The Humboldt Museum is located in Winnemucca, northern Nevada in the United States. Winnemucca was part of the first transcontinental railroad line, and is about halfway between San Francisco and Salt Lake City. The museum itself has a great collection of historical artifacts from the railroad, mining, and other local history, along with a few surprises.
1: Pictured are the main buildings. In the foreground is St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, which was built in 1907, and later moved to its present location in 1985 to serve as the museum itself. After the modern main building in the background was built in 1985, the church was converted to host events like weddings and art shows.2: The Greinstein building is thought to have been originally built in 1864 before being relocated to the museum grounds. It was home to Greinstein’s Nevada Hide & Junk Company.3-4: The museum also has some relics stored outside, including automobiles, farm equipment and carriages. They are too far gone to be restored, and it’s sad they will continue to rot away as time passes.5. This piano has a fascinating story. It once lived in the Nixon Opera House in Winnemucca built in 1908. The opera house was destroyed by an unknown arsonist in 1992. Remarkably, the piano fell through the stage floor and was saved from the fire. 6: This flag was a surprise find. It is from the US Civil War, and was discovered on the ground following the Battle of Shiloh in southwestern Tennessee in 1862. It was displayed at West Point in New York for many years, before eventually making its way to this small museum.7: Winnemucca once had a thriving Chinatown due to the intercontinental railroad passing through, as many Chinese workers were brought in to build it. None of the Chinatown buildings survive in present day, but a few panels from them are displayed in the museum. 8: These wooden Indians were carved for a local business in the 1960s, but were left outside to deteriorate prior to being relocated to the museum, who hopes to someday restore them.9: A great piece of art I found. It’s made with antique window frames, glass bottles, and other assorted scraps found in the Nevada desert.10: Had you arrived at the Western Pacific Railroad depot prior to 1985, you would have seen this sign hanging from it. You can see a picture of it mounted on the building here.
