An antique truck first reported stolen last week from Schellbourne Station last week turned up a little ways up the road in Cherry Creek.
“We are still checking everything out,” said White Pine County Sheriff’s Captain Scott Henroid. “Schellbourne changed hands a couple of weeks ago and the truck may or may not have been part of the sale we just don’t know.”
Apart of legal ownership another mystery so far unsolved is just what kind of truck the vehicle is. Modified almost beyond recognition the truck may have been used either by the area’s mining industry in the 20’s or 30’s or by a local ranch during the same time.
“We have had a lot of people make some guesses but we really don’t know exactly what kind of vehicle it is.” Henroid added.
Isolated and remote eastern Nevada so more than its share of juried rigged machines in the early half of the last century. Instead of waiting weeks or month for a part many mechanics working for mines and ranches cobbled together their own creations from scrap or even made their own with surprisingly good craftsmanship.
“Detroit wasn’t making four wheel drive pickups back in the 40’s,” said Elko County Rancher Geoff Dahl. “But a guy in Elko put one together using a piece of this and a piece of that. We still use it on our ranch. Back then you had to make do with what you had and the mechanics were geniuses.”
But eclectic geniuses. Because of the scarcity of parts no two jury rigged vehicles were ever exactly alike and it is highly likely that the Schellbourne truck is a one of a kind masterpiece of a bygone age.