Nevada Ghost Towns & Beyond

I'm back from Thunder Ranch and exhausted! I don't know if I'll write up the trip, but it was amazing. The basic classes were a lot of fun, and this class was fun, too, but in a very different way. HIT was 1800 rounds in 3 days. It was 90-95 degrees with no shade. The head instructor called the class a little early, as everyone was exhausted. I looked down the line, and we all had bandaged ... VIEW POST

Do you know how the ghost town of Atolia, California, is related to German U-boats? During WWI, tungsten was in high demand to harden steel alloys. Atolia became the primary source of tungsten worldwide. Atolia grew to support tungsten mining. It was named after Atkins and DeGolia, two mining company executives. A post office opened in 1906, and Atolia grew to a population of 2,000. The ... VIEW POST

I had a great weekend as trail lead, taking the Dirty Girls to Pine Grove. If I had to pick a favorite ghost town in northern Nevada, it would be Pine Grove. It is relatively accessible (there are some washouts) and has various historical things to see, including a stamp mill, boarding house and cemetery. Some of the ladies had been on runs with me; for others, this was our first meeting. It ... VIEW POST

While Arizona is known for the Grand Canyon National Park, it is also home to numerous National Monuments relating to Native American history. Montezuma Castle The Sinagua inhabited the caves from 1100 to 1425 AD. ‘Sinagua’ is Spanish for ‘without water,’ reflecting their adaptation to the arid environment through farming and trading. Montezuma's Castle is the equivalent of a ... VIEW POST

Walnut Canyon National Monument. "Going down is optional. Returning is mandatory." The Sinagua inhabited the caves from 1100 to 1250 AD. 'Sinagua' is Spanish for 'without water,' reflecting their adaptation to the arid environment through farming and trading. What's truly fascinating is the presence of 80 cliff dwellings scattered around the canyon, each a unique testament to their ingenuity. ... VIEW POST