Beatty

''Elevation: 3,307'

Pronounced "Bay-dee." An incorporated community in southern Nye County, located at the crossroads of US 95 and SR 372, the road to Death Valley.''

Before the arrival of non-indigenous people in the 19th century, the Beatty region was home to groups of Western Shoshone who utilized many of the area's fresh water springs. The year 1905, though, saw Beatty at its prime, established by and named after Montillus (Montillion) Murray "Old Man" Beatty who settled on a ranch in the Oasis Valley in 1896 and became Beatty's first postmaster.

During the town's first year, horse and mule-drawn wagons hauled freight by the thousands from the newly-formed Bullfrog Mining District which included the mining camps of Rhyolite, Bullfrog, Gold Center, Transvaal, and Springdale. The mighty mining boom of the district thwarted the arrival of the Las Vegas and Tonopah Railroad (LV&T) which began regular service to Beatty beginning in October of 1906. The addition of the Bullfrog Goldfield Railroad (BG) came in April 1907 and six months later, the Tonopah and Tidewater (T&T) arrived late, finishing off a triad of important railroads. This concentration of railroad activity left Beatty with a lasting title known as the "Chicago of the West." Unfortunately, the failing of the mines in the district halted all railroad activity to the town by 1935.

From then on, the town went into a slight hibernation until the U.S. government visited the area twice, once in 1942 and then in late 1960, for two very different reasons. The establishment of the Nellis Air Force Base and other nearby federal installations required a nearby base of operations in which Beatty was all to happy to oblige. Beatty became a service town once again, contributing to the town's economy, as well by the onset of tourism related to the establishment of Death Valley National Park. Later, the rise of Las Vegas' status as an entertainment center sealed the deal circa 1975.

Simply put, Beatty might be the envy of many Nevada towns, if only for its valuable location! Beatty is located a convenient 90 miles north of Las Vegas, yet its remote setting on the north end of the Amargosa Valley (2,664') still puts it at an ideal position on the map: an important crossroads and major travel stop in the middle of nowhere, added to its proximity to the park boundary only eight minutes to the west.

Today, Beatty caters to both vehicle traffic headed north and south on US 95 and annual visitors to Death Valley. In fact, the National Park Service lists Beatty as the "major form of services" for the entire region.

Demographic
Founded: March 8, 1896

Population: 1,010 (2010)

Zip Code: 89003

Motto: "Gateway to Death Valley"

Distance in miles from
Death Valley Nat'l Park -- 7

Furnace Creek, CA -- 57

Pahrump -- 73

Tonopah -- 94

Las Vegas -- 121

Hawthorne -- 197

Reno -- 332