Nevada Ghost Towns & Beyond

I have wanted to visit the Hess Ranch since I first saw the beautiful brick ranch house. Jacob Hess started the ranch in the late 1800s. Following the death of his wife, the ranch was sold several times. The stately brick house was built in 1910, an upgrade from the original white house. The Hess Ranch may be the most intact historic ranch in Nevada I have visited. It included the ... VIEW POST

Heading to Bodie or Aurora? Why take the modern route when you can follow the old stage road from Genoa to Aurora or Bodie? Even if you are driving Highway 395, you can still follow a portion of the old route. Genoa and Carson City were the primary supply and service centers for the eastern Sierra. Toll roads connected travelers from the southern mines to Genoa and Carson City and, ... VIEW POST

My first big summer expedition was to High Rock Canyon. This trip has been in the plans for some time. While not challenging off-road, it is a commitment getting that far north in Washoe County. Austin of Nevada Expeditions decided that High Rock was our destination for his birthday trip in early July 2025. Austin searched for a great campsite where we could fuel up the thirsty "Badger ... VIEW POST

My big destination last week was Nine-Mile Ranch to see the preservation work and meet my friend and Radio Goldfield co-host, Larry, who is the Ranger Aide. Native Americans first used this site, and in 1844, John C. Fremont's party camped at this approximate location en route to California. After a rich silver and gold ore strike in 1860 on the border of Nevada and California, travelers ... VIEW POST

Five Mile House was five miles from Aurora on the stage road to Carson City. From 1860 to the early 1900s, the station changed hands multiple times as Aurora and Bodie experienced the boom and bust of the mining era. The station was active with stories of injuries, summer resorts and a shooting of an axe-wielding assailant intent on robbing the ranch. Five Mile House Mile houses, also ... VIEW POST