Flanigan, was a railroad town in far eastern Honey Lake Valley, in Washoe County.

In the fall of 1909, the Western Pacific Railroad established a station in eastern Honey Lake Valley that they designated as Flanigan. Patrick L. Flanigan was a prominent rancher and former Nevada Senator who had also granted the railroad a right of way across his lands. In 1912, the Southern Pacific began construction of its Fernley & Lassen line, and at Flanigan, their tracks crossed those of the Western Pacific’s. On July 22, 1913, the Flanigan Townsite was recorded with Washoe County on lands that had been recently purchased by Charles A. Ross and George L. Warnken of Oakland, California. As land speculators, Ross & Warnken had high hopes for this town, but they never transpired. In 1916, there was the bright prospect that Flanigan would be linked to a third railroad—the Surprise Valley Railway—but it never materialized. In 1921, a hopeful oil discovery in the area fizzled. Flanigan existed only as a railroad town, its promoters hopes of grandeur diminished as the years passed by. On March 31, 1961, the Flanigan Post Office closed.

On January 2, 1969, the town’s most notable landmark, Gertrude Milne’s combination store and residence, was destroyed by fire. This was followed with another event that year that marked the end of the community. On June 19, 1969, the Bonham School, located at Flanigan, closed. It was the last one-room school house in operation in Washoe County.

Note: This article originally appeared on April 3, 2015. I am selecting some early posts, to fill in while I get my Mother’s affairs organized.