Searchlight, Nevada: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description| Unincorporated town in the State of Nevada, United States}} | {{Short description| Unincorporated town in the State of Nevada, United States}} | ||
{{Use American English|date=July 2025}} | |||
{{use mdy dates|date=October 2022}} | {{use mdy dates|date=October 2022}} | ||
{{Infobox settlement | {{Infobox settlement | ||
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| pushpin_map_caption = Location within the [[United States]] | | pushpin_map_caption = Location within the [[United States]] | ||
| pushpin_relief = yes | | pushpin_relief = yes | ||
| pushpin_label = Searchlight | |||
| established_title = Founded | | established_title = Founded | ||
| established_date = {{Start date and age|1897|5|6}} | | established_date = {{Start date and age|1897|5|6}} | ||
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<!-- Area/postal codes & others -------->| postal_code_type = [[ZIP code]]s | <!-- Area/postal codes & others -------->| postal_code_type = [[ZIP code]]s | ||
| postal_code = 89039, 89046 | | postal_code = 89039, 89046 | ||
| | | area_codes = [[Area codes 702 and 775|702 and 775]] | ||
| blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]] | | blank_name = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]] | ||
| blank_info = 32-65600 | | blank_info = 32-65600 | ||
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==History== | ==History== | ||
[[File:Nevada - Searchlight - NARA - 23942395 (cropped).jpg|thumb | [[File:Nevada - Searchlight - NARA - 23942395 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Searchlight in 1923]] | ||
According to [[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]] [[Harry Reid]] (1939–2021), who wrote extensively about his hometown, the most likely story as to how the town received its name was that when George Frederick Colton was looking for [[gold]] in the area on May 6, 1897, he supposedly said that it would take a [[searchlight]] to find gold ore there.{{Citation needed|date=October 2010}} Shortly thereafter, he found gold, leading to a boom era when Searchlight had a larger population than Las Vegas. At the time, it was in [[Lincoln County, Nevada]]. As talk surfaced for carving [[Clark County, Nevada]] out of Lincoln County, Searchlight was initially considered to be the county seat.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bartlett Pesek |first=Margo |date=April 29, 2012 |title=Former boomtown Searchlight rich with history |work=[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]] |url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/entertainment-columns/trip-of-the-week/former-boomtown-searchlight-rich-with-history/}}</ref> Between 1907 and 1910, the gold mines produced $7 million in gold and other precious minerals, and the town had a population of about 1,500. The ore was shipped to [[Barnwell, California|Barnwell]] via the [[Barnwell and Searchlight Railway]]. | According to [[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]] [[Harry Reid]] (1939–2021), who wrote extensively about his hometown, the most likely story as to how the town received its name was that when George Frederick Colton was looking for [[gold]] in the area on May 6, 1897, he supposedly said that it would take a [[searchlight]] to find gold ore there.{{Citation needed|date=October 2010}} Shortly thereafter, he found gold, leading to a boom era when Searchlight had a larger population than [[Las Vegas]]. At the time, it was in [[Lincoln County, Nevada]]. As talk surfaced for carving [[Clark County, Nevada]] out of Lincoln County, Searchlight was initially considered to be the county seat.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Bartlett Pesek |first=Margo |date=April 29, 2012 |title=Former boomtown Searchlight rich with history |work=[[Las Vegas Review-Journal]] |url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/entertainment-columns/trip-of-the-week/former-boomtown-searchlight-rich-with-history/}}</ref> Between 1907 and 1910, the gold mines produced $7 million in gold and other precious minerals, and the town had a population of about 1,500. The ore was shipped to [[Barnwell, California|Barnwell]] via the [[Barnwell and Searchlight Railway]]. | ||
Other stories on the origin of the name include a story that Colton was lighting a Searchlight brand [[match]] when he discovered the gold ore. Reid dismissed this story, saying that the Searchlight matches were not available in 1898. Yet another story says that Colton thought the area would be a good place because it was on a hill. His mine was called the [[Duplex (building)|Duplex]], because the gold ore was found on two levels.<ref>[http://www.1st100.com/part1/colton.html "Harry Colton"], ''1st100''<br>- {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P0_MfeTTpVUC&dq=Searchlight+matches&pg=PA17 |title=Searchlight: The Camp That Didn't Fail|author=Harry Rei|publisher=University of Nevada Press |date=January 1998|isbn=0-87417-310-8 |via=Google Books}}</ref> | Other stories on the origin of the name include a story that Colton was lighting a Searchlight brand [[match]] when he discovered the gold ore. Reid dismissed this story, saying that the Searchlight matches were not available in 1898. Yet another story says that Colton thought the area would be a good place because it was on a hill. His mine was called the [[Duplex (building)|Duplex]], because the gold ore was found on two levels.<ref>[http://www.1st100.com/part1/colton.html "Harry Colton"], ''1st100''<br>- {{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P0_MfeTTpVUC&dq=Searchlight+matches&pg=PA17 |title=Searchlight: The Camp That Didn't Fail|author=Harry Rei|publisher=University of Nevada Press |date=January 1998|isbn=0-87417-310-8 |via=Google Books}}</ref> | ||
