Exceptional Small Towns: A Selection

This is the ninth article in a series of 12 from the book Exceptional Places. Many small towns in the small towns category are former mining towns, most of which were established in the late 1800s during the westward expansion of the United States. Their pedestrian-oriented street grids and Victorian architecture reflect the character of the built environment of that era.

Bisbee, Arizona

Bisbee was founded in 1880 to serve a copper, gold, and silver mining region. The Bisbee Historic District contains various building types, including commercial, civic, and residential buildings. The Bisbee Residential Historic District contains 578 contributing buildings. The district encompasses much of what is known as “Old Bisbee.” According to research cited by the NPS, there are at least thirteen neighborhoods within the district named for topographical features such as hills or canyons. Fewer than ten percent of the houses are architecturally styled, while ninety percent can be characterized as vernacular. It is hard to imagine a more interesting and engaging place to explore on foot than Bisbee’s old Main Street, locally known as Tombstone Canyon Road, and some of its side streets, particularly Brewery Avenue. And there are the many narrow, very interesting streets—Ok Street, Subway Street, and Ore Alley for example—that can fascinate curious explorers and occupy them for days. In total, there are 3.0 miles of “great streets.” While the city does not have an abundance of public spaces, two areas are strategically located, one near the museum in the middle of town and the other being the city park at the top of the hill, giving it an average score on that criterion.

Telluride, Colorado

Gold was discovered near Telluride in 1875, and the town grew quickly after that. After initially being named Columbia, the name was changed to Telluride, after the chemical element Tellurium (Te, atomic number 52). Gold telluride minerals are notable natural gold compounds. Telluride minerals were never found in the area, but nearby mines produced zinc, lead, copper, silver, and (non-tellurium) gold ores. Telluride’s setting is responsible for its modern popularity. It is situated in a box canyon and nearly surrounded by steep, forested mountains. Bridal Veil Falls is located at the end of the canyon. A gondola connects the town with Mountain Village, a town at the base of a popular ski area. The town’s elevation is 8,750 feet, and its population was 2,607 in 2020. The Telluride Historic District encompasses most of the town and covers an area of eighty acres. The area is a National Historic Landmark as well as a National Register District. West Colorado Avenue, the town’s main street, achieves great street status over a 0.2-mile core segment. A town park on the San Miguel River is within walking distance of the core area.

Wallace, Idaho

The town of Wallace is located in the Silver Valley mining district of the Idaho Panhandle. The original Wallace Historic District, created to thwart “death-by-interstate,” spanned the commercial core of the town. The district contained forty-two buildings, most of which were two-story structures. Its boundaries were expanded in 1983 from ten to approximately 110 acres encompassing 301 contributing structures. The expanded area included the entire commercial core and the surrounding historic neighborhoods. The period of significance is 1890 to 1933. The NF notes the town’s beautiful setting and the challenges presented by its topography as it was laid out, which sometimes involved terracing. Wallace’s population was estimated at 782 in 2019. Like many mining towns, Wallace had a colorful past, one that persisted to modern times. On the morning of June 23, 1991, an FBI force comprised of 150 agents from all over the West raided virtually every bar in Wallace and throughout Shoshone County. It was reportedly the largest law-enforcement raid ever conducted in the Rocky Mountain region. The major target of the raid was illegal gambling, but the operation also disrupted several brothels operating in the town. In an interview with the author, the owner of a historic hotel reported that tourism was now a major source of revenue for the town and that COVID had been a boon by freeing many office workers from their desks and allowing them to find interesting places like Wallace from which to work remotely.

Lead-Deadwood, South Dakota

Nestled in the Black Hills of western South Dakota near the Wyoming border, Lead and Deadwood are two historic towns located just over three miles apart. Together, they offer a richly varied experience for cultural tourists. Lead (pronounced LEED) possesses a serene historic character and is a hub for cutting-edge deep-earth scientific research. In contrast, Deadwood features a lively honky-tonk atmosphere with legalized gambling, attracting scores of visitors while maintaining a notable degree of historical authenticity. Despite its quieter ambiance, Lead is surprisingly more populous, with 2,982 residents recorded in the 2020 census, compared to 1,156 in bustling Deadwood, the county seat. Both towns have seen significant population declines since their heyday during the 1870s Gold Rush.

During their early years, the towns were notorious for lawlessness. It was in Deadwood that Wild Bill Hickok met his end at the hands of Crooked Nose Jack McCall. Hickok and his companion, Calamity Jane—who likely drank herself to death—are interred at Deadwood’s Mount Moriah Cemetery, a must-visit historic site. Other colorful figures associated with Deadwood include Deadwood Dick and Poker Alice. The Black Hills Gold Rush began in 1874 after Colonel George Armstrong Custer led an expedition into the area and announced the discovery of gold on French Creek. Though the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie had granted the land to the Lakota people, prospectors flooded into the region in violation of the agreement. Lead and Deadwood emerged as booming mining towns in 1875, their populations swelling to tens of thousands. Lead became home to the Homestake Mine, which, before its closure in 2002, was the largest, deepest (reaching 8,240 feet), and most productive gold mine in the Western Hemisphere.

