Nevada Ghost Towns & Beyond

Tucked away in the rugged high desert of northeastern Nevada, the Ruby Valley Pony Express Station was a powerful testament to one of the most daring chapters in American westward expansion. Originally established in the remote Ruby Valley and later relocated to Elko, where it now rests outside the Northeastern Nevada Museum, this weathered structure is one of only two surviving Pony Express ... VIEW POST

I'm so excited about all the presentations this year! A few more locations are pending. The first one is February 28th, at the Lincoln County Tourism Expo in Caliente. Most are about my new books, In the Shadow of the Sierra and In the Glow of the Sierra: ghost towns of the Eastern Sierra. I am especially looking forward to the Nevada State Museum: Dust to Dust in the Desert: Unearthing ... VIEW POST

The site that became Hunter was at the crossroads of the California Emigrant Trail and the Hastings Cut-Off, where the ill-fated Donner Party rejoined the trail. Over 200,000 emigrants passed through, leaving ruts that are still visible today. Thomas and William Hunter, of Elko, started the ranch in the 1870s. Their ranch expanded, growing to include twenty-six brands and thousands of head ... VIEW POST

I came across this mine while researching locations around Bodie and Aurora. This weekend, while I was across the valley, a reflection caught my attention. Rolling up on the mine, I was disappointed; it was a modern trailer that caught the sun. The mine with the rails was cool. Then we walked around and found a few old dugouts and a rock foundation, which made the trip worth it. Qualeys ... VIEW POST

Filosena Ranch is one of the original homesteads around Mono Lake. The Filosenas raised produce and meat, keeping Bodie and the surrounding mines and towns fed. The kidnapping of a girl from a nearby Pauite camp and subsequent rescue by the men at the Filosena ranch set off a series of events, including arson, the murder of a young Sheriff, and a posse in a shoot-out with desperados. Now ... VIEW POST