Pogue Station Nevada !

What would it take to have to have a successful stage stop out in the middle of Little Smokey Valley, access to water? Back in the early 1870's when traffic was still fairly heavy on the Pritchard Fast Freight route between Palisade and Pioche a man saw the opportunity to make money. That man was William Pogue, better know as the "Miser" of Little Smokey Valley. To the right is William Pogue in front of the station in 1910.

Pogue was able to locate a spring on the main road into Nye County. Realizing he had the only water between Eureka and Duckwater he constructed and station, horse barn, corrals, and a few out buildings. By enlarging the spring he dug a well making easy access to the water and became Stationmaster.

Pogue made his profit by selling meals, water, and lodgings for travelers to stay overnight. He soon secured a contract to supply feed and water to the stage line and then convinced Nye County Officials to pay him for maintaining the road in his area. Then in his spare time was able to do a little prospecting, for which he claimed to have found a mine, in the hills nearby, which paid fairly well. It seemed that everything Pogue touched turned to money. His yearly income was estimated at $25,000.

The photo above was taken in 1966 before the treasure hunters reduced it to ruins.

Now with that in mind, consider the fact that he was never robbed, and no one knows of him ever to send any money to anyone, or to put it in a bank anywhere. He was also well noted for his frugality. He never took a vacation or went anywhere; the only time he was to leave the station was for supplies, which he got on trips to Eureka. This is how he got his nickname, the "Miser" of Little Smokey Valley. The locals thought he just stashed his money somewhere near the station.

Old man Pogue operated this way for more than twenty years, always making money. Finally on May 15, 1915, at a time when the traffic had finally slowed down, a traveler found him lying helpless on the floor of the cabin. After making him as comfortable as possible, the traveler went to the nearest ranch to seek help. The word was sent to Duckwater and the following morning Ralph Irwin drove up to the station and took Pogue to the County Hospital at Eureka. At that time he was completely paralyzed from the waist down and in very serious condition. After all that was done that was possible he never recovered from the stroke and died three days later on the 19th.

After his death a search of his personal belonging was made to find out as much as possible about his earlier life. The results show that he was born in Greenville, Tennessee, 75 years earlier, and had one living relative, a sister in Illinois. The rest of the search for his wealth which came up empty handed, there was no money to be found which was then thought to be around $200,000.

As the word spread about, the story of the station and buried money soon covered the country. In 1917, two Duckwater residents found some coins under a rock, and in 1936, a prospector by the name of John Hoyt found $11 in a hole in the station compound. Although the station has been searched, time and time again, no other money has ever been found. Over the years treasure hunter have dug holes all over the area, and the buildings have been completely destroyed in their effort to find the lost treasure. The foundation of the cabin is spread all over the place and the floor has been dug up to look like a pit. As of today no one has ever claimed to have found his buried treasure, and no one probably never will. The old man has most likely had the last laugh, cause nobody knows where! The photo above was taken in August, 2006, and shows that there is nothing left of the station from the digging and the treasure hunters.