Elgin Schoolhouse: A Bonus at the End of the Rainbow

In this installment of ‘History Off the Beaten Path,’ Rainbow Canyon Scenic Drive in southeastern Nevada leads to a historic schoolhouse and a train track.

The historic Elgin schoolhouse near Nevada's Rainbow Canyon is an out-of-the-way foray into 19th and early 20th-century life in the desert state. Deena Bouknight

From the late 1800s until around the mid-1900s, Union Pacific Railroad was the lifeblood to highly remote regions in Utah and Nevada. A popular freight and passenger route, it ran from Salt Lake City, through Las Vegas and ended up in Los Angeles.

On the way, it passed countless miles of unpopulated, ruggedly beautiful territory. As 1900 approached, an increasing number of people decided to try farming, ranching, and mining in southeastern Nevada. Small homesteads and communities sprang up near the railroad tracks. 

While many 20th-century pioneers homeschooled their children, the need for a schoolhouse and full-time, live-in teachers became evident as the number of homesteading families grew.