QR codes transport history lovers to a bygone era on Carlin’s new walking tour.
By Dianna Troyer
To summon Carlin’s boisterous past, Dee Burton-Primeaux scans a QR code on a post at the corner of Main and 8th streets, stop No. 5 of a new walking tour.
For Dee, it’s a personalized point on the Carlin Historical Society’s free year-round Historic Street Post Walking Tour. “I became a part of our town’s history here when I worked for 18 years in the Justice Building at the corner of Main Street and 8th,” says Dee, historical society president and a retired justice of the peace.
The scan links her to a web page titled “Saloons, Jails & Lawmen.” It describes justice in the early days of the vivacious town. It’s easy to envision the 16 nearby saloons that once catered to gold miners during a boom in the early 1900s and a jailbreak when 2 prisoners simply kicked out a weak wall and ran away.
Troop trains also screeched to a stop there during World War II. Alerted to the soldiers by a piercing railroad whistle, children ran to the tracks to sell candy to them through the open windows.
Starting at the museum at 718 Cedar St., the 2-mile tour with 12 stops tells the fascinating stories of Carlin’s 158-year history. It was founded in 1868 during the construction of the transcontinental railroad.
Each post on the self-guided tour has a QR code, allowing residents and visitors to explore Carlin’s rich history in an interactive and accessible way.
“The walking tour is an innovative public history project that combines our local heritage with digital technology,” Dee says. “These street posts help us to envision the spirit of the place where Carlin’s history began.”
For Dee, Post No. 10 at Main and 7th is also significant. “It’s the main business district where Carlin’s history begins for me,” she says. “It was once the bustling heart of our town. Today, it stands as a reminder of the stories told by our oldest residents and the rich history of the Main Street we call home.”
For Dee and other members of the historical society, the tour is the culmination of 3 years of planning. The project’s financial support came from the society, Union Pacific Railroad, and Wells Rural Electric Company’s Next Dollar Foundation. The city of Carlin donated labor and materials.
A walking tour was first suggested in 2018 when the Carlin Historical Society was formed to celebrate the town’s sesquicentennial.
“We opened the Carlin Museum in 2019, but we’re a small organization that relies entirely on volunteers,” historical society member Teri Feasel says. “Unfortunately, we can’t keep the museum open as often as we’d like. The walking tour gives visitors the opportunity to experience Carlin’s history any time they visit, even when the museum is closed.”
Brainstorming about how to organize the tour, society members decided to use the historic street posts that were installed in the 1950s throughout town. The original posts, white obelisks about 5 feet tall with black lettering, were constructed of concrete reinforced with rebar, but many had deteriorated.
To preserve that unique aspect of Carlin’s history, the society commissioned 12 replica street posts to replace the originals throughout town. Those posts have now become the tour’s destinations.
turntable so it can go in a new direction.
“We kept 2 original posts in place, and 1 of the originals that was removed will be installed in front of the Carlin Museum, where the tour begins,” Dee says.
Carlin’s Public Works Department employees removed old posts and installed new ones.
“We couldn’t have done it without the city employees,” Teri says. Several stops are personal for Teri.
“Stop No. 1 about the school is a favorite because I went to school in Carlin in the old elementary building before it was replaced with the current structure,” Teri says. “Our museum is in the first school building.”
Stop No. 3 retraces the city’s ice harvesting industry. “The stories of how the ice was harvested to refrigerate the railroad cars carrying fruits, vegetables,
blocks kept fruits and vegetables fresh, enabling them to be
shipped nationwide.
and other perishable products are amazing,” Teri says.
For Teri, Post No. 11 triggers fond memories of working with the Southern Pacific Railroad. “I worked in various clerical positions for 10 years and covered positions in Carlin, Beowawe, Battle Mountain and Winnemucca,” Teri says. “It was a great experience.”
The tour can also be enjoyed from a vehicle, with the posts by the curb and accessible to cars. Teri says all the stops are informative and educational. “It’s a great project and is a positive asset for our community,” Teri says.
Dee says the society members hope “the project will inspire both residents and travelers to take a fresh look at the community and ensure that its stories continue to be preserved and shared for generations to come.”