Mountain View Cemetery's Celebrated Dead

When actress Dawn Wells, who gained fame as the character, Mary Ann Summers in the TV show, “Gilligan’s Island,” recently died at the age of 82 of complications due to COVID-19, it was only appropriate she be laid to rest in Mountain View Cemetery in Reno.

Wells, who was born in Reno, had long maintained close ties with her hometown. In fact, she was buried adjacent to her mother, Evelyn, with whom she shared a birthdate (October 18), who passed in 2004.

Mountain View Cemetery, which is part of a complex of two cemeteries commonly referred to as the Mountain View Cemeteries in Reno, has long been the final resting place for prominent Renoites. The dual burial grounds include the newer, non-denominational Mountain View Cemetery, as well as the older Masonic Memorial Gardens Cemetery, which dates to 1871, according to the Order of Masons.

Reno historian John Townley has written that Reno’s earliest cemeteries also included a Catholic burial ground on land now part of the University of Nevada, Reno, and the Hillside Cemetery on Nevada Street and University Terrace.

After the establishment of the university, the Catholic Cemetery was moved to its present location north of McCarran Boulevard while Hillside Cemetery, now largely abandoned, is still there, looking out of place as it sits adjacent to fraternity houses and apartment buildings.

The present boundaries of Masonic Memorial Gardens appear to have been established in 1899, when the Masons purchased additional acreage to expand the cemetery.

Wandering the lush, green lawns of the peaceful and picturesque cemeteries, it’s easy to spot dozens of prominent names—names that seemingly half the streets in Reno were named after, including Zolezzi, Wedekind, and McCarran.

In the Masonic Cemetery, which contains many Nevada politicians, you can find the large sarcophagus memorializing U.S. Senator Patrick McCarran as well as a tall bronze bust commemorating former Nevada Governor John Sparks.

Another political figure of note there is Edwin Ewing (E.E.) Roberts, who was born in Pleasant Grove, California, in 1870, and died in Reno on December 11, 1933. 

Roberts served as Reno’s mayor from 1923-1933 and as Nevada’s Congressional representative from 1911 to 1919. He taught school in Empire, Nevada from 1897-1899, and was a successful divorce lawyer in Reno for many years.

The political figures are generally fairly easy to find because their plots were often marked with either massive granite mausoleums or, in a few cases, bronze busts, now turned green with age, which depict their likenesses.

A few of the non-political figures who found peace at the Mountain View Cemeteries include famed 19th century journalist Alfred “Alf” Doten, who was born in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1829 and died in Carson City, Nevada, in 1903.

Doten wrote and edited for newspapers throughout the state, including Virginia City, Gold Hill, and the mining camp of Como (above Dayton), and maintained detailed diaries over several decades that described life in early Nevada.

Additionally, Mountain View is the final resting place of Velma “Wild Horse Annie” Bronn Johnston, who was born in Reno in 1912 and died in the city in June 1977. 

Johnston was an animal rights activist, who, in the 1950s, exposed the cruel and yet legal methods used by Nevada ranchers, hunters, and “mustangers” to eradicate wild horses roaming on public lands.

She led a grass-roots campaign, which involved school children writing letters to Congress, to draw attention to the mistreatment of the horses, and sparked the passage of federal legislation banning the capture, branding, and death of wild horses on public lands.

The Mountain View and Masonic Memorial Garden cemeteries are located on Stoker Avenue, directly north of West Fourth Street in Reno.

New Book Details Devils Hole Pupfish's Struggles to Survive

Devil's Hole Pupfish (Photo courtesy of Olin Feuerbacher)

The Devils Hole Pupfish is a small blue thing. Measuring only about an inch-long and often lacking pelvic fins like other pupfish, it has been described as “tiny and wimpy.”

   But, as author Kevin C. Brown notes in his new book, “Devils Hole Pupfish: The Unexpected Survival of an Endangered Species in the Modern American West,” it is a survivor, having overcome a host of challenges during the past century and a half.

   The Devils Hole Pupfish (the apostrophe is typically left off when referring to this particular species, according to Brown), is known, scientifically, as Cyprinodon diabolis. It is a fast-moving thing that earned its name because of the way groups of them seemed to chase each other about—like a pack of puppies.

   According to Brown, part of what has made the Devils Hole Pupfish so special is that it was classified decades ago by federal scientists as a unique species and, because they only exist in Devils Hole, an endangered species, under federal law.

   Brown, in fact, devotes his first chapter to tracing the story of how the Devils Hole Pupfish was first discovered (in 1891), how the tiny fish were studied and classified by early scientists, and how it came to be formally considered a unique species.

   The latter point was particularly important when, in 1952, President Harry S. Truman added 40 acres of the Amargosa Desert known as Ash Meadows, which included Devils Hole, to Death Valley National Monument (now known as Death Valley National Park). The move provided permanent protection from development and other threats to the site.

   Brown, who writes scientific information in easy-to-understand terms, describes Devils Hole as a kind of funnel-shaped fissure or crack in the ground that is a window into a deep subterranean lake. At about 45 feet down, the opening is filled with warm water from the lake.

   The water in the 10-feet wide and 60-foot-deep crack, which is a constant 92 degrees Fahrenheit, and serves as the entire universe for the pupfish. A rock ledge in the fissure, barely below the water line, serves as its sole spawning area and the algae that grows in the hole is one of its main food sources (along with insects).

