Owl throws in towel in Battle Mountain

The Owl Club Casino and Motel abruptly called it quits last Tuesday, putting about 30 employees out of work.

"Due to the continued decline in the Battle Mountain economy, which has resulted in a negative impact in the operation of the Owl Club, Jackpot Enterprises Inc. has terminated the operation effective June 29, 1999," the club owners said in a brief prepared statement.

It added that efforts were underway to sell the property, which has changed hands at least twice since 1957.

"I really hate to see it, because we need the jobs," Lander County Commission Chairman Cheryl Lyngar told the Elko Daily Free Press. "We just lost those jobs at Echo Bay. This coming on top of that is kind of a double whammy. I didn't have any idea they were closing."

Echo Bay Mines laid off 100 at McCoy-Cove near Battle Mountain early this year.

"This doesn't bode well for the town, because people see it and it makes them nervous, even more so," Lyngar said.

On the other hand, she said the commission just approved a liquor license for a Chinese restaurant reopening across the street from the Owl and a bakery-convenience store opening in a former Subway restaurant. The Hide-A-Way Steakhouse also reopened after a fire last year, she said.

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