Buildings

Cosmopolitan

Cliff Bandringa / Buildings, History, Places /

April 27, 2026

Although restored, the Cosmopolitan was a restaurant in Silver Reef that was reputed to serve the best hash in the territory. Today, the Cosmopolitan is often used to house events, such as the monthly presentations put on by the museum. The original building stood in this location. When it was reconstructed in the 1992, it was built to look similar to the one built in the 1870s.

History

The Cosmopolitan was built in 1877 by Mrs. Margaret Grambs. Born in Bavaria in 1834, Margaret brought skill, steadiness, and quiet determination to Silver Reef. She employed Chinese cooks and Mormon girl waiters. It was one of the finest eateries in Silver Reef.

Inside the Cosmopolitan – Mrs. Margaret Grambs standing on left

During Silver Reef’s first fire in 1879, the restaurant burned to the ground. Margaret quickly rebuilt it on a larger scale and ran it until 1894. By then, Silver Reef was nearly deserted. Looking for work elsewhere, her two Chinese cooks took all the kitchen equipment and utensils and moved to the latest mining boomtown in Delamar, Nevada, where Margaret’s nephew Edward F. Frudenthal, who she brought up, was living.

Under her care, the Cosmopolitan became more than a place to eat. It was a gathering space, a refuge, and a touch of home for miners far from their families. Travelers wrote about her cooking, and locals relied on her steadiness. She employed other immigrants, including young women like Susanna Katharina “Kate” Agenstein, giving them a foothold in a rough frontier economy. Through fires, downturns, and shifting fortunes, Margaret kept the Cosmopolitan open—an act of grit and generosity that speaks volumes about her character.

Like many other buildings in Silver Reef, the Cosmopolitan was dismantled and its materials were used elsewhere in 1895. In 1896, Margaret moved to Salt Lake City and began running a small boarding house.

The Museum honors the remarkable Margaret Grambs as the steadfast heart of Silver Reef’s hospitality, an immigrant woman whose skill, resilience, and generosity helped hold a transient community together. She fed a mining town and kept its heart warm.

Cosmopolitan Restaurant as it appeared in the 1880s

Today

The Cosmopolitan was reconstructed in 1992. An upscale European dining establishment occupied the building until it closed in 2010. Soon afterwards, it was acquired by Silver Reef LLC and Washington County, where it serves as a venue for various events, such as the museum’s monthly presentations mentioned earlier.

During events, the Cosmopolitan’s main room can accommodate up to 80 people seated. It has men’s and women’s restrooms, as well as a storage room that served as the kitchen during the restaurant years.

Pictures of the Interior

Below are pictures of the Cosmopolitan’s interior. They show the room both empty and during various lectures.

How the interior looks when you first walk in

View from the back – front door in upper-middle

Lecture in 2025

Lecture in February 2026

Lecture in March 2026

Walking Tour

Cliff Bandringa / Buildings, History, Places /

March 3, 2026

There are two interpretive walking trails that will take you on a journey through Silver Reef’s rich history. One trail focuses on the Main Street corridor, while the other ventures through the desert terrain to visit various historic sites. Walking the trail will also provide a great view of the landscapes and reefs that surrounds the old townsite. Walking both trails and visiting all the stops along the way will take about 30 minutes.

Use Caution When Crossing Streets and Walking Past Desert Vegetation

There is live traffic on the streets that may not expect you walking out on them.

Desert wildlife, such as rattlesnakes, may be present along the trail. Please stay on the trails.

A trail guide is available for download below. It includes a map with labeled stops. All of the stops of where history once took place are fully explained. There are a total of 23 stops.

Download the Interpretive Trail Guide – a PDF file

Virtual Video Tour

The following video fully explains the walking tour and provides glimpses of what you’ll see.

Museum Exhibits

Cliff Bandringa / Buildings, History, Places /

February 17, 2026

Inside and around the Silver Reef Museum, there are many interesting artifacts and exhibits to discover. This article outlines the exhibits you can look forward to during your visit and shows where they are located throughout the different rooms of the museum, including the displays downstairs and outside. You’ll also find a virtual walking tour video of the museum included in this article.

The Silver Reef Museum – Wells Fargo & Company Express Office

Introduction

Our museum docents will introduce you to the Silver Reef Museum and give you a look around inside.

Virtual Walkthrough

Watch this video to see a detailed walkthrough of the entire museum, as well as the diorama room.

Entrance & Stagecoach Display

When you enter the museum, a docent will be at the front desk to welcome you. They can provide information about the tour options and assist you with the entrance fee.

The sculpture of the Wells Fargo stagecoach on the right is a replica of the stagecoaches that used to serve Silver Reef and were operated by Wells, Fargo & Company. Half of the building where the museum is now located was once a Wells, Fargo & Company Express office. Stagecoaches would stop right outside the door.

The sculpture was created by local Western sculptor Jerry Anderson. In the 1990s, Anderson had his art studio inside the museum building. As the museum expanded, he moved his studio across the street to his home, which is just a short walk from the museum.

Mining Exhibit

The next room houses the museum’s Silver in Sandstone Exhibit that focuses on mining. A docent will point out what’s on display and demonstrate the exhibits that move, such as the model of a stamp mill. There are also several samples of silver ore that came out of the hills nearby.

