Eureka and Palisade Railroad

Formed in 1873; 1900, Eureka and Palisade Railroad entered receivership; 1901, Eureka and Palisade Railway was formed; renamed the Eureka-Nevada Railway in 1912; railroad ceased operations in 1938.

Historical Background

The Eureka and Palisade Railroad was organized in 1873 to provide transportation between the Nevada mining camp of Eureka and the Central Pacific Railroad at Palisade. The following year, a group of California and Nevada financiers, including Isaac Requa, William Sharon, and Darius Ogden Mills, took control of the company from the local promoters. The narrow gauge line was completed the following year.

When mining operations at Eureka declined after 1885, service on the road also diminished. In 1900 the Eureka and Palisade entered receivership, and the following year the Eureka and Palisade Railway was formed.

This new firm, headed by Isaac Requa's son Mark, along with I. W. Hellman and J. H. Moulton, took control of the property in 1902. The company entered receivership again in 1910, and in 1912 it became the Eureka-Nevada Railway, which in turn was operated by the Nevada Transportation Company. The line was finally abandoned in 1938.

Additional information regarding the Eureka and Palisade can be found in Gilbert H. Kneiss Bonanza Railroads (1941) and David F. Myrick Railroads of Nevada and Eastern California, Volume One: The Northern Roads (1992).