The Nevada State Legislature carved Elko County out of the northeastern part of Lander County on March 5, 1869. Named after its principal town and seat of government, the name Elko occurs elsewhere in the nation associated with railroad stations. The origin of the name is uncertain. Elko County officials initially occupied three adobe buildings and a tent. Within months, the commissioners accepted the plans of Walter Moberly for a courthouse. "The building is to be...of the Roman Doric style of architecture," reported The Elko Independent. "On the first or lower floor there will be four rooms for offices..., with a fireproof vault in one; and also on this floor five cells for holding prisoners...On the second floor will be the courtroom...and four offices..and a portico in front." In August 1869, the county commissioners awarded a construction contact for $17,744 to W.P. Monroe. As Monroe began building the courthouse, some people called for a more elaborate design. In spite of the addition of higher walls, a heavy cornice, and alterations to the front stairway, Monroe finished the brick courthouse in a little more than three months, on December 18, 1869. Monroe and the county disagreed over the final bill. After paying him over $20,000 for the courthouse, the commissioners rejected his bill for $240.00 for the locks. Monroe duplicated the keys and distributed them throughout the town, forcing the county to replace the locks at a cost of $600.00. In 1910, the Elko County commissioners voted to build a new courthouse. The two-story structure, designed by William H. Weeks and built by the Sellman brothers of western Nevada, cost $150,000. The courthouse is on the site of its predecessor. It is a Neo-Classical building with a shallow dome and a two-story pedimented portico supported by Doric columns. A balustrade follows the roof line and accentuated an ornate cornice. In 1916, an article in the "industrial Issue" of The Elko Independent boasted that the courthouse "isn't the State capitol, as many might suppose, at first glance. It is the beautiful $150,000 county courthouse...built for the needs of the present." read more

Elko County Courthouse - Courthouses Near Me - Elko, Nevada

Sat in the upstairs bar area. Employees walked by several times and no one took our drink order. The food service is equally slow. We have resorted to the vending machine and water fountain. read more

Elko County Courthouse - Restaurant area upstairs - Courthouses Near Me - Elko, Nevada