Carlin

History

The town was founded in December 1868, at the eastern terminus of the Central Pacific Railroad's Humboldt Division. The railroad built extensive facilities, including a roundhouse, machine shops, and a new depot in 1906. An ice-harvesting industry also developed, supplying ice for the railroad's refrigerator cars. On August 12, 1939, the City of San Francisco train derailed while crossing a bridge near Carlin, killing 24 and injuring 121. The wreck appeared to have been caused by sabotage but remains unsolved to this day. The train was operated by a joint partnership of the Chicago and North Western Railway, the Southern Pacific Railroad, and the Union Pacific Railroad. Carlin was the home of John "Rolling Thunder" Pope (1916–1997), who had worked as a brakeman on the railway.

Geography

Carlin is located southeast of the Carlin Trend, one of the most productive gold mining areas in the United States. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  149
• Black-billed Magpie

  Pica hudsonia (Sabine, 1823) · Aves
  149
• Red-tailed Hawk

  Buteo jamaicensis (Gmelin, 1788) · Aves
  81
• Western Meadowlark

  Sturnella neglecta Audubon, 1844 · Aves
  73
• Western Kingbird

  Tyrannus verticalis Say, 1823 · Aves
  61
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  54
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  51
• Cliff Swallow

  Petrochelidon pyrrhonota (Vieillot, 1817) · Aves
  50

Most recent

• M 2.62 — 2026-06-15
  52 km NE of Valmy, Nevada
• M 2.83 — 2026-06-03
  52 km NE of Valmy, Nevada
• M 2.89 — 2026-06-03
  55 km NE of Valmy, Nevada
• M 2.97 — 2026-04-03
  55 km NE of Valmy, Nevada
• M 2.58 — 2026-03-31
  54 km NE of Valmy, Nevada
• M 3.77 — 2026-03-31
  55 km NE of Valmy, Nevada