Ghost Towning in Jarbidge
(LAKE TAHOE, Nevada) Visiting the historic Old West is more than just a hobby, it's becoming a travel trend as tourists spend their vacations ghost towning.
Although some ghost towns consist of dusty ruins and crumbling foundations located in far remote areas only accessible by four-wheel drive, many others are off major highways and boast small year-round populations while offering unique museums, restaurants, shops and activities for all ages.
Just six miles from the Idaho state border (near Murphy's Hot Springs) in Northern Elko County, Nevada, Jarbidge offers a break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life with its historical setting, colorful local characters and wide variety of recreational activities. This mountain ghost town may be best known as the home of the last horse-drawn stagecoach robbery in the West, which took place in December 1916. Jarbidge, however, got its start in 1909 with the discovery of gold and a boom that lasted until the mid-1930s. It is estimated that the total production from the Jarbidge Canyon mines was three million ounces worth more than $1.28 billion at today1s prices. During this heyday, the town supported a population of more than 1,000. Ghost towning travelers can see reminders of the Old West with Jarbidge1s century-old boarding houses, cabins, jailhouse, saloons, stables and cemetery.
The Tsawhawbitts Lodge (pronounced Cha-ha-bich), a riverfront bed and breakfast estate, is one of the area's centerpieces. The property was originally the private hunting retreat of New York publisher Roscoe Fawcett who owned Whiz Comics, which featured many well-known characters including Captain Marvel, Lash LaRue and Hopalong Cassidy. Fawcett also published Woman's Day and other magazines.
Today, Tsawhawbitts Lodge, located on more than two acres of fully landscaped riverfront property, boasts approximately 7,500-square feet of living area in three structures - a seven-bedroom log house, a guest house with garage and shop, and a party house with full kitchen, bar and barbeque patio. Unlike other ghost towns, visitors here can fly into a nearby grass strip with tie downs, but local residents warn to watch out for deer and elk on the grass-covered runway.
Although the estate is run much of the year as a bed and breakfast, it has the potential to become a year round destination and recreation outpost or a secluded, yet accessible personal getaway. Tsawhawbitts Lodge is currently on the market, listed for $1 million, with Eric Thaden of Chase International Distinctive Properties.
In addition to ghost towning, visitors to Jarbidge come for the exceptional upland bird, elk, deer and antelope hunting. This paradise also offers kayaking, trout fishing, horseback riding, backcountry skiing and snowmobiling in the more than 100,000 acres making up the adjacent Jarbidge Wilderness Area. Hiking and backpacking enthusiasts enjoy the area's 600 different kinds of wildflowers and nearby mountains with peaks towering 10,500 feet in height. According to the United States Forest Service, Jarbidge is one of the few places in the lower 48 states where you can breathe class one pristine air, pure clean air without particulate matter or pollution. The area's hometown Fourth of July Parade with its antique cars and the region's gold panning opportunities are other reasons to visit while journeying back to a simpler time and way of life.
Headquartered in Lake Tahoe, Nevada since 1986, with four offices in the region and one in London, Chase International and its exclusive affiliations handle a large share of the world's most desirable property, servicing prestigious clientele including nobility, corporate heads, entertainers and dignitaries worldwide. For more information about Tsawhawbitts Lodge, contact Eric Thaden at 1-800-322-6130 or click to www.chaseinternational.com.