Palisade Canyon in Central Nevada was first surveyed by the Central Pacific Railroad as part of the construction of the Transcontinental Railroad. With the Humboldt River flowing through it the area became an ideal location for a railroad town and departure point for the nearby mining areas of Mineral Hill, Eureka, and Hamilton. The Central Pacific, later the Southern Pacific, and the Western Pacific both operated mineral transfer points with the narrow-gage Eureka and Palisade Railroad. Today the Union Pacific uses tracks on the north side for westbound traffic and the south side tracks for eastbound. The area has also been considered as a possible transfer point for the shipment of nuclear waster to Yucca Mountain, Nevada. Photographed 07/07