   Brown also describes the myriad threats the pupfish have faced over the decades, which range from numerous plans to pump groundwater from the area’s underground aquifer to use for agriculture and development, which would have caused drop in the water levels at Devils Hole, to disastrous government agency efforts designed to try to help the fish, which ended up actually killing them (such as in 2004 when a flash flood knocked measurement equipment into the hole and killed more than a third of the known fish population).

   The low point in the pupfish population came in 2013, when a population count found only 35 of the species still alive in the hole (just 20 years earlier there were between 400 and 500).

   Fortunately, the population has rebounded in more recent years and, according to Brown, have numbered between 135 and 185. The fish, he noted, is not yet in the clear but efforts to preserve their habitat and the species seem to be helping.

   Devils Hole is located about 25 miles south of Lathrop Wells, off Nevada State Route 373. To reach it, head south on Highway 95 through Tonopah. Lathrop Wells is located another two hours south of Tonopah on 95.

   For more information, go to: www.nps.gov/deva/learn/nature/devils-hole.htm.

  “Devils Hole Pupfish: The Unexpected Survival of an Endangered Species in the Modern American West,” by Kevin C. Brown is published by the University of Nevada Press and available in local bookstores or can be ordered on the University of Nevada Press website, https://www.unpress.nevada.edu/.

Eastern California's Alabama Hills Offer Incredible Scenery and Hollywood History

 

At Alabama Hills, you can walk in the footsteps of John Wayne, Robert Downey Jr., Kevin Bacon, Clint Eastwood, Roy Rogers, and dozens of other film and TV stars.

   The 18,610-acre national scenic area, located about 2.5 miles west of the community of Lone Pine, California via Whitney Portal Road, is the place where more than 400 movies and countless television shows have been filmed since 1920.

   The first known cinematic effort to use the hills as a backdrop was “The Roundup,” a comedian Fatty Arbuckle silent movie filmed in 1920. More recent films and shows that incorporated the area’s mountain/high desert scenery have included “Gladiator” (2000), “Iron Man” (2008), “Django Unchained” (2012), and “Man of Steel” (2013).

   Of course, there is a reason Alabama Hills is such a popular location for directors and cinematographers: its location relatively close to Los Angeles and Hollywood and the fact it can look like so many other parts of the world.

   In those hundreds of films, the hills have been a stand-in for the Middle East, frontier Arizona and New Mexico, ancient Rome, distant deserts, and other planets. With its unusual geology, consisting of various types of volcanic rock, Alabama Hills can be repurposed to serve as a substitute for places all over the world.

   Geologists describe the distinctive boulders and rocks of the hills as weathered granite that has been shaped by wind and erosion. The result is a spectacular landscape filled with smooth, almost organic-looking boulders, arches, spires, and corridors, with the jagged peaks of the Sierra Nevada range in the distance.

   The geologic features of the area, including the formation of the Sierra Nevada range, were shaped by uplifting that occurred 100 million years ago.

   At about the 2.7-mile point from Lone Pine, the road forks, with Whitney Portal Road continuing directly west and Movie Road branching (on the right) in a slightly northwestern direction. The latter leads to the bulk of the best boulders and formations.

   For example, at nearly the one-mile mark (from the fork), you can hike to the east of the road into what is called the Lone Ranger Canyon. This was the place where many of the adventures of the famed TV lawman were filmed in the 1950s. A little farther to the north of the canyon is where parts of the film, Django Unchained, were shot.

   At the 1.5-mile mark (from the fork), you reach a sharp curve and to the left is the short Arch Loop trail, which leads to several of the area’s most prominent rock arches, including Mobius Arch.

   Southwest of the trail are the sites where several other well-known movies were filmed, including “How the West Was Won” (1962), “Gunga Din” (1939), and “Tremors” (1990).

   If you continue for several more miles on Movie Road, you will end up back on US 395.

   For those with more time to explore, overnight camping is available at the Tuttle Creek Campground, with 80 sites, located south of the hills via Horseshoe Meadows Road.

   As for why a cluster of picturesque rocks and boulders in eastern California is named Alabama Hills, according to historians, among the first non-Native American visitors to the area were prospectors who staked mining claims in the Owens Valley area.

   Many were sympathetic to the Confederate side during the Civil War and named the hills after a Confederate warship, the Alabama, that had sunk a Union man-of-war ship, the Hatteras, off the coast of Texas in January 1863.

   In more recent years, there have been efforts to rename the hills, which were known by the native Paiute people as “Payahuunadü,” meaning “the land of flowing water.” While the Bureau of Land Management is still pondering its next step, many believe the site should be renamed to its original Paiute name, rather than continue using a name with racist connotations.

   For information on the name controversy, go to: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/california-eastern-sierras-reckon-with-racist-history-renaming-alabama-hills.

   For more general information about the area, go to: www.blm.gov/visit/alabama-hills-national-scenic-area.

Sodaville: Home of the Rare and Once Endangered Milkvetch

Buildings at Sodaville (Photo courtesy of Ken Lund)

 You won’t find a Coke in Sodaville. You also can’t find Pepsi or Mountain Dew or any other brand of soft drink.

Despite its frothy name, Sodaville owes its existence to the presence of two mineralized hot springs that flow in the area (hence the name) and a railroad’s need for a station in the area—and not to any type of carbonated beverage.

  Located on U.S. 95, about three miles south of Mina, Sodaville is today, in fact, little more than a name on a map with a handful of decaying buildings. Some online sites actually describe it as “an extinct town in Mineral County.”

  Historical records indicate the area was settled in the 1870s under the name Soda Springs. Situated about 20 miles north of the mining boomtown of Candelaria, it’s believed Soda Springs may have provided water to that mining camp and surrounding camps.

