When this picture was taken, the Nevada Central Railroad had a regular service between Battle Mountain and Austin, and it was still the most efficient way to reach the town. Wagon roads were bad and not maintained beyond absolute necessity.
Streets pretty much straggled in any direction, Austin's exuberance refusing to be contained in a grid. There was a water system and good schools put in during the boom and kept up since then as necessity and a matter of civic pride. But the town had slowed down. In the 1860s its population reached around 6,000 souls. By the 1900 census that number had dropped to a little over 1,500 and that included all of Lander County! Fortunately the residents of Austin paid little attention to census numbers. They continued to work mining, ranching, and providing other services to their community. They lived their lives, and through all that living kept their town alive.
Compiled by Barbara Powell, nevadasdesertlegends.com, nevadaphotoarchive.com.
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