East Ely Railroad Depo

At the turn of the century, copper ore deposits were found in the desert mountains of White Pine County near Ely, Nevada. Thousands of people, chasing their American Dream, jumped on board the Nevada Northern Railway, and would have hopped off the train here at the East Ely Depot. Today, the Depot houses a railroad records archive and a museum and is listed on the National register of Historic Places.

You might spot the building in the film Rat Race (2001), starring myriad big Hollywood names like Whoopi Goldberg, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Rowan Atkinson. However, The Depot was home to another celebrity: the beloved Dirt the Railroad Cat, who served as the official greeter and mascot of the building. He had fans from all over the world, and although he passed in 2023, a bronze statue to memorialize the famous feline is in the works. 

Written By: Ellie Hoffman