  In 1881, the Carson & Colorado Railroad decided to locate a rail station and roundhouse at Soda Springs, which, was renamed Sodaville. Additionally, a stage/freight line was established linking Sodaville to the mining community of Belmont (about 110 miles to the east).

  Along with transportation-related enterprises, Sodaville also became a popular warm springs resort for locals.

  By the early 1900s, Sodaville had become an important shipping point for ore coming out of Tonopah and Goldfield and supplies going back to those booming mining towns.

  Sodaville also became the site of a couple of small milling operations, which worked ore from nearby mining camps.

  Nevada history writer Stanley Paher has noted that in 1904, there was such demand for faster travel between the Carson & Colorado terminus at Sodaville and Tonopah that the horse-drawn wagons were replaced with Stanley Roadsters boasting 32-horsepower engines and room for up to 16 passengers.

  The trip, which had previously taken an entire day, was now possible in a blazing six to eight hours.

  Sodaville’s usefulness as a regional transportation hub soon came to an end following establishment of the Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad in the summer of 1904, which offered quicker, cheaper and better service.

  A year later, the Carson & Colorado’s owners decided to relocate its operations from Sodaville to Mina.

  In about 1915, tungsten was discovered in the mountains west of Sodaville and by the mid-1920s, a tungsten mill, the Silver Dyke, was erected in the community.

  These mining operations, however, were short-lived and Sodaville quickly slipped into obscurity. Today, only a few buildings, foundations and mounds of dirt mark the site of the original settlement.

  A perhaps apocryphal story about Sodaville appeared in the WPA Guide to Nevada, published in 1940. According to the guide, in 1904 a notorious local gunman named “Two-Gun” Mike Kennedy had been bullying camp residents for some time when he encountered a quite but determined miner named James Lund.

  Kennedy had been messing with Lund, who, tired of the harassment, challenged the gunman to a shoot-out. According to the story, Lund was unarmed so “Two-Gun” Kennedy loaned one of his pistols to the miner.

  The two squared off in the center of town, with residents lining both sides. Despite his reputation as the “toughest man ever to emerge from the East,” Kennedy was no match for Lund, who apparently fired all six of his bullets into Kennedy’s body. The sharpshooting Lund, however, was unharmed and, it was said, walked back into the saloon for another drink.

  While little remains of the community, Sodaville has been in the news for two non-mining related reasons in recent decades. In the late 20th century, naturalists discovered that the area was the site of a rare plant known as the Sodaville milkvetch (or Astragalus lntiginosus var. sequimelralis), a member of the pea family.

  According to reports, the Sodaville milkvetch has only been found at two locations in Nevada and one in California. It can be recognized by its divided leaves, purple flowers and inflated, elongated seed pods.

  The Sodaville milk-etch only flourishes in moist, alkaline clay flats near springs and around desert seeps, such as the marshy spring-fed areas found at Sodaville. As a result it was included on federal endangered species lists until recently.

  The other reason Sodaville has been in the news in recent decades was in the 1990s, when an entrepreneur acquired ownership of the area’s hot springs and decided to raise Australian red claw crawfish, which resemble small lobsters, in tanks fed by the springs.

  For a time, he was fairly successful, advertising to travelers on U.S. 95 that they should stop in to pick up what he called “Desert Lobsters.” At the peak of his operations, he had more than a half-million of the shellfish in his tanks.

  Unfortunately, however, he neglected to obtain the proper permits from state wildlife officials to commercially farm a non-native species. Concerned that the crawfish might migrate into other nearby warm springs, some of which contain threatened or sensitive species, his operation was shut down.

  According to news reports at the time, the would-be crawfish magnate wasn’t supposed to sell the crawfish live, which he was apparently doing. After repeated warnings, wildlife officials raided the crawfish farm and killed off the invasive species by pouring chlorine bleach into the tanks.

  So, the next time you’re heading south on U.S. 95 and you’ve just passed the town of Mina, pause for a moment at Sodaville to ponder “Two-Gun” Kennedy, the infamous Desert Lobsters and the rare milkvetch.

Peter Lassen's Final Resting Place

 

It’s peaceful at Peter Lassen’s gravesite near Susanville, California.

Surrounded by tall pines and adjacent to large, open meadow, Lassen’s final resting spot is picturesque and tranquil. The gravesite, which resembles a small park, is located at 2550 Wingfield Road, about six miles from downtown Susanville via Richmond Road.

Lassen, namesake for a county in California, a national park, a national forest, a mountain peak, and a community college (in Susanville) is today recognized as one of the most important non-Native American pioneers to settle in the northeast corner of California in the 1840s.

Lassen was born on October 31, 1800 in the town of Farum, located near Copenhagen in Denmark. Named for his grandfather, Peter, his last name was formed by taking his father’s name (Lars) and adding “son.” Since spelling was haphazard in those days, he was known as Peter Larson as well as Larsen, Larsson, Lawson, and Lassen Farum (after his birthplace). Eventually, he simplified his name to simply Lassen.

By the time he was in his mid-20s, Lassen had become a master blacksmith in Copenhagen. But economic success proved elusive so, in 1830, he migrated to America for better opportunities. After brief periods in Boston and Philadelphia, he settled in Keytesville, Missouri, where he worked as a blacksmith and was active in forming a local militia.

In 1838, he became acquainted with John A. Sutter, who was just embarking on a trip to Hawaii and California. Sutter, who eventually settled in the Sacramento area (and founded that community) invited Lassen to join him in Northern California, which he did in 1840.