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The [[median household income]] was $24,407 and the median family income was $29,323. Males had a median income of $26,563 and females $27,868. The [[per capita income]] was $19,606. None of the household families were living below the [[poverty line]], with just 14.6% of the population comprising that, including no one under age 18 and none of those over 64. | The [[median household income]] was $24,407 and the median family income was $29,323. Males had a median income of $26,563 and females $27,868. The [[per capita income]] was $19,606. None of the household families were living below the [[poverty line]], with just 14.6% of the population comprising that, including no one under age 18 and none of those over 64. | ||
[[File:Walking Box Ranch, Cattle Loading Gate - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Cattle Loading Gate at Walking Box Ranch near Searchlight]] | |||
==Education== | ==Education== | ||
Public education in Searchlight is administered by [[Clark County School District]]. The district operates Reid Elementary School (K–5) in Searchlight.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ccsd.net/schools/zoning/maps/esSE.pdf |title=Elementary School - Southeastern Attendance Boundaries|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930225330/http://ccsd.net/schools/zoning/maps/esSE.pdf |archivedate=2011-09-30|publisher=[[Clark County School District]]|accessdate=September 28, 2008}}</ref> | Public education in Searchlight is administered by [[Clark County School District]]. The district operates Reid Elementary School (K–5) in Searchlight.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ccsd.net/schools/zoning/maps/esSE.pdf |title=Elementary School - Southeastern Attendance Boundaries|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930225330/http://ccsd.net/schools/zoning/maps/esSE.pdf |archivedate=2011-09-30|publisher=[[Clark County School District]]|accessdate=September 28, 2008}}</ref> | ||
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==Transportation== | ==Transportation== | ||
===Public transport=== | ===Public transport=== | ||
The [[Silver Rider Transit]] operates express buses between [[Laughlin, Nevada|Laughlin]], Searchlight and [[Las Vegas]].<ref>{{Cite web| title = Schedule| publisher = South Nevada Transit Coalition| accessdate = 2021-02-06| url = http://www.sntc.net/schedule/}}</ref> Private shuttle companies connect Searchlight with [[Harry Reid International Airport]] in Las Vegas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tristateairportshuttle.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090513033150/http://www.tristateairportshuttle.com/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=May 13, 2009|title=Tri State Shuttle|website=www.tristateairportshuttle.com|access-date=1 April 2018}}<br>- {{Cite web| title = Pickup & Drop-off Locations |publisher= VegasAirporter| accessdate = 2021-02-06| url = https://vegasairporter.com/locations/}}</ref> | The [[Silver Rider Transit]] operates express buses between [[Laughlin, Nevada|Laughlin]], Searchlight and [[Las Vegas]].<ref>{{Cite web| title = Schedule| publisher = South Nevada Transit Coalition| accessdate = 2021-02-06| url = http://www.sntc.net/schedule/}}</ref> Private shuttle companies connect Searchlight with [[Harry Reid International Airport]] in Las Vegas.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tristateairportshuttle.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090513033150/http://www.tristateairportshuttle.com/|url-status=usurped|archive-date=May 13, 2009|title=Tri State Shuttle|website=www.tristateairportshuttle.com|access-date=1 April 2018}}<br>- {{Cite web| title = Pickup & Drop-off Locations| publisher = VegasAirporter| accessdate = 2021-02-06| url = https://vegasairporter.com/locations/| archive-date = May 17, 2025| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20250517183532/https://vegasairporter.com/locations/| url-status = dead}}</ref> | ||
===Highways=== | ===Highways=== | ||
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==Notable people== | ==Notable people== | ||
[[File:Headstone of U.S. Senator Harry Reid, Searchlight, Nevada.jpg|thumb|Headstone of U.S. Senator Harry Reid, Searchlight cemetery]] | |||
* [[Rex Bell]], westerns actor and politician. Owned the [[Walking Box Ranch]] with his wife [[Clara Bow]]. The ranch was a popular destination for Hollywood actors.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scavone |first=Jason |date=November 23, 2021 |title=Artifacts From the Past: Walking Box Ranch |url=https://www.unlv.edu/news/article/artifacts-past-walking-box-ranch |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602185816/https://www.unlv.edu/news/article/artifacts-past-walking-box-ranch |archive-date=June 2, 2023 |access-date=July 30, 2023 |website=[[University of Nevada, Las Vegas]]}}</ref> | * [[Rex Bell]], westerns actor and politician. Owned the [[Walking Box Ranch]] with his wife [[Clara Bow]]. The ranch was a popular destination for Hollywood actors.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Scavone |first=Jason |date=November 23, 2021 |title=Artifacts From the Past: Walking Box Ranch |url=https://www.unlv.edu/news/article/artifacts-past-walking-box-ranch |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602185816/https://www.unlv.edu/news/article/artifacts-past-walking-box-ranch |archive-date=June 2, 2023 |access-date=July 30, 2023 |website=[[University of Nevada, Las Vegas]]}}</ref> | ||
