NEWS ARTICLES

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GOLD MINING

Mines sprinkled along the highways and byways located in Cowboy Country have created a golden horseshoe. This golden horseshoe can be traced by starting in McDermitt and heading south on U.S. Highway 95 to Winnemucca, then east on Interstate 80 to Battle Mountain and Elko, where you head north on Nevada State Route 225 to Mountain City.

In Cowboy Country, the Old West meets the Gold West. During the 1800s, some of the pioneers lured to California for the gold rush settled in Cowboy Country and established ranches and trading posts. Later, after the gold rush ended in California, prospectors explored northern Nevada and discovered gold in the majestic mountains of Cowboy Country.

Nevada Mining Association's motto is "Look Beneath the Surface". Not only does this refer to the expansive mountain ranges in Cowboy Country, but to the minerals utilized in products that we use everyday. For example, a few of gold's uses to enhance our standard of living can be found in medicine, communications, computers, glass coatings and dentistry.
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RECREATION

Whatever your favorite outdoor activity might be, chances are good Cowboy Country offers it in abundance. From excellent hunting and fishing to rock climbing, cross-country and downhill skiing, or just a day out with a picnic basket, the outdoors truly is great here.
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GHOST TOWNS

They rise from sagebrush and barren earth like fragments of hope, pieces of dreams unfulfilled. Once bustling, thriving towns, what survives are foundations and framework, mostly, and whispers on the wind of tales long forgotten.
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GAMING

One of the first things Cowboy Country visitors (the ones over age 21, that is) notice when they step into a casino is that things sure ain't what they used to be in the days of the "one-armed bandit."

Today's slot machines still have the slot for your coin, of course, but those spinning reels are now likely to be computer-generated images. The newer machines of this era include money in and ticket out. There's no difference in the way you feel when they line up, however. Penny machines are back and are hotter than ever.
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PHOTO GALLERIES

BASQUE CULTURE

Cowboy Country celebrates the heritage of the Basque's, a unique - and still somewhat mysterious - ethnic group whose origins are in the Pyrenees mountain range between Spain and France. They call themselves Euskaldunak; their homeland, Euskaldi, and their native language is like no other.

Always an adventurous people - they were seafaring as early as the Middle Ages - many Basques crossed the Atlantic to America early in this century to herd sheep, an acitvity that brought them to Northern Nevada, where many stayed on, offering their culture - and their cuisine - to the frontier.

The most visible signs of the Basque influence are the family-style dining houses that proliferate across Cowboy Country, particulary in Winnemucca and Elko. Expertly-prepared seafood, steaks, and, of course lamb, are always on the menu, and the food is served in hearty portions in an atmosphere that is always festive.

Battle Mountain, Winnemucca and Elko also play host to annual summer time Basque festivals, where the music, dancing and colorful costumes of the old country are on display. There, you may find yourself dancing a spirited jota, or letting loose with an irrintzi, a staccato cross between a whoop and a cry that is the ancient call of the Basque Country.
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