On the day the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Boulder City celebrated its 35th anniversary, hundreds turned out for the grand opening of the museum’s new 9,000-square-foot visitor center.
Dan Thielen, administrator of the Nevada Division of Museums and History, was one of several guest speakers at the Sept. 19 event, which also included Lt. Gov. Stavros Anthony, Rep. Dina Titus and Christopher MacMahon, the museum’s director.
“We are absolutely delighted to have you here to celebrate this remarkable milestone,” Thielen said. “There are many people who helped turn this dream into a reality. We believe museums bring beauty, value, stability and heritage to our communities.”
Anthony, who is chair of the Nevada Tourism Commission, has made a point to visit numerous cultural institutions throughout the state, to the point that Thielen joked that he’s earned enough museum points for a tote bag.
“I thought there’d be 10 or 15 people showing up today,” said Anthony. “Obviously trains and railroads are alive and well here in Nevada. This is the opening of a new chapter in how we tell the story of Nevada.”
The visitor center includes a variety of exhibits that examine how railroads helped facilitate mining booms in Nevada, the railroads that built Hoover Dam and the top-secret Jackass & Western Railroad that operated at the Nevada National Security Site. There is also a museum store, a bus loading area, a welcome plaza and a railroad passenger loading area.
The visitor center project came with a price tag of $23 million and was paid for by Conserve Nevada bonds. A future exhibit hall on the property is estimated at approximately $88 million.
Titus, whose district includes Boulder City, praised the efforts of the many who have been discussing the visitor center for years and have now seen it come to fruition.
“This is a project that brings together national money, state efforts, local endeavors and the work of volunteers,” she said. “It truly is one that everybody has cooperated on and will now get to enjoy the benefit of. This railroad museum and visitor center will not just welcome tourists to Boulder City but it will help children learn about the history of our state and the role railroads played throughout that history.”
Following the ribbon cutting, and while looking at the various displays, Anthony stopped to talk about Nevada’s ongoing desire to diversify its economy. While gaming will also be the king of the hill, he said outdoor tourism is gaining ground.
“Let’s face it, Las Vegas is the capital of the world when it comes to gaming, entertainment and restaurants and now we’re the sports capital of the world. That is a huge part of our economy,” he said. “Las Vegas and Nevada are alive and well, but it’s my job as chairman of the Nevada Tourism Commission to try and get people out into the rest of Nevada.”
The following day, MacMahon was asked about his thoughts on how things went at the official opening.
“We had nearly 1,000 guests over the course of the day, which shows just how much the community cares about cultural institutions like ours,” MacMahon said.
Contact Ron Eland at reland@bouldercityreview.com.
