Dang, we've got a nice magazine these days, a super recruitment tool among other things IMO. Really was impressed by the Wells article, very well done, thanks to the Kaplans for the contribution. I feel like calling in sick Friday and heading down there again for the weekend. As you can see from this photo from 4/03 the San Marin Hotel still seems to be the center attraction on Front St. in Wells!

Was kind of confused about some of the Kaplan's descriptions until I realized that Front St. is apparently now 6th St. in Wells and that my recollection of which side of the street I had parked was off. So now here is the frostproof San Marin Hotel from 1899 and in front of my car is the Wells Bowl where the clock is right twice a day. I saw the pic in the mag of Johnny's Club and when I pulled up this photo, there it is right next to the San Marin. Next building left is the old Quilici Mercantile/Reno Club as it appears today and the next two story building is the Nevada Hotel which stopped hotelin' in 1920 so's you can imagine why the sign ain't so fresh. Under the stucco of the last building on the left was the Mint Club. Parking was easier that day on Front St. and ghosts don't leave any tracks in the snow. I had the place to myself. There were some walking tour signs but they really didn't paint the picture the way the magazine article did.

The first time I passed through Wells was late '90's sometime. I had delivered a tankload of caustic soda to a mine up in dinosaur country where Utah, Wyoming and Colorado all butt up to one another. Picked up a clean trailer at the terminal in SLC and headed up to the big Simplot plant out of Pocatello for a load of phosporic acid bound for the bay area. I ran out of driving hours approaching Wells after dropping down south through Twin Falls and Jackpot (Norm Crosby was playing at Cactus Pete's). I had a Mack tractor configured as a "day cab", meaning no sleeper compartment. (Well, I was a local driver so I only went around town or maybe Calgary or Flagstaff or Denver etc. and didn't need a sleeper per the company!) Trying to find a motel for the night I passed a sign advising Truck Parking! at some place called The Hacienda. Uh, I'd been to NV. before and didn't figure you'd get much sleep at that place. Found the Motel 6 but it was so blinking dark in the neighborhood I didn't feel like cruising around looking for a place to dump the rig. Across the interstate and into the ubiquitous Flying J for the night. By carefull arrangment of my lunch cooler, duffel and a couple of blankies, I could fashion a passable bed across the seats, strickly against Federal Regs but hey, I was tired! Turns out they had chips there at the truck stop in those days but I didn't know how to conduct myself at gaming tables yet and so this place ends up up on the list of places I should have grabbed chips before their time passed. Awake the next morning, down to our fuel stop at Sierra Sid's in Reno (more bygone chips missed ) and the grueling 34 mile downhill from Donner Pass to where ever the heck I was going on the SF peninsula.

Glad to return to Wells because it had stuck in my memory for some reason. Got plenty of friendly folks there these days to keep the ghosts company and I had a good time poking around the place in 2003. Didn't realize I was standing in front of Trail 40 while I was checking out the El Rancho. China Town Casino has a motel attached, both closed and empty and the Ranch House looks pretty good for being defunct. Check out http://www.wellsnevada.com/ for a nifty website and town history. I am having some problems getting back into the site so good luck. Next time you head out Nevada way for a show or something, consider driving around the state and visiting Wells or Ely or Searchlight and putting some memories with your chips, sure makes my collection a bit more exciting.