Tuscarora, Nevada

First timer?  In this formerly once-a-day blog (then every-other-day blog and now a two-or-three-times a week blog), I have my computer select a random latitude and longitude that puts me somewhere in the continental United States (the lower 48).  I call this “landing.”  I keep track of the watersheds I land in, as well as the town I land near.  I do some internet research to hopefully find something of interest about my landing location.  To find out more about A Landing A Day (like who “Dan” is and what the various numbers and abbreviations mean), please see “About Landing,” (and “Abbreviations” and “Cryptic Numbers”) above.

Dan -  I guess the LG decided that four USers in a row would be too many . . . NV; 75/69; 5/10; 2; 155.0.  Here’s my landing that shows  that I landed in the middle of nowhere (typical for NV):

Note the scale, and the fact that there aren’t even any roads (let alone towns).  I have to move out a little to see some roads and towns:

Here’s an even broader view:

For the 24^th time, I landed in the Humboldt R watershed.  As you know well by now, the Humboldt is internally drained, and ends up in the dead end Humboldt Lake.

Here’s my GE shot, showing a very dry, very hilly, very empty terrain:

Here’s an oblique GE shot, looking east, showing pretty much more of the same:

Nearby (surprise!) is a huge mining operation.  Here’s a GE shot looking past the mine towards my landing:

I would usually do some research on the mine, but for some reason, I didn’t bother . . .

So, if you look up at my second landing map, you can see that I landed closest to the town of Tuscarora, which is about 19 miles away.  You’ll not be surprised to learn that it’s a former mining town that’s now pretty much a ghost town.

About Tuscarora, from Ghosttowns.com:

Placer deposits were discovered near Tuscarora in July of 1867. Nothing much happened until 1869 when the first Chinese moved into the area. By the end of the year more than 200 Chinese miners had arrived and formed a Chinatown adjacent to the Tuscarora camp. The Chinese became more efficient than the whites in placer mining primarily because they were willing to work harder and longer. In 1870, Tuscarora had a population of 119 of which 104 were Chinese and 15 were white

During the early 1870s, the frustrated white miners left the placer operations and began prospecting in the nearby hills. Silver was discovered and Tuscarora became a silver mining town. Mills were built to process the ore, stage lines included the town in their routes, businesses flourished, schools were built, and Tuscarora became the place to be. The two most productive years were 1878 and 1879. The population had reached 1,500. In each of those years, Tuscarora’s mines yielded more than $1 million worth of bullion.

But fires that had spared the town during the first few years of its existence began to plague to town. That, together with a new discovery in the Wood River region of Idaho started a small exodus from Tuscarora. During the mid 1880s, the big mines of the 1870s began to play out and the population slipped to less than 1,000. The town continued to suffer and many businesses closed their doors. The stage coaches were full leaving town and empty upon their return. During the ensuing years there were many attempts at revival but none succeeded in returning the town to its previous glory

Today, Tuscarora is classified as a ghost town although there are a few people still living there. Visitors are guaranteed to enjoy themselves.

Here’s the “Welcome to Tuscarora” sign (photo by Rich Bauer, from Barraclou.com):

Pretty funny how someone procured a “Welcome to Nevada” sign and then fixed it up a little.  You have to love the giant grasshopper.

Of course, there are broken down trucks:

Here’s a shot of a property that’s still occupied:

There’s an old mining pit filled with water in Tuscarora:

Perusing my landing map, I saw a blip on the map labeled “Dinner Station.”  Here’s a landing map oriented further east.  Today’s landing is the western-most, but just south of the eastern-most landing, you’ll see Dinner Station:

Intrigued, I Googled it, and found it to be a ghost town as well.  From Ghosttowns.com

Stage lines need stations along the route for the convenience of passengers. The best known along the Elko to Tuscarora line was Dinner Station. The first station was a wooden building built in 1860s. The fare to Dinner Station from Elko was three dollars. In 1880 the station burned to the ground and was replaced by a new two-story stone structure that was “the handsomest and most comfortable wayside hostelry in the state of Nevada.”

