Travel Update: Full Post to Follow
This week I explored the infamous Forty-Mile Desert, a notoriously barren and challenging passage. Consumable water was not available for a forty-mile stretch from the Humboldt to Carson Rivers.
By 1850 the Forty-Mile Desert was already dotted with 953 graves and thousands of animal remains. Mark Twain wrote, “It would hardly be an exaggeration to say that we could have walked the forty miles and set our feet on a bone at every step!”
We followed emigrant trails, visited 160-year-old mines and mills, historic railroad lines, and stations. The determination and grit of pioneers amaze me. Although it was a bumpy ride in Jeeps, I can’t imagine what it would be like riding a wagon.
Lette
Truckee Trail
Desert Quartz Mill
Desert Queen Mine
Carson River Route
Ragtown
Hazen
Luva
11-11-2021
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Penielle says
Your work is spectacular.
I am interested in learning unique names of places/mines within 50 miles of Fallon.
We are forming an organization here and want to name it for an historic event/place/phenomenon/or activity found exclusively here. We know that “Gina’s Butte” was named for the whorehouse Madame, but we don’t think it is dignified enough.
We’ll keep checking back.
Tami says
Thank you, that is so sweet and made my week.
I’ll try and think of unique names. Susan’s Bluff is my favorite. I have wanted to work with the trail groups to get a memorial.
I spoke at Trail’s West annual conference (and led two trips) this spring. I learned there is a debate about the naming of Susan’s Bluff. Like many parts of early history, we may never know the truth. However, as the local tribe has an oral tradition of the same story, with a different ending, I believe it is true. I need to update my article, but their history says Susan was upset and threw a woman’s mortal and pestle off the cliff. As they are valuable items, the woman shoved Susan over the Bluff. Either way, it ended; it was a terrible fate for a young woman.
https://nvtami.com/index.php/2021/02/24/susans-bluff-nevada-memorial-in-stone/
Do you follow Nevada Expeditions? He lives in Fallon and is my expert in that area; if anyone knows of unique names, it would be Austin. He is also leading trips through the Parks department.
https://www.nvexpeditions.com/index.php
John Bacich says
Tami, I always wondered how the “Lousetown Creek Road” got it’s name. It runs from Virginia city northwest to highway 80.
Tami says
Good question! I checked Stan Paher’s book and it is a corruption of Louisa Town.