Town file
Denio, Nevada
Denio, Nevada (Humboldt County, Nevada) is the town in one episode of Small Town Murder, the comedy true-crime podcast: episode 499, "Hermit Horrors" (6 June 2024). Denio is a census-designated place of about 47 people in Humboldt County, in north-western Nevada, pressed against the Oregon border at almost 4,100 feet.
- Town
- Denio
- County
- Humboldt County
- State
- Nevada
- Country
- USA
- Episodes
- 499
- Approximate location
- 41.989, -118.637
Episode 499 / 6 June 2024 / 163 min / full
Hermit Horrors
"This is Denio, Nevada ... in northwestern Nevada right on the Oregon border ... this is in Humboldt County" about 0:05:38
The case: Murder of Richard and Judy Weese and Pete Cacenaut (June 1978); looting of the Elephant Mountain burial cave and the plot to kill Lloyd Olds (1980 to 2005). Read the case file.
The figures, as told in 2024
- Population
- 20 to 47
- Median age
- 60.3
- Median household income
- $76,299
- Median home value
- $281,660
- Cost of living
- 89.2
- Property crime
- ▼ about half
- Violent crime
- ▼ about three quarters
History, in brief
- The town was originally in Oregon before the boundary was moved. about 0:07:43
- Named after Aaron Denio, who settled in the area in 1885; he was born in Illinois, worked as a miller, miner and farmer, and died in 1907. about 0:07:49
- The post office was named after Aaron Denio in 1888, which is how the town got its name. about 0:08:05
- After World War II businesses moved south of the Oregon border to take advantage of Nevada's loose laws: no income tax, liberal liquor laws, gambling and liberal prostitution laws. about 0:08:16
- The post office was moved and reopened in 1950 with a Nevada address. about 0:08:36
- Denio is a census-designated place with no real governmental structure; it has a post office, a community centre, a library and the Diamond Inn Bar. about 0:09:15
- The Diamond Inn bar opened in 1951. about 0:18:24
- Black fire opals found at the local mines were designated Nevada's state precious gemstone in 1987, and this is one of only two spots on Earth where black fire opal is found. about 0:19:51
The reviews read out
4 stars
"Joe calls it a place to stop and stretch and drink a cold beverage; a welcome sight driving through the Oregon outback, with a corner store selling cold drinks and food and a small hotel for shut-eye."about 0:09:50
3 stars
"Jeff says the lady at the counter was great and the burger did not disappoint, but the gas was a dollar more than in Winnemucca because they are the only show in town for about a hundred miles."about 0:10:24
3 stars
"The reviewer fuels up in a larger town first, bought a gallon as an insurance policy, and says do not stop unless you have no choice because they know they have the market cornered."about 0:10:58
1 star
"The reviewer's partner went in for snacks while he walked their dog; the owner came out and complained they were in her front yard, and he says they will never return."about 0:11:46
Nearest Small Town Murder towns
- Winnemucca, Nevada85 miles
- Imlay, Nevada95 miles
- Ontario, Oregon164 miles
- Garden City, Idaho166 miles
- Elko, Nevada169 miles
- Lemmon Valley, Nevada171 miles
Everything here is as told in the episode, on the date it went out; figures and places may have changed since. Endings are covered: open an episode and use the spoiler switch to read them.