In 1888 a saloon and a small store opened next to the station and the population grew to about forty people. In addition to serving meals, the station could sleep twenty people and the barn could hold up to seventy-five horses. Over the years a good-sized ranch grew up around the station but with the advent of the automobile the need for the station diminished. The station still stands and is open to visitors. HBC

Here’s a picture of Dinner Station by D.A. Wright (from ghosttowns.com):

I stumbled on this from the Elko County Rose Garden site (elkorose.com):

The area between Lone Mountain Station and Dinner Station (names come from when stagecoaches and freight wagons traveled between Elko and  Tuscarora, Nevada) contains what is widely considered to be a meteorite impact field (many small and intermediate sized craters).

Here are a couple of pictures of small craters.  This one shows a crater just to the left of the hill top (and maybe one to the right as well):

Here’s a more obvious one:

I’ll close with this general Nevada landscape shot, which is taken a little east of my landing:

That’ll do it. . .

KS

Greg

© 2010 A Landing A Day

Lovelock, Nevada

First timer? In this (hopefully) once-a-day blog, I have my computer select a random latitude and longitude that puts me somewhere in the continental United States (the lower 48). I call this “landing.” I keep track of the watersheds I land in, as well as the town I land near. I do some internet research to hopefully find something of interest about my landing location. To find out more about A Landing A Day (like who “Dan” is and what the various numbers and abbreviations mean), please see “About Landing,” (and “Abbreviations” and “Cryptic Numbers”) above.

Dan -  The situation’s getting a little more serious now – yes, I’m on an 0/4 run due to my landing in . . . NV; 70/65; 5/10 (0/4); 12; 152.1.  Here’s my landing map, showing my proximity to Lovelock and the Humboldt River:

This was my 21^st landing in the Humboldt R watershed; this time I landed fairly close to the end of the Humboldt, where it runs into Humboldt Lake (about 12 miles S of my landing).  Of course, no water leaves Humboldt Lake; it just soaks in and/or evaporates.  Here’s a map, showing my proximity to Humboldt Lake:

I’ve discussed the Humboldt before; it’s the longest internally-drained river in the U.S., with a length of about 300 miles (all within Nevada).  Staying with the Humboldt, I’ll present some photos of the river and the lake.  I’ll start with these two shots of the river, just upstream from where it empties into the lake.  Note that it is often dry; obviously these pictures were taken after significant desert rains:

Here’s a shot of the lake itself (taken at the same time as the river pictures):

A gentleman named Lawrence K. Hersh, a photographer, railroad lover and historian, put together a book entitled “Central Pacific Railroad Across Nevada, 1868 and 1997 Photographic Comparatives.”  Two of the comparative photos are taken near Humboldt Lake.  First this picture from 1868, with Mr. Hersh’s caption below the picture:

Photo number 316, “End of Track, near Humboldt Lake,” circa 1868, is an excellent view to the southwest, showing a construction train stopped, headed eastbound, with lots of tents in the foreground.  These tents were probably occupied by Chinese, whose contribution to the construction of this railroad made the Transcontinental Railroad a reality. The railroad grade parallels the west side of Humboldt Lake.

Here’s his 1997 shot taken from the same place, with his caption below:

Photo number 97316, taken in May of 1997, shows the general spot Alfred A. Hart photographed in 1868, from atop the sand hill on the east side of the railroad grade. This is one of my favorite photo sites. I can spend hours exploring this area, thinking only of going back in time, while standing on top of the sand hill. It appears as if the trail seen in the foreground of photo 316 can still be seen in today’s photo.

On to the town of Lovelock.  From the town’s website:

Lovelock, Nevada (the County Seat of Pershing County) lies in a meadow valley with the Humboldt Range to the east and the Trinity and Seven Troughs ranges to the north and west. This valley was known to settlers as Big Meadows because of the abundance of grass and water. It was favored as a resting place before continuing on to California and Oregon.

In 1868, the history of Lovelock changed with the building of the Central Pacific Railroad through Pershing County. Like many Nevada railroad towns, Lovelock had a thriving Chinese population and a large mining community. By 1900, Lovelock featured a school, churches and a business district.

On March 19, 1919, Pershing County was created and Lovelock was named the county seat. Pershing County is named after General John J. Pershing, a World War I hero, and the town is named for George Lovelock, an early homesteader and storekeeper.

