Gateway to Death Valley National Park
and The Heart of the Bullfrog Mining District
Beatty, Nevada History
Page 2
In the late 1920s and early 1930s some of the economic activities in Beatty were mining, distribution of oil and gas,
construction of Death Valley Scotty's Castle, local merchants, and production and sale of illegal alcohol during Prohibition. Only a few mines
were still in operation.
Albert Revert, a prominent contributor to Beatty's economic status, came to Beatty at the end of 1929. He purchased an estate
which included the Beatty Ranch, a primitive community water system and the Amargosa Land and Cattle Company also referred to as the Palmer Store. The water system obtained water
from the Beatty Ranch and supplied it to a small number of residents. The store was renamed Revert Mercantile after he acquired it. It was the
largest store in town and offered everything anyone could need. Shortly after the Reverts arrival they acquired the Union Oil distributorship.
Albert built a service station in town and supplied gas at wholesale to other local station owners. The water system was turned over to the
Beatty Water Company.
With the automobile came new economic opportunities for Beatty. Service stations were opened to supply motorists with gas,
tires, and repairs. In 1938 Ralph Lisle, another major contributor to Beatty's economy, reactivated the Standard Oil distributorship and took
over the operation of a service station that had been purchased from H. H. Richings. He and his wife, Chloe, operated the station until the
outbreak of WWII. The operations were considered non-essential and were forced to close. Lisle entered the military service. When he returned
home after the war he found the distributorship had been transferred to someone else and opened a Union 76 station on Second Street across from
the Exchange Club.
The 1940 US Census for Beatty reflects a population of 450. A number of houses were moved in to Beatty from Rhyolite.
Cottonwood trees lined the wooden sidewalks of Main Street and the fronts of many buildings had canopies. The trees, canopies, and wooden
sidewalks were removed during the 1950s when the road through Beatty was widened and paved.
Electricity came to Beatty around 1940. The first service was provided by Jim Mardis and the system wasn't very reliable. In
1940 the Reverts obtained a government loan to buy out Mardis and expand the system, operating under the name of Amargosa Power Company. Their
system was ran by diesel engines equipped with 50-kilowatt generations. Poles and wires were retrieved from the desert where towns had been
during the mining boom. In 1950 the first street lights were installed in Beatty. The Amargosa Power Company was sold to the Valley Electric
Association in 1963, which supplies power generated at Hoover Dam, and still serves the area today.
Up until 1970 septic systems were used for sewer disposal. In 1970 a sanitation district was formed and a community sewer
system was developed.
The Atomic Energy Commission announced in mid-January 1951, that atomic tests would begin on the 5,000 square mile bombing and
gunnery range located directly east of Beatty. The Test Site provided employment opportunities for the Beatty residents and brought new families
to Beatty. Beatty benefited from the Test Site in other ways as well. Local business were able to obtain contracts to provide supplies and
services to contractors and more tax revenue was generated. When contractors had excess supplies they made them available to nearby communities
and groups at minimal charge.
In 1960 Beatty was the largest community in Nye County south of Tonopah. Recreational facilities were limited in Beatty prior
to the formation of a Parks and Recreation Advisory Board in 1965. After the board was formed the following recreation facilities were
constructed in Beatty: a football field, a swimming pool, and a grassed driving range.
Children attended school in 1930 in an adobe building located behind the Exchange Club. Building materials were salvaged from the schoolhouse in
Rhyolite and transported to Beatty. A schoolhouse was built between Fourth and Irving Streets on Montgomery Street. In 1991 the use of this
building was discontinued, but it still stands in Beatty. A school complex was formed with additional buildings. Over the years the complex
grew. In 1991 a new high school was built to serve students from Beatty, Amargosa Valley, and Death Valley. The older buildings are used by
children from kindergarten through the eight grade.
For many years medical services were not available in Beatty. In the 1920s there was a medical clinic in an office on Main
Street. During the 1950s medical care was provided in Judge Gray's old house, near the Episcopal Church. A few years later land was donated for a
clinic. A mill and assay office had been on the property; and the mill torn down. The assay office was still standing. An old office was added to
make a medical clinic. Around 1960 a registered nurse moved to town and took care of most minor medical needs of the residents. Then in the early
1970s physicians assistants used the community medical center to treat locals. Today the clinic is staffed with a physician and minor medical
treatment is administered at the clinic.
The Episcopal Church on the corner of Third and Main Streets was the oldest religious structure in Beatty; however, today it
serves as a residence rather than a church. A Catholic church was built in 1956 on Main Street between Third and Fourth Streets. This building
houses the Beatty Museum today. Several other churches came into being in Beatty at later dates.
For a short time in the 1930s, the community had a Lions Club. In 1959 a new Lions Club was chartered and met in the basement
of the Exchange Club. At that time Beatty did not have a Chamber of Commerce. The Lions Club performed duties that a Chamber of Commerce would
normally do. From 1961 until 1972 the Lions Club hosted burro races on Armistice Day each year. The burro races were discontinued because the
crowd they attracted wasn't good for Beatty's image.
Beatty has had a slow growth over the years. Projects have come and gone that contributed to the economic welfare of the
community. With these projects came new residents; some departed from Beatty when the project ended; while others continued to reside in Beatty.
Residents consider Beatty a fine place to live and cherish the values of honesty, personal freedom, and respect for others. They are optimistic
about the future and highly motivated to get things done.
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