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The Roughest Town in the Wild, Wild West
In the 1870s, the roughest town in the Wild,Wild West was Palisade, Nevada.
The entire country knew about the senseless killings and rampant violence that took place in this little railroad town.
And it created a huge part of the reputation of the lawless west.
Where Was Palisade?
Palisade was and is in Eureka County, in northeastern Nevada, 10 miles south of Carlin and 33 miles southwest of Elko.
It was founded in 1868 as a stop on the Central Pacific railroad, and it was named for the rock walls to the east, which reminded people of a similar formation in New York. Yes, that Palisade.
It was a true railroad town, although in the 1880s there was also some silver mining. Only 600 people lived there, at best, and if the stories were to be believed more than that were killed there in a year.
But the real reason for Palisade’s existence was as a shipping point to nearby mines.
It was, thus, home to all kinds of fraternal organizations. Most of the residents worked at the rail depot building freight cars.
What is There Now?
After the railroad closed in 1938, Palisade died. It was already a dying town. Two small wooden cabins…