* [[Edith Head]], costume designer who won more Oscars than any other woman.<ref>{{cite news |author=Duka |first=John |date=October 27, 1981 |title=Edith Head, Fashion Designer for the Movies, Dies |page=D07 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/10/27/obituaries/edith-head-fashion-designer-for-the-movies-dies.html |quote=Miss Head, was born in San Bernardino, Calif., and was raised in the mining town of Searchlight, Nev. She began her professional career not as a designer but as a teacher. |via=}}</ref> | * [[Edith Head]], costume designer who won more Oscars than any other woman.<ref>{{cite news |author=Duka |first=John |date=October 27, 1981 |title=Edith Head, Fashion Designer for the Movies, Dies |page=D07 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/10/27/obituaries/edith-head-fashion-designer-for-the-movies-dies.html |quote=Miss Head, was born in San Bernardino, Calif., and was raised in the mining town of Searchlight, Nev. She began her professional career not as a designer but as a teacher. |via=}}</ref> | ||
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==In popular culture== | ==In popular culture== | ||
In 1907, the "[[Searchlight Rag]]" by [[Scott Joplin]] was published. In the early 1890s, Joplin's friends, the brothers Tom and Charles Turpin, had been prospecting in the Searchlight area. Their frequent stories of this experience, recounted to the patrons of their bar, inspired the title of the rag.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.perfessorbill.com/pbmidi15a.shtml |title=Perfessor Bill Edwards - Scott Joplin Compositions (1906-1917) |access-date=2009-10-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091026144447/http://www.perfessorbill.com/pbmidi15a.shtml |archive-date=2009-10-26 }}</ref> | In 1907, the "[[Searchlight Rag]]" by [[Scott Joplin]] was published. In the early 1890s, Joplin's friends, the brothers Tom and Charles Turpin, had been prospecting in the Searchlight area. Their frequent stories of this experience, recounted to the patrons of their bar, inspired the title of the rag.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.perfessorbill.com/pbmidi15a.shtml |title=Perfessor Bill Edwards - Scott Joplin Compositions (1906-1917) |access-date=2009-10-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091026144447/http://www.perfessorbill.com/pbmidi15a.shtml |archive-date=2009-10-26 }}</ref> | ||
Searchlight appears as a location in ''[[Fallout New Vegas]]'', appearing as an outpost that becomes irradiated following a nuclear war.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://gamerant.com/fallout-new-vegas-searchlight-recreation-far-cry-5/|title=Fallout: New Vegas Fan Recreates Searchlight in Far Cry 5|last=Enerio|first=Dane|date=April 24, 2024|access-date=June 9, 2025|website=gamerant.com|publisher=[[Valnet]]}}</ref> | |||
==See also== | ==See also== | ||
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{{Commons category|Searchlight, Nevada}} | {{Commons category|Searchlight, Nevada}} | ||
{{Wikivoyage|Searchlight}} | {{Wikivoyage|Searchlight}} | ||
*[https://westernmininghistory.com/towns/nevada/searchlight/ Mining history of Searchlight], includes historic photos. Accessed 8/1/2025 | |||
* [http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/administrative-services/town-liaison/Pages/Searchlight%20Town%20Advisory%20Board.aspx Searchlight Town Advisory Board] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180112160545/http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/administrative-services/town-liaison/Pages/Searchlight%20Town%20Advisory%20Board.aspx |date=January 12, 2018 }} | * [http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/administrative-services/town-liaison/Pages/Searchlight%20Town%20Advisory%20Board.aspx Searchlight Town Advisory Board] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180112160545/http://www.clarkcountynv.gov/administrative-services/town-liaison/Pages/Searchlight%20Town%20Advisory%20Board.aspx |date=January 12, 2018 }} | ||
Latest revision as of 01:51, 27 August 2025
Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Main otherScript error: No such module "Infobox".Template:Template otherScript error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Script error: No such module "Check for clobbered parameters".Template:Main other Searchlight is an unincorporated town[1] and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States, at the topographic saddle between two mountain ranges. At the 2020 census it had a population of 445.[2]
History
.jpg){kind=link}
According to U.S. Senator Harry Reid (1939–2021), who wrote extensively about his hometown, the most likely story as to how the town received its name was that when George Frederick Colton was looking for gold in the area on May 6, 1897, he supposedly said that it would take a searchlight to find gold ore there.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Shortly thereafter, he found gold, leading to a boom era when Searchlight had a larger population than Las Vegas. At the time, it was in Lincoln County, Nevada. As talk surfaced for carving Clark County, Nevada out of Lincoln County, Searchlight was initially considered to be the county seat.[3] Between 1907 and 1910, the gold mines produced $7 million in gold and other precious minerals, and the town had a population of about 1,500. The ore was shipped to Barnwell via the Barnwell and Searchlight Railway.
