Heritage on Display

by Errol Porter
Heritage on Display

When the White Pine Public Museum first began to operate, all the exhibits were on loan or donated through the generosity of locals. Much of the same spirit exists today, with the familes of White Pine wishing for their legacies not to be forgotten. Many of the Museum’s artifacts have found a home this way. Donations are accepted, housed, and preserved for visitors to discover the impact and heritage of each individual piece.

For example, the Sunny Martin Ranching & Agricultural Heritage Cabin embodies this exact ethos. The restored cabin features mailbags, saddles and branding irons from multiple local ranches that date back to the county’s earliest days. Or look back even further to some of the first native inhabitants of the Great Basin, the Shoshone. Again, what you’ll find on display is only made possible through the knowledge and personal collaboration of our local tribe.

But the White Pine Public Museum, like all other White Pine County attractions, doesn’t just tell you the story – it invites you to experience it. Fully renovated buildings act as exhibits and allow visitors to immediately step back to bygone periods. One such exhibit is the Cherry Creek Depot. Moved directly from the town of Cherry Creek to the Museum in the fall of 1990, it was local elementary school students who proudly raised $11,000 to help fund the transfer. The building, now over 100-years-old, allows visitors to view the waiting room, ticket booth, and living quarters, all of which are outfitted with vintage affects.

What may be considered the Museum’s ultimate walkable display, however, is that which stands only a short northbound drive from Ely on Highway 93 in the town of McGill.

The McGill Historical Drugstore Museum is essentially a large time capsule with products still on the shelves that date back to the 1950s. Records still exist of every client the drugstore had, and the building itself is a dedicated preservation site with free admission. The Drugstore succeeds in functioning as a “satellite museum” with regular hours: 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Thursdays to Sundays.

The Cave Bear

One of the most impressive displays stands roughly 6’ tall in a corner of the White Pine Public Museum: the most complete fossilized skeleton ever found of a giant short-faced bear – the largest North American meat-eater of the Ice Age.

The short-faced bear – also referred to as the cave bear – was bigger than a modern-day polar bear. It roamed the entire continent approximately 2.5 million to 11,000 years ago when America was covered in glaciers. Fossil samples have been found from Alaska to Florida, but the most complete fossil from a single animal was found in White Pine County.

In 1982, a local cave-exploring club got curious about a small stream trickling from a mountain face. Once inside the small opening, they found a cavern stretching further into the mountain with a pond at the end. The pond was littered with bones, including those of the cave bear which now reside at the White Pine Public Museum.

Whether it’s viewing a vintage jail cell from the old Ely City Jail, examining the original one-room schoolhouse from Baker, or observing a historic bell from the ghost town of Hamilton, the White Pine Public Museum is a primary spot for the county’s history. Located at 2000 Aultman St. in Ely, the Museum is open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Admission is $7.00 per person.

This year, 2025, marks the White Pine Public Museum‘s 65th Anniversary! Celebrate by visiting the museum, checking out the curated exhibits, and becoming a Cave Bear Club member today!