Frozen in Time: The McGill Drugstore Museum

The first time I heard of the McGill Drugstore Museum was in the spring of 2021. We were heading home to Carson City from an adventure in Utah and were staying in Ely, Nevada for the night. In an effort to extend our vacation, we were looking up things to do along our drive home on Highway 50. We came across this museum on the Travel Nevada website. While it wasn’t exactly on our way home, it’s located just 12 miles north of Ely, on US 93 in the town of McGill.

The drugstore opened around 1908 to accommodate a growing population after a copper mill began construction in the area. The pharmacy and store was in operation until 1979. What remains is all the inventory (some dating back to the 1950’s) from when the drugstore officially closed it’s doors. You’ll also find a record every prescription that had been filled since 1915.

Here is a slideshow of photos taken at the McGill Drugstore Museum. We spent hours poking around while our tour guide provided us with the history of the drugstore and the town of McGill (There may have been a little local gossip too.). If you visit (you should!), schedule a tour in advance.