Historical Walking Tour

of Mesquite, Nevada

Follow the historical points of the map below to take the virtual tour.

Virgin Valley Fire Station

In the mid-1950's the Town of Mesquite bought this piece of land, and with the donated carpenter labor of Frank Lowe built the first fire house in Mesquite. The main volunteer firemen at the time were J.L. Bowler, Archie Hughes, Esmond Hughes, and Sylvan Hughes.

Egg House and Telephone Building

The Egg Association (1929-1938) originally built this small, two story house to store and candle (check for freshness and quality) local eggs. In the 1940's, the Rio Virgin Telephone company moved it's office here and installed a 40 line switchboard.

Abbott Way Station

Now home to the Mesquite Fine Arts Center, this location was once owned by David and Emma Abbott. The Abbotts had a house here, where they also operated a small grocery store, a campground for travelers, an outdoor laundry and shower facility, and a stable to feed and water horses.

First Chapel School

In 1899, a school house was built on this location made from rough cut lumber from the blackrock mountain sawmill. The construction was a community effort. The finished building became a school, a dancehall, a church, and a place for social gatherings. The building was lit at night by kerosene lamps and the floor was waxed with candle shavings.

Elward Theatre

In 1934, an adobe building was built at this location for the purpose of a movie theatre. Elward Theatre was named by combining the names of the original owners, Elmer Hughes and Howard Pulsipher. Admission, often paid in produce was fifteen cents and twenty-five cents. The Elward was closed in 1960 and torn down in 1986.

The Relief Society Building

Around 1935, this building was built for the LDS Relief Society. In one back room they built a font where many members of the church were baptized. The building was used for meetings, service projects, quilting bees, and even as a schoolroom at one time. In 1950 it was sold as a private residence and recently purchased by the city of Mesquite. In January, 2022, the Relief Society House was moved across the street in order to preserve this historical structure.

Block School

In 1923 a block school was built on the property and was also rented by the church. The blocks were made from lots of gravel and a little cement. The gravel came from a gravel bed on the far side of the river behind the Abbott Hotel.

Old Gymnasium

School District One added the gymnasium in 1939. The school building had an auditorium, a library and classrooms for grades three through six. The gymnasium was built in the Italian Renaissance Revival style, and is representative of the historic context “Schoolhouse Architecture in Southern Nevada’s Fifth Supervision District, 1870 to 1942.”

John David Pulsipher Home

In 1901, J.D. Pulsipher built a home at this location. The home was a large room 14 x 16 feet with three foot thick walls. Made from lumber hauled by John David from Mt. Trumbull in Arizona, the roof was extended 10 feet on both sides of the room to form two full-length porches. In the 1950's the house was sold and razed for a new home.

Edgar and Bertha Leavitt Home

In 1901 newlyweds Edgar and Bertha moved into a one room house that had a shed for a kitchen on this property. Their first three children were born in the one room. Edgar worked in Hancock Canyon and hauled lumber from there to build on to the house. They were living in the brick portion by 1911.

Open Air Dance Hall and Garage

In the early 1920's, the main thoroughfare between Bunkerville and St. George passed by this location. In 1922, Jack and Alf Hardy built a garage with an open air dance hall above the garage. The space was used for roller skating and dancing by everyone in the community. It was a local tradition to play "Good Night Ladies" at closing time.

Abram Woodbury Home

In 1919, Abram Woodbury built an adobe brick home here. Abram owned a general store and one of the first gas stations in Mesquite. Abram also opened a mercantile store and built some overnight cabins that he rented to tourists.

Ervin Jones House

The original part of this building was erected circa 1932 by Deloy Abbott, and sold to Ervin “Casey” and Rokah Jones in 1941. They later built an addition, giving them a kitchen, front room, bath and two bedrooms. They raised their three sons and lived there until the elder Jones passed away.

William Abbott Home and Hotel

William Abbott secured 13,000 feet of lumber to build the house as pay for hauling logs to a sawmill. The two-story house was built circa 1901, with walls three adobe deep and there were two walls with a walkway in between. Abbott took a few travelers into his home and it became known as the Abbott Hotel.

Vonda’s Café

This location was originally the home of John and Lucy Huntsman, who built an adobe home here circa 1900. In the 1930’s Joe and Vonda Wilson built this café. Vonda’s Café had the first slot machines in the Virgin Valley and was the only café in Mesquite for several years. It was a favorite gathering place for young and old alike.

Granger Auto Court

In 1923 the Steeple Church property was purchased by Clara Granger. The church was razed and the wood was used to build the Granger Auto Court. The court had ten cabins with covered carports between them. A garage was built on the northwest corner of the lot and a gas station was built between the cabins and the garage.

Dairy Barn

Built in the early 1920's, this was the first commercial dairy operation in Mesquite and used by over twenty families in the community. According to a schedule, each dairyman would drive his cows and milk them. The milk was stored in individually marked cans and cooled in a water tank in the barn. The milk was sold in Las Vegas.

Walter Hughes Home

Circa 1900, Walter Hughes built a house on the Northwest corner of the block. He grew a large garden in the back and the house stood until 1972. Abram Woodbury and James Hughes Sr also built early homes on the block.