Jack Creek

Elko County

AKA: Anderson, Jackson,

Located at the north end of the Independence Valley, north of Tuscarora. According to Shawn Hall, Jack Creek was first settled by a man named Jack Harrington in 1868. Further research of the newspaper archives revealed that he was also known as J.P. Harrington. Jack Creek also served as the Northern Stage Company's route between Tuscarora and Mountain City. Starting in the 1870's, Jack Creek would have a store, restaurant, boardinghouse and school district. The Jack Creek Opera House was completed in 1880... There weren't many newspaper articles of major significance on Jack Harrington. There were a few small write-ups on him. Mostly about him arriving in Elko as a visitor. The Elko Independent reported on the April 13, 1879 that he had been appointed as the road superintendent of the Jack Creek Road District. On July 10, 1881, he lost a horse and cow when one of his stables caught fire. On November 25, 1884, the Silver State reported that he received a horrible hand injury while extracting caps from spent cartridge shells. An explosion occurred because one of the shells was still live. From 1888 forward, his place at "Jack Creek" was listed as a polling place, with Harrington acting as a poll inspector. In late 1898, the Elko Independent reported that he was in poor health and finally had to be transported to Elko for hospitalization. I was unable to find further articles from that point forward.

Post Office: There was no post office here under the name of Jack Creek. The community had post offices under the following names. (Jackson): June 25, 1890 to March 10, 1891; (Anderson): April 2, 1900 to September 20, 1905.

Last Trip/ Road Conditions: Many times. Last trip was Aug/Sept 2022. The road north through Independence Valley is a very rural road, but it is paved. If you travel into the Independence Mountains to Jack Creek Summit, the road is dirt. It gets thin and bumpy. Definitely a truck road. I wouldn't take a sedan. I've never needed four-wheel drive over the summit though. This road was the old route east to Mountain City. I wouldn't try the summit in the winter unless you are very capable and have the right vehicle. It gets very snowy and icy up there. There are some cliff edges that you do NOT want to go over. We hunted up there in 2018. It was still early November. We woke up one morning to 6 degrees. Travel accordingly!

Sources: Nevada Place Names- A Geographical Dictionary (By: Helen S. Carlson); Nevada Post Offices- An Illustrated History (By: James Gamett & Stanley W. Paher); Old Heart of Nevada- Ghost Towns and Mining Camps of Elko County (By: Shawn Hall); Elko Independent (Newspaper); The Silver State (Newspaper).