Tobar, Nevada
ghost town in Nevada, United States
Tobar is an extinct town in Elko County, in the U.S. state of Nevada.
Established in 1908, Tobar was at first a Western Pacific Railroad construction camp. Following the normal progression of settlement in those days, the first structure was erected - a bar. The owner put a sign up proclaiming his business was the Rag Saloon. Then, to make sure he got business, he trudged up to the railroad proper where he drove a stake in the ground and nailed up a board sign that said "To Bar." Railroad officials, always looking for town names, promptly gave the place its name, Tobar. (Howard Hickson's Histories)
One source states that the community was named after one Captain Tobar, a local prospector. Another source states that railroad officials saw a directional sign reading "To Bar". A post office was in operation at Tobar between 1911 and 1921. A variant name was "Clover City". In 1941, the population was 22.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Tobar, Nevada” is ghost town in Nevada, United States. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Tobar, Nevada and ghost, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “ghost town in Nevada, United States” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jun 4, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q54959620. Authority coordinates are 40.896, -114.890. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1908, 1911, 1921 and 1941.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Tobar, Nevada”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Tobar, Nevada primary sources, Tobar, Nevada archive and Tobar research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Tobar, Nevada”?
- What physical evidence or contemporary plan supports the description?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Tobar, Nevada” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.