Here’s an overview photo of downtown Lovelock:

The impressive-looking building in the above picture is the courthouse.  Here’s a close-up:

Heading back in time again, here’s an excerpt from an 1849 journal entry, written by a visitor to Lovelock (then referred to as Big Meadows):

“This marsh for three miles is certainly the liveliest place that one could witness in a lifetime. There are some two hundred and fifty wagons here all the time. Wagon trains going out and others coming in and taking their places is the constant order of the day. Cattle and mules by the hundreds are surrounding us, in grass to their knees, all discoursing sweet music with the grinding of their jaws.

“Men are seen hurrying in many different ways and everybody attending to his own business. Some mowing, some reaping, some packing the grass, others spreading it out to dry, or collecting that already dry and fixing it for transportation.  In fact the joyous laugh and the familiar sound of the whetted scythe gives an air of happiness and contentment around that must carry the wearied travelers through to the “Promised Land.” The scene reminds one of a large encampment of the army, divided off into separate and distinct parties, everybody minding his own business and letting other people alone.”

I really enjoyed the above piece and the expression of pure joy!  How about the cattle and mules, “all discoursing sweet music with the grinding of their jaws . . .”

Moving right along – I stumbled on an interesting road trip blog, with a lovely photo taken near Lovelock:

In addition to the travel blog, the author’s website contains much about baseball (statistics, scorekeeping and history).  Baseball is obviously his passion.  Click here to check it out.

I’ll close with this shot of the Trinity Range, just west of my landing:

That’ll do it.

KS

Greg

© 2009 A Landing A Day

Beowawe, Nevada

First timer? In this once-a-day blog, I have my computer select a random latitude and longitude that puts me somewhere in the continental United States (the lower 48). I call this “landing.” I keep track of the watersheds I land in, as well as the town I land near. I do some internet research to hopefully find something of interest about my landing location. To find out more about A Landing A Day (like who “Dan” is and what the various numbers and abbreviations mean), please see “About Landing,” above.

Dan -  Well, the slide continues.  Four, count ‘em, four WBers in a row.  AZ, then WY, then SD, and now . . . NV; 62/60; 2/10; 7; 168.0.  This is my highest Score since December 1st!   For the 17^th time, I landed in the Humboldt River watershed.  The Humboldt, as I’m sure you know, is the largest single internally-drained watershed in the U.S.  It meanders across northern NV, and ends up in a dead-end lake:  Humboldt Lake.  From Wiki:

The Humboldt River runs through northern Nevada.  At approximately 300 miles (480 km) long, it is the longest river in the arid Great Basin of North America.  It has no outlet to the ocean, but instead empties into the Humboldt Sink. It is the largest river in the United States, in terms of discharge, that does not ultimately reach the ocean.  Through its tributaries the river drains most of sparsely populated northern Nevada, traversing the state roughly east to west, and passing through repeated gaps in the north-south running mountain ranges. 

It furnishes the only natural transportation artery across the Great Basin, and has provided a route for the historical route for westward migration, railroads, and modern highways.  The river is named for the German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt.

Here’s a map showing the river’s course:

 

Here’s a nice picture of the river not far from my landing:

 

Here’s my landing map, showing that I landed near Beowawe.  Don’t worry, we’ll get to the proper pronunciation shortly.

 

And a broader view:

 

Here’s a picture of the Humboldt River at Beowawe:

 

Anyway, back to the town of Beowawe.  Oh my, what a strange name.  From Wiki:

Beowawe (pronounced bay-o-WAH-wee) is an unincorporated area and ghost town in Eureka County, in northeastern Nevada in the western United States.  Beowawe is a Paiute Native American word meaning “gate”.

Beowawe was officially founded in 1868 with the arrival of the railroad.  The town reached its peak around 1881 with a population of 60 people. In 1909 a power plant was built but, like many ghost towns, the boom had ended by 1916 and many of the residents had moved on. Currently, Beowawe is once again tied to energy production, the home to both a geothermal power plant and a large propane tank farm near the railroad.

Beowawe is also the name of one of two geyser fields located in the region (the other is Steamboat Springs). Geyser activity in both fields was destroyed by the creation of the local dual-flash geothermal power plant in 1985.

