and partially completed adobe structure was present on October 13 of that year when it was visited byRichard Francis Burton.[6]
Reese River Station was aPony Express station during the 18 months of its operation (April 3, 1860, to October 1861).[2]
The ruins of the adobe Pony Express station were present northwest of Jacobsville in the early 1980s.[7]
In 1861,Mark Twain traveled through the area and in "Roughing It" he wrote, "On the eighteenth day we encountered theeastward-bound telegraph-constructors at Reese River station and sent a message to his Excellency Gov. Nye at Carson City (distant one hundred and fifty-six miles)."
On May 2, 1862, a former Pony Express rider named William M. Talcott discovered rich silver ore in Pony Canyon while cutting wood for Jacobs Station on the old Pony Express route and a maintenance point on the overland telegraph line. The result was a silver rush known as theReese River excitement.[2][8]
Jacobsville was the provisional Lander County seat from December 1862 to September 1863.[9] A courthouse was built in Jacobsville, completed in August 1863, and moved to Austin in September.[4]
Myron Angel wrote that "[In 1863, Jacobsville] had a population of three or four hundred; also contained two hotels, three stores, post-office, telegraph office, Court House and fifty residences."[4]
The Jacobsville post office was in operation from March 1863 to April 1864.[10]
By the late 1870s or early 1880s there was only a single farm house at the site.[4]
Reese.
Municipalities and communities ofLander County, Nevada,United States | ||
|---|---|---|
| Unincorporated towns |  | |
| Ghost towns | ||