Historical Markers of Lander County
Location: Western Lander County, Austin Directions: Located at Stokes Castle, 1 mile west of Austin
N39° 29' 36.1" W117° 04' 47.8"
Date Conquered: 10/22/08 Quick Description: A marker noting an eccentric homestead built by a prominent Nevada businessman. Signed: No -- Historically, this marker was never signed. NOTES: #59 is cursed with a lack of signage. Not only is the marker is NOT SIGNED, the road to Stokes Castle is also unmarked. To put it simply, only locals and returning visitors know where the turnoff is. To conquer #59, make the turn onto "Castle Road" (sometimes unmarked), at the south end of Austin. This good dirt road leads up to a ridge. Follow this road for a mile and you'll see the castle, complete with a picnic table and a nice view of the Reese River Valley. Not only does this fence protect the castle from vandals, but guarantees the marker's preservation. Full Description: Exact description as reads ... Started in the fall of 1896 and completed in June, 1897, by Anson Phelps Stokes, mine developer, railroad magnate and member of a prominent eastern family, as a summer home for his sons, principally J.G. Phelps. After the castle (or the tower, as the Stokes family always referred to it) was completed, it was used by the family for one brief period in June and July, 1897. Since then, with one possible exception, the structure has remained unoccupied. Stokes Castle is made of native granite, hewn and put in place by the ancestors of people still living in Austin. The huge stones were raised with a hand winch and held in position by rock wedging and clay mortar. The architectural model for the castle was a medieval tower Anson Stokes had seen and admired on an Italian campagna, near Rome. It originally had three floors, each with a fireplace, plate glass view windows, balconies on the second and third floors, and a battlemented terrace on the roof. It had plumbing very adequate for the times and was sumptuously furnished. The structure stands as an abiding monument to the local men who built it and to those who helped develop the mines of Austin. You'll also find this plaque along with the marker. Directly behind the picnic table, you'll find this old A-frame and a small tailings that has some nice quartz specimens.
NOTES: #59 is cursed with a lack of signage. Not only is the marker is NOT SIGNED, the road to Stokes Castle is also unmarked. To put it simply, only locals and returning visitors know where the turnoff is. To conquer #59, make the turn onto "Castle Road" (sometimes unmarked), at the south end of Austin. This good dirt road leads up to a ridge. Follow this road for a mile and you'll see the castle, complete with a picnic table and a nice view of the Reese River Valley. Not only does this fence protect the castle from vandals, but guarantees the marker's preservation. Full Description: Exact description as reads ... Started in the fall of 1896 and completed in June, 1897, by Anson Phelps Stokes, mine developer, railroad magnate and member of a prominent eastern family, as a summer home for his sons, principally J.G. Phelps. After the castle (or the tower, as the Stokes family always referred to it) was completed, it was used by the family for one brief period in June and July, 1897. Since then, with one possible exception, the structure has remained unoccupied. Stokes Castle is made of native granite, hewn and put in place by the ancestors of people still living in Austin. The huge stones were raised with a hand winch and held in position by rock wedging and clay mortar. The architectural model for the castle was a medieval tower Anson Stokes had seen and admired on an Italian campagna, near Rome. It originally had three floors, each with a fireplace, plate glass view windows, balconies on the second and third floors, and a battlemented terrace on the roof. It had plumbing very adequate for the times and was sumptuously furnished. The structure stands as an abiding monument to the local men who built it and to those who helped develop the mines of Austin. You'll also find this plaque along with the marker. Directly behind the picnic table, you'll find this old A-frame and a small tailings that has some nice quartz specimens.
Full Description: Exact description as reads ... Started in the fall of 1896 and completed in June, 1897, by Anson Phelps Stokes, mine developer, railroad magnate and member of a prominent eastern family, as a summer home for his sons, principally J.G. Phelps. After the castle (or the tower, as the Stokes family always referred to it) was completed, it was used by the family for one brief period in June and July, 1897. Since then, with one possible exception, the structure has remained unoccupied. Stokes Castle is made of native granite, hewn and put in place by the ancestors of people still living in Austin. The huge stones were raised with a hand winch and held in position by rock wedging and clay mortar. The architectural model for the castle was a medieval tower Anson Stokes had seen and admired on an Italian campagna, near Rome. It originally had three floors, each with a fireplace, plate glass view windows, balconies on the second and third floors, and a battlemented terrace on the roof. It had plumbing very adequate for the times and was sumptuously furnished. The structure stands as an abiding monument to the local men who built it and to those who helped develop the mines of Austin. You'll also find this plaque along with the marker. Directly behind the picnic table, you'll find this old A-frame and a small tailings that has some nice quartz specimens.
Started in the fall of 1896 and completed in June, 1897, by Anson Phelps Stokes, mine developer, railroad magnate and member of a prominent eastern family, as a summer home for his sons, principally J.G. Phelps. After the castle (or the tower, as the Stokes family always referred to it) was completed, it was used by the family for one brief period in June and July, 1897. Since then, with one possible exception, the structure has remained unoccupied. Stokes Castle is made of native granite, hewn and put in place by the ancestors of people still living in Austin. The huge stones were raised with a hand winch and held in position by rock wedging and clay mortar. The architectural model for the castle was a medieval tower Anson Stokes had seen and admired on an Italian campagna, near Rome. It originally had three floors, each with a fireplace, plate glass view windows, balconies on the second and third floors, and a battlemented terrace on the roof. It had plumbing very adequate for the times and was sumptuously furnished. The structure stands as an abiding monument to the local men who built it and to those who helped develop the mines of Austin. You'll also find this plaque along with the marker. Directly behind the picnic table, you'll find this old A-frame and a small tailings that has some nice quartz specimens.
Stokes Castle is made of native granite, hewn and put in place by the ancestors of people still living in Austin. The huge stones were raised with a hand winch and held in position by rock wedging and clay mortar. The architectural model for the castle was a medieval tower Anson Stokes had seen and admired on an Italian campagna, near Rome. It originally had three floors, each with a fireplace, plate glass view windows, balconies on the second and third floors, and a battlemented terrace on the roof. It had plumbing very adequate for the times and was sumptuously furnished. The structure stands as an abiding monument to the local men who built it and to those who helped develop the mines of Austin. You'll also find this plaque along with the marker. Directly behind the picnic table, you'll find this old A-frame and a small tailings that has some nice quartz specimens.
The structure stands as an abiding monument to the local men who built it and to those who helped develop the mines of Austin. You'll also find this plaque along with the marker. Directly behind the picnic table, you'll find this old A-frame and a small tailings that has some nice quartz specimens.
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