Austin reflects sentimentally on past by Mark LaPointe, Outpost Staff In this package: Hwy 50 - only lonely if still Fallon - Gateway to 50 Eureka - Hwy 50 high point Ely - boomtown of the 90's Baker and Great Basin N.P.   After driving about two hours from Fallon, you'll reach the small town of Austin, which claims an abundance of history and was once one of the state's largest and richest communities. At one time the population swelled to more than 10,000 and the ore mined produced more than $50 million. If you find time during your drive across U.S. Highway 50, take some time to explore the past that, in many respects, remains as it was in the last century. Reuel C. Gridley owner of the Gridley Store lost an election in 1864 and, as a consequence, had to carry a 50-lb sack of flour across town singing "John Brown's Body." Photo by Mark LaPointe You may want to start your visit to Austin with a trip to each of the town's three 19th century churches that remain standing as if silently claiming victory over the questionable mores of the minors and charlatans of days gone by. St. George's Episcopal Church is the youngest of the three, consecrated in 1878. The other two, St. Augustine's Catholic Church and the Austin Methodist Church, were both built in 1866. Austin also has the more modern Latter Day Saints Chapel and the Austin Baptist Church both built in recent decades. Austin may also be the home of Nevada's only castle. Stokes Castle was build in 1897 by Anson Phelps Stokes who had considerable mining interests in the Austin area. He was key to building the Nevada Central Railroad from Battle Mountain to Austin. Today, the castle is in disrepair, yet continues to offer a view of the area up to 60 miles south and 35 miles north. If you're really in the mood for a detour, head south for about two hours to Berlin-Ichtyosaur State Park, the home of the world's largest Ichtyosaur fossils. Ichtyosaur's were sea-faring dinosaurs that give credence to Nevada's past life as an inland sea. Tours of the dig site happen regularly and camping in the ghost town of Berlin makes the visit worthwhile. copyright 12/10/97 Nevada Outpost http://www.jour.unr.edu/outpost Nevada Outpost is produced by students at the Reynolds School of Journalism, University of Nevada, Reno Copyright 1999 Nevada Outpost http://www.jour.unr.edu/outpost  TOP