Editing McGill, Nevada (section)

==History==
In 1872, John Cowger established a ranch in the Steptoe Valley and acquired the water rights for the area.  William Lyons and William McGill purchased the ranch in 1886.  A post office was established at the ranch, now named McGill Ranch, in 1891.<ref name=hall>{{cite book|last=Hall|first=Shawn|title=Romancing Nevada's Past: Ghost Towns and Historic Sites of Eureka, Lander, and White Pine|year=1994|publisher=University of Nevada Press|location=Reno, NV|isbn=978-0-87417-228-7}}</ref>

The Nevada Consolidated Copper Company had numerous mines in the region and was seeking a partner to create a smelter in the area.<ref name=elliot>{{cite book|last=Elliot|first=Russel E.|title=Nevada's Twentieth-century Mining Boom: Tonopah, Goldfield, Ely|year=1966|publisher=University of Nevada Press|location=Reno, NV|isbn=978-0874171334}}</ref> The Cumberland and Ely Mining Corporation had acquired {{convert|8|sqmi|km2}} of land near the ranch<ref name=hall /> and thought it would be ideal for a smelter location due to access to a plentiful water source.<ref name=elliot />  The two companies formed a partnership, the Steptoe Valley Smelting and Mining Company.<ref name=elliot />

In 1906, a {{convert|9|mi|km}} pipeline was built to bring water from Duck Creek to reservoirs near the smelter site<ref name=elliot /> and construction began on the smelter.<ref name=hall />  The smelter was completed and operations began on May 15, 1908.<ref name=hall />  The first copper was shipped from the smelter on August 7 of the same year.<ref name=glass>{{cite book|last=Glass|first=Mary Ellen|title=Touring Nevada: A Historic and Scenic Guide|year=1983|publisher=University of Nevada Press|location=Reno, NV|isbn=978-0-87417-074-0|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/touringnevadahis00glas}}</ref>

The town was briefly known as Smelter, before being renamed McGill, after the ranch.<ref>{{cite web|title=McGill Nevada History and Photos|url=http://theusgenweb.org/nv/whitepine/Towns/mcgill.htm|accessdate=4 December 2013}}</ref> The population of the town grew from its inception to 1,904 in 1910 and 2,864 in 1920.<ref name=elliot />

[[Kennecott Utah Copper]] acquired Nevada Consolidated Copper Company, which included Steptoe Valley Smelting and Mining Company and the smelter at McGill in 1932.  Up until the 1950s, McGill was a [[company town]], owned by Kennecott.  In the 1950s Kennecott started selling McGill's homes and businesses to individuals.<ref>{{cite news |title=McGill Struggles With Crisis |first=Bill |last=Philips |publisher=Nevada State Journal |date=February 6, 1976 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/nevada-state-journal-mcgill-struggles-wi/161720241/ |access-date=December 28, 2024}}</ref>  In 1983, the price of copper along with the low grade ore being mined led to Kennecott closing the smelter and demolishing it.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kennecott Nevada Mines Division|url=http://utahrails.net/bingham/kcc-nevada.php|work=UtahRails.com|accessdate=4 December 2013|date=June 19, 2013}}</ref>  With the primary employer gone, the population of McGill decreased to its current levels.