CALIENTE, Nevada — The small city of Caliente hasn’t all the time been so small. Many years in the past, it was the bustling railroad hub of Lincoln County, with steam trains stopping between Salt Lake Metropolis and Los Angeles. Nearly everybody on the town labored on the rails.
At this time, the trains nonetheless rumble via the middle of Caliente—however they now not cease. Vehicles glide previous the town’s historic prepare depot, as soon as the centerpiece of the group.
Metropolis leaders are working to ensure it stays that means.
“It’s all about this building,” Rick Phillips, who runs the town’s Field Automotive Museum subsequent door, stated. “If you lose something like this, you’re losing the story of how Caliente came to be.”
The Caliente Practice Depot opened in 1923. At its peak, the constructing wasn’t only a station—it was a resort, a restaurant, and the town’s gathering spot. Locals bear in mind it as being “just like the Ritz-Carlton.”
However by the Seventies, Caliente was fading from the railroad map. Union Pacific pulled out, commuter service ended, and jobs vanished. The depot was even marked for demolition.
That’s when city leaders stepped in. Former Mayor Cliff Peterson secured a lease from Union Pacific for simply 10 cents a 12 months—paying a greenback upfront to maintain the depot alive.
Nonetheless, the constructing deteriorated over time. Caliente’s remoteness meant few in Carson Metropolis observed or supplied assist.
That modified in 2019, when the state accepted $2 million for restoration. Earlier this 12 months, the depot’s exterior renovation was lastly accomplished.
Inside, the depot has discovered a brand new objective. At this time, it homes the town corridor, the library, and the sheriff’s station. It’s hosted highschool proms and group occasions. However a lot of the inside nonetheless wants work, and metropolis leaders are making use of for extra grants to complete the job.
Caliente Mayor Steve Rowe, who grew up using the rails via city, stated saving the depot has been sluggish however essential.
“We’re trying to utilize it as best we can,” Rowe stated. “We don’t want it to just sit here and fall apart.”
For Caliente, Nevada’s smallest metropolis, the depot is greater than a landmark—it’s a connection to the individuals who constructed it.
“If you don’t save the past,” Phillips stated. “You don’t know the struggles, the character of the people that made Caliente what it is.”
The Caliente Practice Depot’s first ground is open to the general public. The Field Automotive Museum subsequent door shares extra of the city’s rail historical past. If it appears closed, Phillips stated to simply name the quantity posted on the door. He’ll be there in minutes.