After a few years of working in California, during which he had success milling lumber, making furniture, and building saddles, Lassen was able to receive a land grant from Mexican Governor Manuel Micheltorena. His new holdings amounted to 22,000 acres at the confluence of the Sacramento River and Deer Creek, about 22 miles south of modern-day Red Bluff.

During the next few years, Lassen established a small ranch, known as Bosquejo Rancho, which included 2,300 cattle, horses, and mules, fields of cotton, a vineyard (from which he made wine), and a trading post/store. His property attracted others and he helped start up a new town, Benton City, near his land.

In 1848, Lassen traveled to Missouri and led a wagon train back to California by way of a more northern route than previous wagon parties had traveled. Known as the Lassen Trail Cutoff, it proved to be a far more arduous journey than the more traveled Carson Pass or Truckee Pass routes. Despite that fact, thousands would follow on his trail.

Some historians note that Lassen had another motive for encouraging travelers to take the Lassen Trail—it led to his ranch, where he could sell goods to the weary travelers.

Despite that, Lassen was largely viewed as a generous man who was quick to organize rescue parties for lost or struggling travelers. He also was constantly seeking new ways to make his fortune.

In 1850, one of those schemes involved purchasing a steamboat that he planned to use to transport goods and products on the Sacramento River. Unfortunately, the river proved too difficult to navigate and the venture went bust. Lassen lost nearly everything, including his rancho.

By 1855, Lassen had relocated to the Honey Lake area, where he established two ranches, one on the banks of the lake (near present day Milford) and another near present-day Susanville.

Lassen also tried his hand at mining, prospecting in the Black Rock Desert region. In late April 1859, Lassen and a band of eight other men headed out to the area to search for silver. The party split into two groups, with five of the miners leaving first to set up camp and Lassen, along with Edward Clapper and Lamericus Wyatt, departing later.

The latter group traveled for a few hours but couldn’t catch up to the main party and decided to set up their own camp. Interestingly, they were only a mile away from the main group’s camp.

The next morning, as Lassen and his friends were sleeping, they were attacked by an unknown party. Clapper was shot in the head and killed immediately as he slept while Lassen was shot and killed after he stood up to see what was happening.

Wyatt, who jumped on his horse and rode 125 miles to Susanville, told residents that Lassen and Clapper had been killed by either members of the Pit River tribe or the Paiutes. Some were skeptical, however, since whoever killed Clapper and Lassen didn’t raid the camp, which contained food, clothing, and whiskey, after Wyatt rode off.

An expedition rode out from Susanville and found Lassen’s body (but not Clapper’s). They buried Lassen on the site, where he remained until November, when a second party removed him and buried him adjacent to a large Ponderosa tree near his Susanville ranch (where he had previously indicated he wished to be buried).

Clapper’s body wasn’t recovered until 1990, when rock hunters found a skull and upper body skeleton in the Black Rock Desert. In 1992, his remains were buried alongside Lassen’s.

Following Lassen’s death, in 1862, local Masons (Lassen was a member of the order) erected a stone monument adjacent to his grave. By 1917, the ten-foot-tall marker had begun to deteriorate and the Masons erected a larger, taller one adjacent to the site. Today, an enclosure protects the original marker and the Lassen and Clapper gravesites and wooden benches have been set up for visitors to sit and enjoy the surroundings.

Petroglyphs and Pre-History Found Just Outside of Sparks

 

Griffith Canyon petroglyphs

A place I had not learned of until recently that certainly piqued my interest is Griffith Canyon, located in the foothills north of Sparks and on the edge of Spanish Springs.

I had read the canyon was scenic, not too difficult to navigate, and contained good examples of petroglyphs, which are prehistoric Native American rock carvings that are believed to be sacred and related to either hunting, fertility, or something else because no one knows what they mean.

I also was surprised I wasn’t aware of it because of its close proximity to Reno and Sparks.

So, off to Griffith Canyon I went on a recent Saturday morning. Following the instructions that I found on Google Maps, I drove to Nevada 445 (Pyramid Highway) in Sparks, then continued north about eight miles to Calle De La Plata road. I turned right on Calle La Plata, drove another 1.8 miles, then turned right onto Valle Verde Drive.

I passed through a neighborhood of large ranch-style homes for a quarter-mile, then turned right onto Agua Fria Drive (continuing for a half mile). At El Molino Drive, I turned left, and drove about a third of a mile on a dirt road that led to a pair of stone and white metal fences (like a gateway) that stand on each side of the road.

About a quarter mile downhill from the fencing, I found a wide spot in the road (to the right), where I decided to park. On the opposite side was a metal culvert and below was a gash in the mountains that I hoped would be Griffith Canyon.

At first, I wondered if I had found the correct place. But as I stood on the road looking down into the narrow canyon, a full-grown buck with large antlers suddenly appeared before me. I took it as a sign that this was the spot, and slowly climbed down the hill into a rocky, dry wash (wear sturdy shoes, like hiking boots because it’s easy to twist an ankle here).

The buck heard me and bounded up one of the sides of the canyon and disappeared. I continued into the canyon. A rough trail appeared occasionally and seemed to crisscross the creek bed, which was lined with pinion, sagebrush, wildflowers and grasses.

As I walked on, I saw the sides of the canyon became steeper with more rock walls—ideal spaces for petroglyphs. About a third-of-a-mile into the hike, I encountered the first panels of rock writing to my left. Here, I could see jagged lines and patterns carved into the reddish rock wall.

A bit farther, and there were round shapes as well as a carving shaped like a stick with three prongs and stick figure-like images. At the bottom of the rock face, there is also an unusual carving that resembles a turtle.

