Ely was a stagecoach stop in its early days. It became a mining town after copper was discovered nearby in 1906. Since then it has experienced the booms and busts typical of mining communities.
Copper mining has done well by Ely lately, though, giving the town enough resources for cultural developments. This little park on Route 50 in downtown Ely includes a large sculpture made, appropriately enough, from mining tipples. Tipples are used to direct something that’s mined into, say, railroad cars.
Of course, gambling is legal in Nevada. The Hotel Nevada, on Route 50, houses one of Ely’s casinos. The building is six stories high, and from the time it opened in 1929 into the 1940’s, it was the tallest building in Nevada.
