Swan Lake – Ely, NV 1910’s-2024
Welcome to this weeks edition of White Pine: Then & Now!
In this edition we revisit the duck pond once again. In the original image, most likely from a postcard, we can see that the pond was called Swan Lake. I’m not sure if that was what the city called it or a name given by the photographer based on what he saw. We can also see that the pond was much bigger, extending almost all the way to the depot since 10th Street had yet to be built. I’m not quite sure when the downtown power plant was built, but it is present in the photo. Based on photographic evidence from the early 1930’s, I believe the original photo dates to anywhere from 1910 to 1920, and I’m leaning toward the end of that period.
The current photo, taken on May 30, 2024, shows the 100+ years of changes that have taken place. The power plant is gone, having been replaced by the AT&T building and a gas station (now an ATV rental agency). The depot is now the Mark Requa Senior Citizens Center and the tracks that once served it have been gone since at least the 1980’s. The duck pond has been changed at least three times since the original photo was taken, and is now separated from the depot by 10th Street. I believe 10th Street was constructed after passenger service ended in 1941 as the street would not be blocked by stopped trains. Campton Street, which did not exist in the original photo, is easily visible on the right of the photo. Not easily seen behind all the trees that have grown in are the homes that have been built along the lower end of Campton.
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