I marched on for another half-mile, where, to my right, I found the greatest concentration of petroglyphs—several larger rock panels covered with carvings that resembled a big-horn sheep, various circles, lines, and other patterns. In other places I could see more stick figures and other lines and shapes.

Standing in the middle of the wash and looking at the carvings, I had the feeling of being in a spiritual place. These images had been carved several thousand years ago for some unknown but no doubt important reason.

From the road to the larger panels is about three-quarters of a mile, making the entire hike, back and forth, a bit under two miles—and well worth the effort.

One thing to keep in mind is that the petroglyphs here are fragile, so be respectful. The canyon is best explored between April and November, and since there are only a few trees, make certain to dress appropriately for sun and bring water.

Niles Hotel is the Beating Heart of Alturas, California

Saloon Entrance of Niles Hotel in Alturas, California

One of the centerpieces of downtown Alturas, California, is the historic Niles Hotel, located on the corner of Main and Modoc streets.

The grand structure, which takes up nearly half a city block, traces its beginnings to 1908, when work began on what was to be called the Curtis Hotel. In 1912, Jay Eugene (J.E.) Niles, a prominent local businessman (he owned a large flour mill among other things), purchased the unfinished structure, completed the second and third floors, and renamed it after himself.

For decades, the 60-room Niles, which boasts several bars, meeting space, and large banquet rooms on the first floor, served as the social center of Alturas, hosting cattlemen, businessmen, railroad workers, farmers, and loggers. 

Niles, who was born in Michigan in 1853, sold the hotel in 1929 to Mitch and Babe Jurasevich, who lowered the ceilings, added steam heating and baths to the rooms (they had previously been heated with wood stoves) and installed the first elevator in Modoc County (sadly it no longer operates—but it is still there).

The hotel remains an important part of Alturas under the Jurasevich’s, who owned it for more than 40 years. In 1970, the Jurasevich’s sold the property, which went through a series of different owners, most of whom kept it open but made little attempt to improve, modernize or update the property.

In 1976, the hotel, now neglected and in need of work, closed seemingly for good. However, later that year it was purchased by Stephen and Cheryl Baker, who set about restoring it to its former glory. The Bakers devoted more than 12 years and an investment of more than a million dollars in antiques, labor and materials.

From 1995 to 1998, the Bakers leased the hotel to Michelle Marymee, then sold it to the John Vass family in 1998.

In 2011, Jim and Elizabeth Cavasso bought the old hotel, which was again in need of some tender loving care. With the help of the community, the Cavasso’s renovated the hotel and continue to operate it.

These days, the Niles remains a comfortable, albeit funky lodging house. Each of the rooms has been furnished with antiques in a particular theme, such as fishing (the Angler’s Haven room), Africa (Spirit of Africa room), the ocean (Beach House room), or the Old West (Lonesome Dove room).

Tucked inside the hotel is the Niles Coffee Company, which boasts Starbucks Coffee along with delicious baked goods and breakfast dishes, the Niles Saloon, a Victorian bar built in 1875, and the Niles Roadhouse, a restaurant serving lunch and dinner (hamburgers, salads, etc.).

A visit to the hotel is an opportunity to step back in time. It boasts tin-pressed ceilings, creaky wooden floors, an elaborate staircase from the main floor to the second floor, and beautiful wood paneled sitting and meeting rooms. The hotel’s accommodations are comfortable and reasonably-priced, and the staff is friendly.

Stop into the Niles Saloon for a nightcap and you’ll find a scene out of the TV show, Cheers, with a host of “regulars” who enjoy finding out where you’re from and sharing their stories (some of which are tall tales).

The Niles Hotel is located at 302 South Main Street in Alturas, California, which sits on U.S. 395 North (about 170 miles north of Reno). For more information, go to: https://nileshotel.com/ or call 530-233-3773.

While you’re in Alturas, check out the Modoc County Historical Museum (600 S. Main), which houses a number of exhibits detailing local history. It boasts a large antique firearm collection, as well as informative displays about Native American history. For more information about the museum, go to: https://sierranevadageotourism.org/entries/modoc-county-historical-museum/acce18f1-aa59-4839-9f52-5e71030841a1.

Laws Museum Tells the Story of the Carson & Colorado Railroad

Laws Railroad Museum and Historical Site

Mostly forgotten today, the Carson & Colorado Railroad (C & C) was once one of Nevada's more successful rail lines.

   Founded in 1880 by many of the same partners who owned the Virginia & Truckee Railroad, the C & C stretched nearly 300 miles from Mound House to the Eastern California town of Keeler.

   The C & C ceased operations in 1960, but some of its rolling stock, equipment, and buildings have been preserved at the Laws Railroad Museum and Historical Site near Bishop, California.

   To reach the Laws Museum, head two hours south of Carson City on Highway 395 toward Bishop. Turn east on Highway 6, just north of Bishop, and continue for four miles. The museum is located off the highway on Silver Cyn Road.

   The Laws Museum is actually a combination railroad facility and local historical society. The C & C artifacts include the original Laws depot, a water tank, roundtable, motorized passenger car, locomotive No. 9 and assorted boxcars and other rolling stock.

   Additionally, a handful of historic Bishop-area homes and movie set buildings, which were used in westerns filmed in the region (including "Nevada Smith" and "Will Penney"), have been relocated to Laws and converted into display space.

   The community of Laws grew up around the C & C railroad station located there. It was named for R.J. Laws, assistant superintendent of the railroad. By 1890, about 300 people lived in Laws.

