Diamondfield Jack Davis Elko County   41.98471, -114.67209

"I always thought my license plate was one of a kind. I'm certain of it now. After conquering #251, I made flipped a U-turn at the state line where a lone Elko County Sheriff was sitting in his patrol car. After having been parked here for a minute, he rolled down his window ... 'Never seen a wild horse plate before,' he barked. 'What's PX mean?' 'Pictures. I'm a photographer,' I responded. Apparently wild horse plates and zany photographers out to capture every single state historical marker aren't common around these parts." -- Journal Entry, May 2008

SE corner of US 93 and Casino Way -- Jackpot

Original Date Visited: 5/18/08

Signed: No

Exact Description:
This historical marker commemorates the lasting notoriety of flamboyant western gunman Jackson Lee Davis (1870-1949), who was better known by the colorful name, "Diamondfield Jack." As a young man, after unsuccessfully prospecting for diamonds in the nearby hills, Davis was jokingly called "Diamondfield Jack," a nickname that he carried the rest of his life.

In the late 1890's, Davis gained a measure of fame as a gunman for the cattle interests, including rancher John Sparks, who would later become a Nevada governor, that were attempting to restrict sheep ranchers from southern Idaho and northeastern Nevada rangelands. Following a sensational trial in 1896, Davis was convicted of murdering two sheepherders. He was sentenced to be hanged, even after others confessed to the murders.

In 1902, Davis was finally pardoned for the crimes. He moved to the central Nevada mining towns of Tonopah and Goldfield, where he became a successful mine operator. He also helped found several mining camps, including one called Diamondfield. In later years, he drifted into obscurity and died in Las Vegas in 1949 after being struck by a car.

We love the clever cultured shape of this one! Rock on, Nevada.

Next Marker:

RINCKEL MANSION

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Related Links & Markers

 Jackson Davis & The Idaho Murders (Digging History) 

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