Yerington, Nevada

Yerington was named in honor of Henry M. Yerington, Superintendent of the Virginia & Truckee Railroad (part of the Carson & Colorado Railroad system) from 1868 to 1910. Prior to taking on the name "Yerington," the settlement had been known by names like "the Switch," "Pizen Switch" and "Greenfield." The town was finally named "Yerington" in 1894 in an effort to influence that railroad Superintendent to build the Carson & Colorado Railway down the west side of the Walker River and through the small town. As much as the name has stuck ever since, that effort to influence didn't work: the railroad never came to Yerington.

Yerington was founded as a mining town on the banks of the Walker River but the primary mining these days happens in tourists' pockets as they tour the gaming establishments along Main Street.