   In the beginning, the C & C's owners hoped to take advantage of mining booms in Candelaria and Bodie. Unfortunately, by the time the railroad reached the vicinity of those mining towns both areas had started to decline.

   The company had planned to build the line from Mound House on the Carson River to Fort Mojave on the Colorado River (hence the name Carson & Colorado), but, due to uncertain finances, stopped at Keeler, about 140 miles north of Fort Mojave.

   Indeed, one of the most famous remarks about the C & C was uttered by Darius O. Mills, part of the railroad’s ownership group, who, upon riding to Keeler on an inspection tour, said that the railroad had been built either 300 miles too long-or 300 years too soon.

   In 1900, the C & C was absorbed by the Southern Pacific Railroad, which, in 1905, incorporated the railroad into a new corporation that it called the Nevada & California Railway. In 1910, the line was finally extended between Keeler and Fort Mojave.

   During those years, the line experienced its most profitable period because of the active mining booms in Tonopah and Goldfield, which were connected to the line via the short-lived Tonopah & Goldfield Railroad.

   The Laws to Keeler portion of the route was finally abandoned on April 29, 1960 because it had become unprofitable.

   At the urging of local legislators, the Southern Pacific donated the equipment and facility at Laws to the City of Bishop and Inyo County. The museum officially opened in 1966.

   A walk around the Laws site is a chance to learn the rich history of the area. Nearly a dozen buildings are spread out across the site, each filled with historic artifacts and displays.

   The visitor center, which includes a well-stocked gift shop, is located inside of a false front western structure that was built by Paramount Studios for the movie, "Nevada Smith," which starred Steve McQueen.

   Adjacent are other western-style structures, also former movie sets, which now house historic displays ranging from doctor's tools and utensils, to a General Store that contains antique tins, scales, grinders, cash registers and other items.

   A 1915 chicken coop now houses a nice collection of brands, saddles, cowboy gear and a turn-of-the-century horse-drawn hearse that was once used in Bishop.

   The former Laws Post Office has been preserved as well as an old miner's cottage, now known as the Stove House, which is filled with antique wood stoves.

   The Print Shop contains all of the original desks, presses and other equipment used between 1870-1885 to produce the Inyo Independent newspaper, which later became the Inyo Register.

   The Pioneer House, built in 1920, houses a schoolhouse display (desks, photos, etc.) as well as a nice gun collection, a large camera collection and historic telephone equipment.

   Other buildings contain an extensive Indian basket and arrowhead collection, a huge bottle collection, and a re-creation of a 1920s ranch house, with antique furnishings.

   The restored depot, built in 1883, is the centerpiece of the facility and still contains its original benches, lights and counters. The luggage room has been well stocked with period chests, footlockers and suitcases, while the main room offers two nice model railroad exhibits.

   For more information, go to www.lawsmuseum.org. 

Beatty is the gateway to Death Valley, Ghost Towns and Natural Attractions

Beatty Museum

 From its earliest days, the reason behind the founding of the southern Nevada community of Beatty was water.
  Located directly east of dry and desolate Death Valley, it is no surprise that the presence of the precious stuff would make it a desirable place to put down roots.
  While the history is murky, most records indicate Beatty was originally settled in about 1870 by a man named Landers. All that is known about Landers is that he built a small stone cabin adjacent to a bubbling spring in the area, which was eventually named Oasis Valley.
  In 1896, Montillus Murray Beatty acquired the Landers ranch and moved into the stone cabin. He planted trees around the structure and cultivated a variety of crops.
  When gold was discovered over the hill in the Bullfrog mining district (so named because of the unusual green color of the ore), Beatty's ranch was the closest source of plentiful water and fresh produce. In addition to having a natural spring, his land was atop the Amargosa River, which runs underground through the area.
  The town of Beatty was established in 1904, south of the ranch. It quickly became an important supply point for surrounding mining towns like Bullfrog and Rhyolite, and later thrived because it was located between the booming mining town of Goldfield and the railroad yards of Las Vegas.
  Beatty sold his ranch and springs in 1906 and moved into the growing town of Beatty, which, by that time, boasted 1,000 residents and a major hotel, the 23-room Montgomery Hotel. He died two years later at the age of 73, after suffering an injury while hauling wood.
  In 1906, a rail line was completed that linked Beatty to Las Vegas, and the following year a line was built connecting the town to Goldfield.
  The Bullfrog mining boom, however, ended almost as quickly as it began, with most mines shutting down by 1909. Beatty, while experiencing a decline, was able to survive because of the same things that first attracted people there—availability of water and location on the road linking central Nevada to southern Nevada.
  Today, visitors find a pleasant small community with several hotel/motel casinos, including the Exchange Club Motel and Casino, the Death Valley Inn and the Stagecoach Hotel and Casino.
  In recent years, Beatty has become popular with the RV crowd, attracted by the comfortably warm, winter weather and proximity to Death Valley National Park. The town boasts a half-dozen RV parks.
  In addition to serving as the gateway to Death Valley, which is directly west on Nevada State Route 374, Beatty is only four miles from the ghost town of Rhyolite.
  Established in 1905, Rhyolite was once one of Southern Nevada’s premier mining towns. The ruins of a number of substantial structures, including the Rhyolite Depot and the Rhyolite Bottle House (a former residence constructed using about 15,000 bottles) remain standing.
  Beatty is also only about ten miles from the Amargosa Sand Dunes, including Big Dune, a 2,731-foot high mound of sand that is popular with all-terrain vehicle drivers.
  Beatty’s rich history is presented in nice displays and historic photos at the excellent Beatty Museum and Historical Society at 417 Main Street (775-553-2303), which is open Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, check out its website at: www.beattymuseum.org/.
  Additionally, a good source of information about the history of Beatty is “A History of Beatty,” by Robert D. McCracken, published by Nye County Press. A condensed version of McCracken’s book, titled, “Beatty: Frontier Oasis,” is also available.

