Winnemucca, NV (WNN)

Ticket Revenue

FY 2011

$234,153

Station Ridership

FY 2011

3,441

Note: Fiscal year is from
October through September.

In early 2012, a new and improved shelter was completed at Winnemucca to replace an older one installed in 1993. Developed by d+A design+Architecture, LLC of Yardley, Penn., the shelter design was inspired by historic late 19th and early 20th century depots found in small towns across the nation. Composed primarily of rich red brick, the structure has an enclosed, one-story waiting room with large windows that not only keep out the wind, but also allow ample sunlight to flood and brighten the space. On the principal facades facing the street and the tracks, the waiting room is marked by stylized projecting bays with deep eaves. Recessed canopies, supported by squared posts sporting curved brackets, flank the waiting room and visually expand the station’s presence along the tracks. Benches in the waiting room and beneath the canopies provide abundant seating.

A 550 foot long concrete platform with tactile edging was also installed, as were improved signage and light standards. The $1.26 million project, which ensures that the Winnemucca station is ADA compliant, was funded through Amtrak’s Mobility First initiative under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Travelers with an eye for detail and knowledge of the Amtrak system might notice that the structure is a close cousin to a couple that were built during the same period along the route of the Capitol Limited in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Winnemucca, named for a Paiute American Indian chief, was first settled in 1830. It was initially set up as a camp for beaver trappers and then was a trading post for pioneers passing through the region. The town received a major boost when the Central Pacific Railroad (CP) arrived in fall 1868 while rushing eastward to meet the Union Pacific Railroad in Utah Territory. The two lines joined at Promontory Summit on May 10, 1869 to drive the “golden spike” and officially complete North America’s first transcontinental railroad. The next day, the first through-train pulled into town with numerous dignitaries, including the Nevada governor and the CP president and vice-president. Its arrival was greeted with the firing of guns and ringing of bells, and champagne flowed freely. In part due to its location on the railroad, Winnemucca became the Humboldt County seat in 1873.

In September 1900, Butch Cassidy, Kid Curry and the Sundance Kid robbed the local bank trying to cash in on some of the profits from the region’s gold, copper and silver mines. This was the farthest west that Butch Cassidy was known to have transacted his “banking business”. In the early 20th century, Basque sheepherders moved into the area and their influence remains today and is celebrated during the annual Basque Festival. From about 1870 to 1920, thousands of cattle raised on the meadows of northern Nevada were driven to stockyards near the rail line and then shipped both east and west to feed a growing nation. Mining has long been important to the state economy and it remains the primary industry around Winnemucca.

At the Humboldt Museum, visitors can explore the rich history of the region through displays of Ice Age fossils, American Indian clothing and jewelry, historic photographs, and other memorabilia. One of the biggest events of the year takes place over Labor Day weekend when people from all around flock to Winnemucca for the Tri-County Fair and Rodeo. Revelers can enjoy a carnival, parade, live music, and great food. Numerous fun and quirky contests allow participants to vie for colorful ribbons awarded to the biggest home-grown fruits or vegetables; the best pie or watermelon eater; and the wildest “potato critter”—a creature crafted from a brown potato and one’s imagination. The most popular event of the long weekend is the rodeo, which has taken place since the 1920s and is Nevada’s oldest continuous rodeo. Spectators delight in the daring tricks and skill of the cowboys who follow in the traditions of their predecessors.

Amtrak does not provide ticketing or baggage services at this station which is served by two daily trains.