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19-469: Pioche ( / ˌ p i ˈ oʊ tʃ / ) is an unincorporated town in Lincoln County , Nevada , United States, approximately 180 miles (290 km) northeast of Las Vegas . U.S. Route 93 is the main route to Pioche and bypasses the town center just to the east, with Nevada State Route 321 and Nevada State Route 322 providing direct access. Pioche is the county seat of Lincoln County. Pioche

38-442: A citizens' advisory council for an unincorporated town. The three-to-five-member council is appointed by commissioners after an "informal election". The council acts in an advisory and liaison capacity, and does not affect the responsibilities of the commissioners. The option to establish a town board was enacted in 1967. The system was unpopular, because of an impractical provision that required two county commissioners to sit on

57-601: A mean maximum of 27.7 °F (−2.4 °C), although in a normal winter only 10.3 afternoons will not top freezing. During the winter, days are cool to cold – although even in January 7.1 afternoons top 50 °F or 10 °C – and nights are very cold, although snowfall is extremely erratic. During the very wet and cold spell of January and February 1993, 98 inches or 2.49 metres of snow fell in Pioche; however, in warm, dry winters like 1999/2000, almost no snow may occur. Pioche

76-404: A population over 100,000 ( Clark and Washoe Counties), and any other county whose commissioners pass an ordinance adopting the law. Under this law, unincorporated towns are provided extra services by the county, paid for by property taxes or other revenue sources from the town. A town can be formed by an initiative petition by residents, or by the county commissioners. A town advisory board

95-516: A total of eleven “wet” days, and during August 1955 when seventeen days saw at least 0.01 inches or 0.3 millimetres of rain. The fall season sees warm days and cold nights: the freeze-free period usually extends from May 17 to October 10, although temperatures below 0 °F or −17.8 °C are very rare even during winter with an average of 1.1 mornings falling this low; the coldest temperature in Pioche has been −11 °F (−23.9 °C) on January 12, 1963. The coldest month has been January 1949 with

114-444: Is impaneled for each town. The county commissioners may choose for the town advisory board to be elected by town residents, or appointed by the commissioners. In either case, the commissioners may remove a board member at any time. The advisory board is responsible for acting as a liaison between the residents and the county commissioners, and advising the commissioners on budgets and local ordinances. The commissioners may delegate to

133-463: Is known for its "Million Dollar Courthouse," built in 1872. The original cost of $ 88,000 far exceeded initial estimates and was financed, and refinanced with bonds totaling nearly $ 1 million. Pioche currently contains the county administrative offices and has one of the oldest grade schools in the state. Next door to the courthouse sits the old Mountain View Hotel, where President Herbert Hoover

152-413: Is named after François Louis Alfred Pioche, a San Francisco financier and land speculator originally from France. The town's population was 1,002 at the 2010 census . The first modern settlement of the area occurred in 1864 with the opening of a silver mine. The settlers abandoned the area when local Indian tribes launched a series of raids and massacres. Recolonization was launched in 1868, after

171-416: Is placed in a town fund administered by the county, to be used only for the benefit of the town. Many town government functions can be exercised jointly by the town board or the county commissioners, such as providing local services, adopting ordinances, regulating businesses, establishing police and fire departments, and issuing bonds. As an alternative to a town board, county commissioners may create

190-477: Is said to have stayed in 1930. Built in 1895, the hotel served the lodging needs of dignitaries visiting Pioche on court business. Although the building no longer serves as a hotel, it is an example of turn-of-the-century western architecture. There is another hotel, the Overland, which is still operating, with 14 themed rooms on the second floor over the main saloon. An aerial tramway carried buckets of ore from

209-681: The Indian raids were stopped and François Pioche bought the town in 1869. By the early 1870s, Pioche had grown larger, to become one of the most important silver-mining towns in Nevada. Because of the town's remoteness which had earlier allowed the Indian raids to occur, Pioche had a reputation for being one of the roughest towns in the Old West . Due mostly to confusion over the exact location of mining claims, mine owners finally resorted to hiring guards. In 1872, Tom and Ed Newland hired gunmen to take over

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228-533: The advisory board management of local services and expenditures. In counties where the Unincorporated Town Government Law does not apply, a town board may be established for an unincorporated town, either by initiative petition or act of the county commissioners. The five-member board is elected by residents. The county commission may levy a property tax of up to 1.5% on all property in the town. This tax, and other town revenue,

247-507: The city. Pioche has a cool semi-arid climate (Köppen BSk ) bordering on a humid continental climate ( Dfa / Dsa ) due to its high altitude and exposure to rain-bearing winds. The high elevation means summers are much cooler than in Clark County , with temperatures of 100 °F or 37.8 °C reached upon only one afternoon every five years, and 90 °F or 32.2 °C reached only upon 23.1 afternoons. The hottest month recorded

266-549: The mines to the Godbe Mill. The tramway ran during the 1920s and 1930s and was used for the transportation of silver and nickel ore. The abandoned tramway used cables which still stretch over parts of the town, with some original ore buckets intact. During Labor Day in September, the population swells for events including fireworks, history-based theater and mining car filling contests called "mucking events." In December,

285-502: The town board; by 1975, it had been adopted by only one town, Crescent Valley . The citizens' advisory council provision was passed into law in 1973. The town board law was later amended in 1985 to remove the requirement of county commissioners serving on the board. Lincoln County Courthouse (1872) Too Many Requests If you report this error to the Wikimedia System Administrators, please include

304-404: The town holds a public Christmas tree lighting. The town of Pioche is Nevada Historical Marker 5. Unincorporated towns in Nevada A 1975 study by the state Legislative Commission identified 39 unincorporated towns in Nevada. As of 2014, the state Demographer's Office listed 44 unincorporated towns. The Unincorporated Town Government Law, adopted in 1975, applies to counties with

323-627: The very profitable mine owned by William H. Raymond and John Ely. They in turn hired four more men who during a raid in the middle of the night killed one of the guards and drove off the remainder. One of the four hired gunmen, Michael Casey, killed miner Tom Gossen after refusing to pay interest on a $ 100 loan. Before he died the next day, Gossen left a $ 5,000 reward to the man who killed Casey. Jim Leavy swore Casey had not shot Gossen in self defense, and Casey challenged Leavy to get his gun. The two men met in front of Felsenthal's store. Leavy shot Casey and then beat him to death with his pistol. Leavy in turn

342-459: Was July 2005, with a mean maximum of 93.0 °F or 33.9 °C, a record hot day of 105 °F (40.6 °C) on July 17, and nine days above the century mark from July 11 to 19. Although summers are mostly dry with mild nights, it is not unknown for “Arizona rains” to penetrate into Lincoln County during July and August, as happened in August 1945 when 5.01 inches (127.3 mm) of rain fell on

361-408: Was wounded by David Neagle , who shot Leavy through the cheeks, leaving him permanently disfigured. It was reported that nearly 60 percent of the homicides reported in Nevada during 1871–72 took place in and around Pioche. Local lore says 72 men were killed in gunfights before the first natural death occurred in the camp. This legend is immortalized by the creation of Boot Hill , now a landmark in

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