Dixie Valley: Tanks and Taquitos

Dixie Valley is a one-of-a-kind Nevada ghost town. Instead of being abandoned when miners moved on to the next strike, the valley became a ghost town when the US Navy acquired it as part of their training range. Many homesteads were demolished but a few structures remained, including a cyanide rocket shop, an abandoned school bus, and multiple ranches. Round out your day playing on tanks and “50 cal tacitos” at the “US Navy Taco Bell.”

Early Settlement of Dixie Valley

Dixie Valley and Marsh were settled in 1861 to mine salt, borax and potash. Salt was used in the Washoe Process, a form of pan amalgamation, to treat silver ore. Salt from the marsh was shipped to Virginia City, Belmont, Austin, Unionville and as far away as the first ghost town I visited, Silver City, Idaho. According to a letter from J.T. Reid, of Coppereid fame, ten cars of Borax were produced in Dixie Valley. Mining declined in 1868.

Dixie Valley was rich in another resource-scarce in the Great Basin: Water. The valley had multiple springs and ranching became the primary industry in the area. Fifty families lived and ranched in the valley. The town had no retail businesses, but a post office was opened on March 7, 1918. A small schoolhouse was relocated from the Beach District. Postal service was transferred to Fallon on December 30, 1933 and the school closed in the 1960s.

The day the earth shook

The twelfth largest earthquake in the continental United States shook Dixie Valle on December 16, 1954. The 7.3M_w earthquake dropped the valley floor fifty feet and created a large scarp along the eastern foothills of Stillwater Range. The valley, already rich in water, saw new springs and marshes develop.

The ghost town of a different color

Most ghost towns in Nevada are created due to decreased mining activity. As veins of quartz and ore were exhausted, residents moved to the next strike. Often they moved not only their possessions but their entire house. Dixie Valley became a ghost town for a different reason. In 1995 the US Navy acquired the valley to use as part of their Fallon Range Training Complex. Most homesteads were demolished, leaving only a few structures and outbuildings.

Dixie Valley Ruins

With daylight fading, we had to pick a handful of former homesteads. Each offers something different:

Old Ellis Place

My favorite homestead had a shed with quilt-like patchwork siding. Upon examining the structure, I found the siding was made from cyanide tins. After I was home a friend pointed out the shop likely constructed with ammo containers. I reviewed my photos and he is correct, it is made from rocket containers. It’s a Cyanide Rocket Shop!

Recycling level: Expert!

Turley Ranch

At the Turley ranch, pink floor tiles mark the location of the bathroom. The house burned in 1985, leaving only the foundation and some bathroom tiles. A shed and what appear to be a chicken coop have collapsed across the yard.

A cemetery lies along the road on the south side of town. Most of the graves have been exhumed and relocated. The Turley family remains at the cemetery. I suspect the design of the Turley sign uses part of the ranch’s brand.

Old Horse Trailer

One homestead has an abandoned horse trailer and a building that has collapsed. The trailer appears to have been converted into a living space.

Old Stark Place

An abandoned school bus, never again to transport children.

Old Domonske Place

Our treat was lunch at the “US Navy Taco Bell” in Dixie Valley. We shared Sidewinder Tamales, .50 cal Taquitos and a 105mm Quesadilla. You can check out the rest of the menu, posted by an unknown epicurean:

Tanks, tanks and more tanks!*

As much as I love history, what I really wanted was to climb on the tanks! There were two “M247 Sergeant York,” and “self-propelled anti-aircraft gun(s).” The design cost almost $2B, over $4B in 2021 terms, and the program was controversial. It’s claimed that during a live fire demonstration, the automatic tracking system pointed twin 40mm cannons at the viewing stands. It was also purported to have problems with its radar:

…so useless its automatic targeting system couldn’t distinguish between a toilet vent fan and a jet plane…

Today I Found Out

With a total production of about 50, the M247 was canceled in 1985. Some sources state it was a flawed system that could not be salvaged, while others that improved Soviet capabilities made it obsolete. Regardless of the reason, only a handful remain, two relegated to watching over Dixie Valley’s remaining school bus.

Ghost Towning

Dixie Valley was the final stop on my GGTT, Girl Ghost Town Trip, in March 2021. I always seem to hit the area late in the day and don’t have enough time to explore fully. Even with limited time, we still had fun wandering abandoned homesteads, climbing on tanks and having a late lunch at the “US Navy Taco Bell.”

Thank you, Shonna and Austin from Nevada Expeditions, for a great day. I haven’t had that much fun in a long time, I laughed so hard my abs hurt! We started at Stillwater school, followed the Pony Express route to Mountain Well Pony Express Station, then over the Stillwaters to La Plata and Averill. We drove a pole line, similar to the Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland, up through Dixie Valley. I lost track of how often I hit a wash and said, “S**t, sorry about that!” I’m not sure if I was apologizing to my friends or Honey Badger

Visited 2-28-2021

*Yes, I know they’re not really “tanks.” I don’t care.

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References

• Assignment Point: Washoe Process
• Forgotten Nevada: Dixie Valley
• Gamett, James and Stan Paher. Nevada Post Offices: An Illustrated History. Nevada Publications, 1863. Page 57.
• Lincoln, Francis Church. Mining Districts and Mineral Resources of Nevada. Stanley Paher, 1982. Page 3.
• Nevada Expeditions: Dixie Valley
• Nevada Explorer: Dixie Valley, Nevada
• Paher, Stanley. Nevada Ghost Towns and Mining Camps. Nevada Publications, 1970. Page 108.
• Paher, Stanley. Nevada Ghost Towns and Desert Atlas. Nevada Publications, 2009. Pages 24-27.
• Today I found Out: Forgotten History: The M247 Sergeant York and it’s propensity to lock onto latrines instead of enemy aircraft
• Vanderburg, William. Mines of Churchill and Mineral Counties. Nevada Publications, 1988. Page 8.
• Wikipedia: Dixie Valley, Nevada
• Wikipedia: 1954 Rainbow Mountain-Fairview Peak-Dixie Valley earthquakes

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