Lovelock, Nevada is located on Interstate 80, 93 miles east of Reno in Pershing County. Lovelock lies in a meadow valley with the Humboldt Range to the east and the Trinity and Seven Troughs ranges to the north and west. This valley was known to settlers as Big Meadows because of the abundance of grass and water. It was favored as a resting place before continuing on to California and Oregon.
In 1868, the history of Lovelock changed with the building of the Central Pacific Railroad through Pershing County. Like many railroad towns, Lovelock had a thriving Chinese population and a large mining community. By 1900, Lovelock featured a school, churches and a business district.
On March 19, 1919, Pershing County was created and Lovelock was named the county seat. Pershing County is named after General John J. Pershing, a World War I hero, and the town is named for George Lovelock, an early homesteader and storekeeper.
By 1920, the population of Lovelock peaked at 2,803 residents, and during it has remained a small, residential town in Pershing County that relies on agriculture and mining for its income.
Near Lovelock is Coeur Rochester, the world’s seventh largest silver producer. The primary revenue sources for Lovelock are mining, agriculture, retail trade and Pershing County tourism.
Lovelock possesses one of only two round courthouses in the nation, the Pershing County Courthouse, designed by renowned Nevada architect Frederick DeLongchamps, built in 1919. Lovelock has earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Population
Lovelock: 2,381
Pershing County: 6,631
