Montello, one of the largest railroad sidings in Elko County, had a roundhouse and switching yards. The Southern Pacific Hotel (shown above) served travelers, schoolteachers, and railroad employees.

Thousands of cattle from the U.C. Ranch were shipped by rail, and in 1915, the Southern Pacific payroll in Montello was the company’s largest.

Now a much smaller town, it is one of the few railroad sidings that survived into the 21st century. (Courtesy of Northeastern Nevada Museum Archives)