Other stories on the origin of the name include a story that Colton was lighting a Searchlight brand match when he discovered the gold ore. Reid dismissed this story, saying that the Searchlight matches were not available in 1898. Yet another story says that Colton thought the area would be a good place because it was on a hill. His mine was called the Duplex, because the gold ore was found on two levels.[4]
Searchlight declined after 1917 but remained as a stop on the Arrowhead Highway. In 1927, U.S. Route 91 bypassed the town and its population dropped to 50.
The town had a resurgence in the 1930s and 1940s with the construction of the nearby Hoover Dam and was the site of the El Rey Bordello in the 1940s and early 1950s until the bordello burned down. The last gold mine ceased operating around 1953.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Geography
Climate
The city experiences a desert climate (Köppen: BWh) with hot summers and cool winters, but it is not uncommon to see temperatures below freezing.[5] Searchlight's elevation makes temperatures somewhat cooler than lower-elevation areas in the Mojave Desert, such as Baker, California; Needles, California; and Fort Mohave, Arizona. However, summers can still be extremely hot. Due to Searchlight's altitude and aridity, temperatures drop quickly after sunset, especially in the summer. Daytime highs in the winter are usually well above freezing, and nighttime lows drop below freezing only a few nights a year.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".
Demographics
2020 census
As of the census[6] of 2020, there were 445 people, 229 households, and 99 families residing in the CDP.Template:US Census population
2000 census
At the 2000 census of 2000, there were 576 people, 315 households and 136 families residing in the CDP. The population density was Template:Convert. There were 444 housing units at an average density of Template:Convert. The racial make-up of the CDP was 95.0% White, 0.7% African American, 0.7% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% Pacific Islander, 1.7% from other races and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.7% of the population.
There are 315 households, of which 8.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.9% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present and 56.8% were non-families. 48.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 1.76 and the average family size was 2.46.
10.1% of the population were under the age of 18, 3.1% from 18 to 24, 20.0% from 25 to 44, 35.8% from 45 to 64 and 31.1% were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 55 years. For every 100 females, there were 125.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 131.3 males.
The median household income was $24,407 and the median family income was $29,323. Males had a median income of $26,563 and females $27,868. The per capita income was $19,606. None of the household families were living below the poverty line, with just 14.6% of the population comprising that, including no one under age 18 and none of those over 64.
Education
Public education in Searchlight is administered by Clark County School District. The district operates Reid Elementary School (K–5) in Searchlight.[7]
Searchlight has a public library, a branch of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District.[8]
Transportation
Public transport
The Silver Rider Transit operates express buses between Laughlin, Searchlight and Las Vegas.[9] Private shuttle companies connect Searchlight with Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.[10]
Highways
Searchlight is located at the junction of two highways; U.S. Route 95 which connects towards Boulder City and the Las Vegas Valley in the north and Needles, California, in the south, and Nevada State Route 164 which has its eastern terminus in Searchlight and heads west towards the California border from where it becomes Nipton Road and eventually connects to Interstate 15.
Notable people
- Rex Bell, westerns actor and politician. Owned the Walking Box Ranch with his wife Clara Bow. The ranch was a popular destination for Hollywood actors.[11]
- Edith Head, costume designer who won more Oscars than any other woman.[12]
- William Harrell Nellis, aviator for whom Nellis Air Force Base is named[13]
- Harry Reid, United States senator, 1987–2017, senate majority leader, 2007–2015[14]
In popular culture
In 1907, the "Searchlight Rag" by Scott Joplin was published. In the early 1890s, Joplin's friends, the brothers Tom and Charles Turpin, had been prospecting in the Searchlight area. Their frequent stories of this experience, recounted to the patrons of their bar, inspired the title of the rag.[15]
Searchlight appears as a location in Fallout New Vegas, appearing as an outpost that becomes irradiated following a nuclear war.[16]
See also
References
External links
Template:Sister project Template:Wikivoyage
- Mining history of Searchlight, includes historic photos. Accessed 8/1/2025
- Searchlight Town Advisory Board Template:Webarchive
Template:Clark County, Nevada Template:Authority control
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
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- ↑ "Harry Colton", 1st100
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