Panaca is a town in eastern Lincoln County, Nevada, on State Route 319, about 1 mile (1.6 km) east of U.S. Route 93, near the border with Utah. As of the 2000 census, there are 761 people in the town.

History

Panaca was southern Nevada's first permanent settlement, founded as a Mormon colony in 1864. It was originally part of Washington County, Utah, but the Congressional redrawing of boundaries in 1866 shifted Panaca into Nevada. It is the only municipality in Nevada to be "Dry" (forbidding the sale of alcoholic beverages), and the only community in Nevada besides Boulder City that prohibits gambling.

Coke ovens here once produced charcoal for the smelters in nearby Bullionville (now a ghost town), but the town's economy is predominantly agricultural.

The name "Panaca" comes from teh Southern Paiute word "Pan-nuk-ker" which means "metal, money, wealth." William Hamblin, a Mormon missionary to the Paiutes, established The Panacker Ledge (Panaca Claim) silver mine there in 1864.

Attractions

Panaca is near Cathedral Gorge State Park.

References

External links

• History of Panaca, from the Lincoln County website