Elko City Cemetery

Elko County

One of the fascinating aspects of old Nevada cemeteries for me, is seeing the location of birth and death on the old gravestones. Elko City Cemetery has several of these. Not only are there several that list Elko as this specific place, but Toano, Skelton, Austin and Ruby Valley also.

Northern Nevada is the heart of the Basque country in the U.S.A. For those of you unfamiliar with the Basque, it is a region located between France and Spain in the Pyrenees Mountains. When the Basque immigrated to America, places like Elko were key destinations for agricultural work. Basque tradition still runs very deep here. Places like Elko, Winnemucca, Gardnerville, Reno and Carson City are a few of the last places in the U.S. with very old, traditional Basque restaurants. If you happen to be in one of those towns, stop in and eat. You won't regret it. Going through the Elko City Cemetery allows a person to see the strong Basque presence in this area. Names like Goicoechea, Odiaga and Olague are seen throughout.