White Pine Public Museum receives donation for new exhibit

The White Pine Public Museum is developing an exhibit of antique mining and ranching equipment. Kevin Riley, of Calibre Mining, is seen here giving Museum Board President Wayne Cameron the Museum’s first major donation toward establishing the exhibit. The exhibit will be on land donated by the James Jewell VFW Post 3547. Representing the Post are, left to right, Post Historian Don Wallis, Senior Vice Commander Paul Burgess, Post Commander Ed Sturges and Post Trustee Earlyn Betsill.

The beginning of the exhibit was established by the generous donation from the Locke Family of a 1940’s rock crusher, along with an antique Cat dozer and Ingersoll Rand compressor. Following the Locke Family donation, the idea of gathering up as much of White Pine County’s antique equipment started. Calibre Mining was the first to join in helping make the exhibit happen. Looking for a place for the exhibit led the Museum to the bare ground just north of the intersection of Golf Course Way and US 93. Past Post Commander Ken Curto welcomed the idea and brought it to the membership. The membership unanimously approved selling the parcel to the Museum for $1. Greg Rivero generously offered to survey the parcel to facilitate the transfer to the Museum. The VFW did have one stipulation; that the Museum preserve and identify the remaining section of the Lincoln Highway that runs along the west side of the parcel. The fortuitous coincidence of the Lincoln Highway being part of the exhibit will be highlighted as part of the interpretation of the equipment donated.

The county has lost old buildings and equipment from the area for years. Those losses seem to be part and parcel of a community with a long history of mining boom and bust. The White Pine Public Museum has helped preserve our community history for almost 65 years and looks forward to developing a display the community will be proud of and that will entice travelers to perhaps pause in our community for just a bit longer.