FALLON

A short history of Fallon

The community was first populated during the California Gold Rush, because multiple would-be Forty-niners stopped after crossing the Carson River.

The town and post office were established on July 24, 1896, in a little shack belonging to Michael Fallon and Eliza Fallon, who operated a ranch at the site. Shortly afterwards, Jim Richards later operated a store near the post office.

Lincoln Highway, the first transcontinental thoroughfare, passes through Fallon from east to west, following the original Pony Express trail. Today it is designated U.S. Highway 50, and eastward from Fallon is popularly known as The Loneliest Road in America, as it passes through only two towns and one small city between Fallon and the Utah state line, over 400 miles distant.

When U.S. Highway 95 (stretching between the U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico) was laid out in the 1930s, the highway north of town met Highway 50 at the northern end of what was then the town center (Maine Street). To avoid forcing traffic through town, there is a four-block "dogleg" on Highway 50 separating the north and south legs of Highway 95.

While the city has expanded greatly over the years, the "old town" area is several blocks of Maine Street. Many of the buildings here date back to the early 20th century, including the historic Fallon Theater, which is still in operation as of 2025.

Naval Air Station Fallon, built in 1942, is southeast of the city center. Since 1996, NAS Fallon has been home to the U.S. Navy's Navy Fighter Weapons School (popularly known as TOPGUN), using several flight training areas and practice ranges in the area.

Adapted (trimmed) from the Wikipedia article Fallon, Nevada, revision 1383285077 by its contributors, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.