To the right is a replica of a bar similar to those that were probably built in 11 of the saloons around Silver Reef. Look on the bar for smaller exhibits and brochures.

What’s in the Exhibit

Hover or click on any of the pulsating dots to reveal what’s on display.

Ore samples taken from area mines – the left sample being the sandstone silver was found in

Artifact Room

Passing through the door on the right past the stagecoach will lead you into the Artifact Room. Here you’ll find artifacts mainly from the town itself, not related to mining. The exhibits seen in this room will give you a glimpse of what life was like during Silver Reef’s boom years.

Artifacts include various items found around the townsite, such as bottles, plates, pieces of clothing, and tin cans. You’ll also find the old built-in safe that was part of the Wells Fargo Express Office, along with smaller safes that were used on stagecoaches. Additionally, there are examples of guns and weapons that were common during the Old West era.

Displays in the Artifact Room

The Artifact Room

Pull-out drawers in the Artifact Room reveal smaller artifacts

Display case with recovered bottles

Geology Room

Next, we’ll go through a smaller room that features the geology exhibit. Here, you can see a geologic map of the Silver Reef area, some examples of dinosaur fossils discovered nearby, and a map showing all the mining claims from the 1880s in the area.

Clothing Display

Just beyond the geology room, you’ll find a small room with display cases showcasing some of the clothes people wore during the time of Silver Reef. Close by, there’s a listening station where you can hear stories from some of the town’s former residents.

Gift Shop & Bookstore

Finally, there’s the museum’s gift shop and bookstore. It’s located at the back of the museum, behind the mining exhibit.

In the display cases, a variety of gifts will be found, including silver coins, jewelry, art, games and other miscellaneous items.

Here, you’ll find books covering geology, mining and the history of both Silver Reef and the surrounding Washington County area. There’s also a selection of children’s books covering topics on ghost towns, the Old West, and dinosaurs.

Gift shop counter

Items in the gift shop

A collection of books are available in the gift shop

Underground Mine Exhibit

Below, in the museum’s basement, is an underground mine exhibit offering an immersive glimpse into what it was like to work digging for silver. Check with the docent to learn when this special exhibit is available for touring. All tours of this exhibit require a docent.

Underground mining exhibit

Displays on modern-day mining in the exhibit

Diorama

Located behind and on the side of the museum in a separate small building is a diorama of what the old town of Silver Reef used to look like. Called the Cassidy Powder House, it is a reconstruction of a building used for storing explosives. Today though, it’s used for housing the diorama, plus models of the area’s silver mills. You’ll also find a large map of the mining claims around Silver Reef.

Dioramas are located in the Cassidy Powder House next to the museum

Diorama of main street in Silver Reef

Model of the Stormont Mill

Model of the Barbee & Walker Mine & Mill

Outside Exhibits

Next to the museum and the Cassidy Powder House is a collection of outdoor exhibits. These consist of mining equipment such as ore cars, wagons, compressors, various gears and wheels, basically all kinds of components that made up a mining or milling operation.

Directly across the street from the mining equipment is a wishing well. This serves as a kiosk that explains the surrounding area. There’s also a series of viewing pipes that point out specific places, such as Tecumseh Hill.

Outdoor exhibits next to the museum building

Outdoor exhibits

Mine ore cars

Viewpoint and kiosk across street from museum

Walking Tour

Another outdoor exhibit you shouldn’t miss is the walking tour through the old town of Silver Reef. See the Walking Tour article to learn more.

Silver Reef: Then and Now

Cliff Bandringa / Artifacts, Buildings, History /

February 10, 2026

This article is a collection of old and new photographs that can be compared by sliding a vertical bar back and forth. The pictures will give you a good idea of what was once here in Silver Reef during its boom years, and what it looks like today (2026).

Use your mouse to click and hold over the vertical bar, then slide back and forth to reveal different portions of the then and now picture.

Wells Fargo Building (Front)

The Wells Fargo & Express Office building serves as Silver Reef’s museum. The historic picture was taken in 19?? when this building served as a residence?? Oh, and the horse’s name is Clown.

Wells Fargo Building (Rear)

This the backside of the Wells Fargo & Express Office building. The historic picture was taken in 1968. You can see there was a rear deck, which was replaced with full-length rear deck you see today.

In the “now” picture of 2026, the Cassady Powder House, which is where the town’s dioramas reside, was built in the 1980s and was not part of the original building. You might think, is that the same tree? No, it isn’t.

Main Street

These are two different views looking north up Main Street. The contemporary view was taken in 2026, whereas the historic view was taken about 1881.

In the 1881 scene, you can see the Wells Fargo and Harrison House buildings on the left side of Main Street. However, this is before the fire of 18??, which is when the Harrison House burned and was rebuilt of rock. The rock walls remain and are visible just beyond the Cosmopolitan.

View of Silver Reef

These are two different views looking down onto the town along Main Street. The scene is from atop Tecumseh Hill looking to the northwest.

Savage Mine

Before and after view of the Savage Mine on the west side of Tecumseh Hill. The mine sat up on a small rise where wagons would load up ore that was lifted up from the hoisting works and then transported to one of the nearby mills of Silver Reef. The Salvage Mine used a steam engine to lift buckets of ore through a vertical shaft from the various mining levels some 200-300 feet below.