Today, the town is the site of the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF), the nation’s deepest underground laboratory. Located within the former Homestake Mine, the facility spans 7,700 acres of underground space, as well as surface facilities. Researchers at SURF conduct cutting-edge experiments in dark matter, neutrino physics, and other fields that require shielding from cosmic rays. Deadwood lies in a steep, narrow valley at the convergence of U.S. Highways 85 and 14A, with its historic Main Street following the path of these highways for about a mile. The town’s elevation is 4,531 feet, slightly lower than Lead’s 5,214 feet. Despite its smaller population, Deadwood remains a vibrant tourist destination, blending modern attractions with its rich and often raucous past.

Virginia City, Nevada

Virginia City is located in mountainous terrain 26 miles south-southeast of Reno and 15 miles north-northeast of Carson City, the state capital. The Virginia City NHLD includes the towns of Virginia City, Gold Hill, Silver City, and Dayton and also encompasses a predominantly rural natural landscape with “countless cultural landscape features.” Virginia City’s fame is associated with the Comstock Lode. Soon after Mormon prospectors found gold in the area in 1850, the discovery of silver ore led to a series of “bonanzas.” The enormous productivity of the Comstock Lode led to Nevada becoming known as the "Silver State." Several notable writers were drawn to the Comstock bonanza, including Samuel Clemens, who adopted the name Mark Twain while there. Collectively they became the Sagebrush School of journalists and writers. The historic core of Virginia City extends for one mile along Nevada Highway 342, or C Street within the city limits. Of the 382 contributing buildings in the NHLD, 246 are in the historic core of Virginia City; and of the 315 non-contributing buildings, 174 are in the Virginia City core area.

Ely, Nevada

Ely is located in remote eastern Nevada near the center of the Great Basin, the largest area of internally draining watersheds (having no outlets to any sea) in North America. The town was founded as a stagecoach station along the Pony Express and Central Overland routes. It became a mining town in 1906 when copper was discovered. Ely's subsequent mining boom led to the establishment of the Nevada Northern Railway. The old railroad is now preserved as a heritage railway known as the Ghost Train of Old Ely. The Nevada Northern Railway East Ely Yards National Register District encompasses 39 contributing buildings and 75 additional contributing structures (out of 162 total structures). The historic railroad had a famous resident, Dirt the Cat (2008-2023), the Official Mascot of the Nevada Northern Railway, nicknamed "King of the Shop." Dirt became nationally famous and was written about in the Washington Post and other print media. He maintained a social media presence on platforms such as Facebook and YouTube. Dirt Junior is now on site to assume his duties. The historic Lincoln Highway, the first road across America, passes through Ely, entering from the north before continuing westward. The westward segment, now part of U.S. Route 50, is famously known as "The Loneliest Road in America." Of the many interesting destinations near Ely, the future site of The Clock of the Long Now (also known as the 10,000-year clock) may be the most intriguing. The mechanical clock under construction in 2024 is designed to keep time for 10,000 years. It is funded by Bezos Expeditions. The Long Now Foundation has purchased the top of Mount Washington (elevation 11,658) near Ely for its permanent installation. The site's natural features are expected to protect it from corrosion, vandalism, and other threats. The clock will be mostly underground, accessible on foot from a single entrance.

Calumet, Michigan

Calumet is located on Lake Superior in the far north of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. When it was first settled in 1864 it was named "Red Jacket" for the Chief of the Seneca people. The Calumet Historic District is a National Historic Landmark District that encompasses most of the village. The Landmark District recognizes the historical significance of the region's copper mining industry as well as the cultural legacy of the area. The Landmark District includes the Calumet Downtown Historic District and the Calumet and Hecla Industrial District, located west of Calumet Street. Downtown Calumet retains much of its historical ambiance. The entire downtown area is also included within the boundaries of Keweenaw National Historical Park. During its heyday from 1872 to 1920, around four hundred copper mining companies were operating in the Calumet area. Two principal streets traverse the historic core, 5^th and 6^th streets, and each has several blocks of historic character that rise to a great street status totaling 0.4 miles. The starkness of the streets in some ways only enhances its attraction to the exploring pedestrian, particularly one interested in the town’s socioeconomic history. The core lacks public spaces, but there are many recreational opportunities available along the shore of nearby Lake Superior.

Skagway, Alaska

Skagway is a small town in the Alaskan Panhandle. It is a popular destination hosting over a million visitors per year, most of whom arrive by cruise ship. The White Pass and Yukon Route narrow gauge railroad is one of many tourist attractions associated with the area’s mining history. Many visitors travel from Skagway to the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park and the White Pass and Chilkoot Trails. The Skagway Historic District and White Pass together are a National Historic Landmark District with a history dating to the Klondike Gold Rush. The town’s NHLD includes the entire town grid dating to 1897, a twenty-three-block-long area. The 2020 population of 1,240 does not include the many workers who live there part-time during the summer, most of whom work in the tourism industry. The area of the entire historic district is 3,140 acres. The town is a small portion, extending only two blocks to either side of State Street, the 23-block-long principal corridor through town. Broadway is the principal commercial street and offers an engaging pedestrian experience over 12 compact blocks, a distance of a quarter mile.

