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A historical marker at a rest area along US Highway 93, in the middle of nowhere, Nevada, tells the story of the ghost town of Schellbourne. The rest area features picnic shelters and pit toilets.
History of Schellbourne, Nevada
Schellbourne was a town and mail station on the famed Pony Express line. It was named after Major A. J. Schell, who was in charge of troops responsible for protecting the Butterfield Overland Mail. It sat four miles to the east of the rest area on the former site of a Shoshone Indian village.
Pony Express
The Pony Express station formed in 1860 and lasted just a year. In 1861, the Overland Stage Company took over the route. A military outpost called Fort Schellbourne protected the station until 1862. A path from the parking lot leads to a silhouette of a rider on his horse. Interpretive panels along the path display information on the history of the Pony Express.
Aurum Mining District
The town of Schellbourne developed later on in the 1870s, after silver ore was discovered immediately to the east in the Aurum Mining District. Over 500 people lived there until 1885, when the ore was depleted and other more promising mining towns pulled people away. A post office operated there from December 1871 until October 1925. “Uncle Billy” and Eliza Burke later purchased the entire town site and adjacent valley to operate as a ranch and hotel. The town site is still part of a private ranch.
Lincoln Highway Interpretive Panel
Another interpretive panel at the rest area commemorates the historic Lincoln Highway, which once ran along this stretch of US 93. It was the first transcontinental road for automobiles in the United States, dedicated on October 31, 1913.