Here’s a picture of the post office and store that are now gone from old Beowawe:

Check out my landing map.  “The Geysers” & “Hot Springs” are shown west of my landing.  Here’s some more info about the geyser field:

 Beowawe Geyser Field was located in central Nevada between Elko and Battle Mountain. The field and steam were visible from the Interstate. The geyser field itself was located on the side of a hill and immediately at the bottom of the slope. This small basin was considered for national monument status, but apparently a political rivalry caused its disapproval. In the 1950s, geothermal drilling began the downward spiral of geyser activity at Beowawe. The sinter shield from geothermal activity can still be seen on the side of the hill, but steam issues only occasionally from several steam wells at the top of the hillside. Geyser fields normally occur in rhyolites and in volcanic areas. Beowawe is quite rare in that it possessed neither of these characteristics. Now, this rare and wonderful place is gone.

Here’s a not-so-great 1931 picture of the geyser field:

 

Here’s a 1971 picture showing a “geyser.”  I’m not sure if this is natural, or coming up out of a well (I suspect the latter).

 

And here’s some recent signage:

 

From elkrose.com

Beowawe is a place where many have passed through but few have remained.  It has seen the likes of Indians, trappers, traders, emigrants, miners, ranchers, railroaders, ministers and school marms.  But the town hasn’t been able to provide a lasting home for them.  They have come, stayed for a while, and gone.  The school  has closed, the church is closed; the post office, grocery store and even the bar have closed down. 

Beowawe may soon come back into the news.  It is one of several planned alternative routes to ship spent nuclear waste to Nevada’s Yucca Mountain in southern Nevada.   Here the nuclear waste would be unloaded from the Western Pacific railroad.  Then shipped by a yet to be constructed 320-mile railroad spur from here to Yucca Mountain. 

Right in Beowawe is a cemetery with a somewhat-famous grave, known as the “Maiden’s Grave.”  It turns out that maiden’s name was Lucinda Duncan.  Here’s quite the picture of Lucinda’s cross which is part of a very interesting blog post about Lucinda.  Click here for the post.

 

From the Oregon-California trails association website:

The grave of Lucinda Duncan in Beowawe has traditionally been called  ”The Maiden’s Grave.” Far from being a maiden, Lucinda Duncan was a seventy-year old grandmother traveling with her family to Galena, Nevada, from their home near Richmond, Ray County, Missouri in 1863.

Lucinda was born in Virginia, ca. 1792. Early in life she moved with her parents to Kentucky, where she married Daniel Duncan in 1820.  By the 1840s, they had moved to Missouri and had a family of 8 children.   In 1849 Daniel Duncan and his three oldest sons joined a wagon train captained by Lucinda’s cousin, Judge Daniel Parker. Daniel Duncan died in the California gold fields late in 1849. Lucinda Duncan remained a widow for the rest of her life.

In 1863, Lucinda and her family decided to emigrate to Nevada, then in the midst of a gold and silver boom. Lucinda was called the “mother of the wagon train” as it consisted primarily of her seven surviving children, their wives and husbands, many grandchildren, and various other close relatives. It was said that Lucinda, still strong and vigorous at the age of seventy, occasionally drove her own horse-drawn carriage, the only team of horses in the company of sixty ox teams and wagons.

Accounts of the death of Lucinda Duncan vary. Family stories say that she suffered a heart attack on the trail above Gravely Ford, lingered for a day and then died the night of August 15. The only contemporary account comes from the diary of James Yager, one of the contingent of non-Duncans in the train.

Sunday Morning 16. An event occurred last night that has cast a gloom over our camp; the death of one of its members. An old lady the mother and grandmother of a large part of our train. She had been sick for several days & night before last she became very ill so much so our train was compelled to lay over yesterday & last night she died. She was pious and beloved by the whole train, relatives & strangers. Her relatives took her death very hard. All of her children and grandchildren were present except a grandson who is in the confederate army.

Camp Wide Meadows Monday 17. We left Camp Reality yesterday about noon. Before leaving Mrs. Duncans funeral was preached by Captain Peterson [Peterson was captain of another train.] Her remains were carried to its last resting place as we proceeded on our journey & up on a high point to our left about one mile from camp, we paid our last debt & respect to the remains of the departed mother. There upon that wild & lonely spot, we left her, until Gabriel shall sound his trumpet in the last day. The scene was truly a sad one to leave a beloved mother on the wild & desolate plains. A board with the name of the deceased was put up at the head & boulders was laid over the grave to keep wolves from scratching in it. After this the train moved on.

KS

Greg

© 2009 A Landing A Day