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia

Harpers Ferry, West Virginia is situated at the confluence of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers 64 miles northwest of Washington, DC. The borders of West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland meet near the town. The Appalachian National Scenic Trail passes through it. The United States Board on Geographic Names adopted a spelling without an apostrophe in the 1890s. In 1783 Thomas Jefferson visited Harpers Ferry while traveling to Philadelphia and wrote about it his “Notes on the State of Virginia.” He described the site "perhaps one of the most stupendous scenes in nature … worth a voyage across the Atlantic." Harpers Ferry witnessed many notable events, including the first successful application of interchangeable parts manufacturing (the standardization of parts), the arrival of the first successful American railroad, John Brown's attack on slavery, the largest surrender of Federal troops during the Civil War, and the education of former slaves in one of the earliest integrated schools in the United States. Harriet Tubman, the Underground Railroad's most famous conductor, risked her life repeatedly to guide nearly 70 enslaved people through Harpers Ferry to freedom in the North. The Harpers Ferry National Historical Park contains important features of the historic town of Harpers Ferry and its environment.

Marfa, Texas

Marfa was founded in the early 1880s as a railroad water stop. It was named after Marfa Strogoff, a character in the Jules Verne novel Michael Strogoff. The city is located in the wide-open spaces of West Texas, an area of diverse topography with prairies, mountains, deserts, and river floodplains. Elevations in the area vary from 2,500 feet to over 7,700. Marfa has become a cultural tourism destination, known in particular as a major center for minimalist art. Additionally, some visitors come to witness a natural phenomenon known as the Marfa lights. While Marfa acquired attention as a setting for films such as Giant, its career as a center of the arts began in 1971 with the arrival of Donald Judd (1928-1994), by then a renowned New York modern artist and sculptor. Judd had traveled through the area at the age of 18 while in the Army and was intrigued by the open spaces and unfiltered sunlight. Numerous other accomplished artists followed him to the area. Marfa Myths is an annual multidisciplinary cultural program and music festival founded in 2014 by the nonprofit contemporary arts foundation Ballroom Marfa and the Brooklyn-based music label Mexican Summer. The festival brings together emerging and established artists and musicians to work collaboratively across creative genres. As with so many places that draw and inspire artists, elements of the natural environment and cultural history are fundamental. Another local attraction is the city’s Marfa Lights Festival, which celebrates the strange, unexplained lights visible to the southwest of the city on clear nights. The lights move about, split apart, rejoin, disappear, and reappear.

Tryon, North Carolina

Tryon was named for the colonial Governor William Tryon, who negotiated a treaty with the Cherokee following the French and Indian War—soon afterward violated by white settlers. A century later, the railroad provided reliable transportation from the port of Charleston to Tryon and other mountain towns of North Carolina as well as Tennessee. The famous Saluda Grade, the steepest mainline railroad grade in the country for a time, was where the railroad ascended the Blue Ridge Mountains. Oak Hall, built in 1881 and originally named Tryon Hotel, was the site of many notable visitors, including Henry Ford and Thomas Edison. Notable people from Tryon include the poet Sidney Lanier, the novelist Mary Alice Monroe, and the singer Nina Simone. Tryon has long been a destination for writers and artists and the creative tourists who explore their haunts.

The writer Erik Bundy (who also writes under the pen name E. A. Riviere) offers this description of the town: “If Tryon were a woman, she would be small in stature, her hair white, her manner casual and welcoming. Her tattoos are hidden but you know they are there. She used to walk about with a pet squirrel tucked in the pocket of her artist’s smock and still mourns it. She will serve you Sumatra coffee and real French croissants and tell you tales of the creators who came to her idyllic surroundings in the mountains of western North Carolina.”

The next article in this series will look at planned and utopian communities.

Notes

Quotes are from the Nomination Forms for NHLD or NRD designations. See Exceptional Places for full profiles.

Thomas D. Wilson, M.S., AICP is a city planner and writer. This article is derived from his forthcoming book, Exceptional Places: A Comparative Field Guide to Iconic and Extraordinary Historic Districts. He is the author of The Oglethorpe Plan: Enlightenment Design in Savannah and Beyond (University of Virginia Press, 2012); The Ashley Cooper Plan: The Founding of Carolina and the Origins of Southern Political Culture (University of North Carolina Press, 2016); Charleston and Savannah: The Rise, Fall, and Reinvention of Rival Cities (University of Georgia Press, 2023); The Library of James Edward Oglethorpe (KDP, 2021); James Edward Oglethorpe: A Life in the Enlightenment (Ingram, 2023).