It's a Name that Just Jumps Out at You: The Mining Camp of Bullfrog

 

 Inside the Bullfrog Jail

Bullfrog boasted just about the best name ever for a Nevada mining camp.

How it came to have that name, however, isn’t as clear. Historians say there are a couple of different versions of how it gained such a colorful name.

According to one story, after gold was discovered in the region in August 1904 by two miners, Ernest L. Cross and Frank “Shorty” Harris, Harris thought that the ore, which was speckled green, resembled a bullfrog—hence the name.

Another version, apparently advanced by Cross, was that the name was derived from an old song that Cross always sang, which included the line: “The bullfrog on the bank and the bullfrog in the pool.”

Whatever the origins, within a short time after Cross and Harris made their discovery, a significant mining boom kicked off in the area. The two had taken their ore samples to the mining town of Goldfield, 75 miles north, to have them tested and word soon spread about their fabulous discovery.

Within months, tents and wooden shanties were erected throughout the area. An early photograph shows dozens of white tents spread all over the valley, with little apparent planning or design.

Eventually, a few town sites were established in the vicinity, including one camp called Amargosa City. In early 1905, the entire town of Amargosa City was moved to a flat area below the adjacent mining town of Rhyolite and renamed Bullfrog.

For a short time, Rhyolite and Bullfrog were pretty fierce competitors. By early 1906, Bullfrog had more than 1,000 people, a couple of hotels, a water system, a bank, a post office, a growing residential district and a small business district, and appeared to have the edge.

But Rhyolite would eventually surpass Bullfrog. According to historian and photographer, Nell Murbarger, a man named Pete Busch was the first to envision Rhyolite as a new metropolis in the desert, and aggressively promoted his idea to outside investors.

His efforts bore fruit as many eastern investors, who had missed the Tonopah and Goldfield mining booms, poured money into Rhyolite. At its peak in 1906-07, Rhyolite had more than 6,000 residents, an elaborate Mission-style train depot and dozens of businesses.

While its sister city thrived, Bullfrog began to fade. Many businesses, sensing greater opportunity just up the wash, relocated to Rhyolite.

In 1907, when a national financial panic suddenly stopped the flow of investment into Rhyolite, Bullfrog was also impacted. By 1909, its mines closed and the former boomtown was in a freefall. The Bullfrog post office shut down in May 1909 and most of the rest of its businesses closed or moved away.

A visit to the site of Bullfrog reveals only a couple of foundations, including of the former jail, a few stone walls and the remains of a vintage automobile. Years ago, someone placed hand-painted signs on a few of the former locations of the buildings, although it’s amusing to look at an empty patch of sagebrush and weeds marked “Bullfrog Bank.”

Other signs indicate the former site of the general store and other establishments.

An interesting side note is that the name, Bullfrog, resurfaced about 70 years after the town’s demise. In the 1980s, the Nevada Legislature created a new county, which it named “Bullfrog County.”

The purpose of Bullfrog County, located in the vicinity of the Yucca Mountain range, (not too far from the historical Bullfrog mining district), was to allow the state to tax—at a high rate—the federal government should it succeed in placing a high-level nuclear dump site at Yucca Mountain.

Alas, this Bullfrog’s existence was even more fleeting than the original, as the courts quickly tossed out the law creating the county.

Bullfrog is located about a mile west of the ghost town of Rhyolite. To reach the site, travel south on Highway 95 to Beatty, then head four miles west on State Route 374 to Rhyolite. The remains of Bullfrog are located adjacent to a large red barn-shaped building, directly west of the entrance to Rhyolite.

Once White Pine County's Largest Community: the Historic Mining Camp of Ward

Many people are familiar with the Ward Charcoal Ovens, the beehive-shaped stone historic landmarks located south of Ely. Few, however, realize the ovens were only part of a much larger mining district that included the town of Ward, once the largest community in White Pine County.

The town of Ward was established in 1872 by two wagon-drivers, William Ballinger and John Henry. Their discovery evolved into the Paymaster Mine, which soon attracted hundreds of fortune-seekers.

Within three years, Ward had more than 1,000 people. The camp was named for B.F. Ward, who along with two partners, laid out the town site. The following year, the region gained a 20-stamp mill, which was relocated to Ward from another mining camp.

Ward's most enduring structures, the six beehive-shaped Ward Charcoal Ovens, were constructed in 1876 to produce charcoal for the district's mining smelters.

The kilns, located about five miles south of the community of Ward, were built of native rock. They stand 30-feet high and 27-feet around at the base.  When filled, each could contain 35 cords of pinion pine stacked in layers.

The dome-shape allowed the wood to be stacked easily, while heat could be adjusted and controlled by opening and closing small vents at the base of the ovens. The massive ovens were abandoned by the early 1880s, when Ward's mines played out.

Over the next century, the intriguing stone buildings were used for a variety of purposes, including as stables and emergency lodging for itinerate sheepherders and cowboys.

The stone kilns were eventually acquired by the Nevada Division of State Parks and have been designated as an historical site.

As for the town of Ward, it peaked in 1877 when its population climbed to 2,000 residents and the town was large enough to support two newspapers, a Wells-Fargo office, a city hall, hotels and a large business district.

