Candice Mortenson remembered for decades of dedication to Pioche

For nearly three decades, the Overland Hotel & Saloon has stood as more than a business on Pioche’s Main Street. For longtime owner Candice Mortenson, it was part of a community she fell in love with and spent decades working to make better.

Mortenson recently passed away after spending the final years of her life in the Lincoln County community that had become home.

Her connection to Pioche began in the early 1970s, when her parents purchased a small cabin primarily used as a hunting shack. Candice inherited the cabin in the late 1980s, and she, her husband, Ron Mortenson, and daughter, Mary, began making the three-hour trip from Las Vegas nearly every weekend.

Candice and Ron quickly fell in love with Pioche and its small-town lifestyle. They spent time at the Overland Hotel & Saloon, where they met then-owner Bill Brown.

The historic property was in considerable disrepair, but Candice was taken with its hand-carved mahogany back bar and began imagining what the Overland must have looked like in its prime.

In 1996, while having lunch with her husband, Candice told Ron she wanted him to drive to Pioche and buy the Overland.

Ron, a professional painter, later recalled that he “didn’t ask any questions.” He drove to Pioche that afternoon and offered Brown cash for the property.

The purchase ultimately took three years as the Mortensons worked through old liens, established a corporation and secured gaming and liquor licenses.

Once the Overland was theirs, the family began restoring it. Ron completed much of the work himself, with members of the Pioche community helping along the way. Hotel rooms were remodeled, the roof and flooring replaced, a faux tin ceiling installed and the exterior re-stuccoed. Candice kept the books and made sure things ran smoothly behind the scenes.

The Overland went on to thrive, becoming a fixture on Main Street and welcoming locals and visitors for nearly 30 years.

Candice’s dedication to Pioche extended beyond the business.

She joined the Pioche Chamber of Commerce in 1996 and held various positions over the next 20 years, including seven years as Labor Day chairwoman beginning in 2013.

In 2000, she began an eight-year tenure on the Pioche Town Board and also served on the Room Tax Board, where her daughter, Mary King, said she worked to make sure Lincoln County benefited from the success of local hotels and tourism.

Her service could also be found in smaller acts that rarely came with recognition. Candice supported community fundraisers and would even privately pay to have the spring weeds cleared along Main Street.

“She loved Pioche so much and spent a lot of her time trying to make it better,” King said.

Candice spent the final years of her life enjoying Pioche alongside her husband, daughter and two dogs.

Her legacy remains visible on Main Street in the Overland she and Ron restored, but it extends well beyond the building.

It can be found in Chamber meetings, Labor Day celebrations, years of town service, community fundraisers and weeds quietly cleared from Main Street during decades spent caring for a place Candice chose to call home