By 1880, however, the town was in a dramatic tailspin. Only about 250 residents remained and mines began shutting down. Additionally, promising discoveries at Cherry Creek, located about 70 miles north, began to draw many prospectors away.

Most of the town's wooden buildings were destroyed in a fire in 1883, including the city hall and the school. Two years later, only one business remained open in the struggling camp and the population had dwindled to 25.

In the intervening years, the district mines have been occasionally reworked including from about 1910 to 1920 and again in the 1930s and 1960s.

More recently, the area has again become an active mining district and the few remaining ruins of old Ward have been closed to the public. The historic Ward Cemetery, located one-mile east of the town, however, is open to the public and offers a handful of wooden and marble headstones.

The Ward Charcoal Ovens remain a popular place to explore. In addition to the six kilns, the area, which sits at the base of Ward Mountain, has a few undeveloped campsites and picnic tables.

An unmaintained dirt road heads west of the ovens and winds upward through picturesque pinon trees. Along the way, you pass the rock walls and foundations of a couple of long-abandoned miner's shacks, which have been almost swallowed by the sagebrush and grasses.

And if you stand inside one of the cone-shaped ovens and hold your breath, you swear you hear faint voices telling Ward's story. Or perhaps it’s just the wind.

The Ward Charcoal Ovens State Historical Monument is located 12 miles south of Ely via U.S. 50 and a marked dirt road. For more information about the area, go to http://parks.nv.gov/parks/ward-charcoal-ovens.

Native American Pre-History Found at Petroglyph Point in Lava Beds National Monument - Part 3

One of the things that makes Lava Beds National Monument so special is that it is one of the longest continuously occupied homelands in North America.

Ancestors of today’s Modoc people resided in the area for thousands of years, leaving behind proof of their existence in the prehistoric petroglyphs (rock carvings) and pictographs (cave paintings) found on the site.

Lava Beds National Monument is located 270 miles north of Carson City via U.S. 395.

The best place to view the monument’s petroglyphs is the aptly-named Petroglyph Point, which can be found at the monument’s northeastern corner. An estimated 5,000 symbols and images have been carved into cliffs there.

Archaeologists believe the carvings to be nearly 6,000 years old. While they resemble imagery found at other locations in California and Nevada, they have never been translated, although some believe they could be related to either religious, hunting, or fertility rites.

Petroglyph Point’s carvings are particularly impressive because there are so many and they stretch along the base of the cliff for about a half-mile. A fence erected in the 1930s protects the carvings, although, sadly, there has been vandalism over the years.

Walking along the cliff, peering through the chain-link fence, one can’t help but feel the spirituality of the site. The area around the point was once covered with water, so these native artists would have had to have paddled in their canoes out to the point to create their works on the stone walls.

The carvings at the point were apparently made using a variety of techniques including incising, rough pecking at the stone, simple abrasion, and drilling and then connecting small pits to create images. The work includes geometric shapes, a few animal-like images, squiggles, and lines.

According to an interpretive walk brochure prepared by Lava Beds National Monument and the Lava Beds Natural History Association, the Modoc people have a myth that explains the creation of the point.

The Modocs believed that one day the world’s creator, Kamookumpts, was resting on the east shore of Tule Lake and realized there was nothing around but the lake. He scooped a massive mound of mud from the lake’s bottom and began to create the world, including mountains, lakes, plants, rivers, and animals.

Once he had completed his work, the tired Kamookumpts dug a hole in which to sleep under Tule Lake. He left the hill, where the point is now located, to mark the spot.

Geologists, however, have a different explanation. About 250,000 years ago, the area was an extremely active volcanic region. Magma was expelled from a crack or fault at the site and over time formed a mound of volcanic muddy layers, which, when cooled, became the volcanic “tuff” that forms the hill that is Petroglyph Point.

According to the interpretative brochure, the sheer volume of images and the fact that many are superimposed over each other, seems to indicate the point was a particularly attractive and/or powerful setting.

Lava Beds’ pictographs, some more than 1,500 years old, can be found at several of the cave entrances. They are painted in black, a color produced from a charcoal base mixed with animal fat, and white, which was made using a clay base.

The best examples are found at Symbol Bridge and Big Painted Cave on boulders along the trail and on the walls around the entrance. Additionally, pictographs have been found in Fern Cave, which is only open to the public with a Park Service guide. Fern Cave, which actually has ferns growing in it, is still used by tribal members for ritual purposes and is considered a sacred site.

For more information about Petroglyph Point or pictographs, go to: www.nps.gov/labe/learn/historyculture/rockart.htm. The interpretive brochure detailing Petroglyph Point can be found at: http://npshistory.com/brochures/labe/petroglyph-point.pdf.

To reach Lava Beds National Monument travel north on U.S. 395, through Susanville to Alturas. Continue north on Highways 299 and 139 (toward Tulelake). About 45 miles north of Alturas, follow the signs to Lava Beds and Petroglyph Point. There is a fee for visiting the monument.

The Tragic History of Lava Beds National Monument - Part 2

There is far more to Northern California’s Lava Beds National Monument than its remarkable geological formations and lava tubes.

For example, it is the site of the Modoc War, the only Indian war in which a U.S. military general was killed. The monument’s visitor center has an excellent series of displays detailing the circumstances leading to the war. Lava Beds Monument is located 270 miles north of Carson City via U.S. 395.

 Archeological evidence, including petroglyphs, indicates Native Americans lived in the Lava Beds region for nearly 10,000 years. In more recent times, the Modoc people resided in domed dwellings scattered along the shores of Tule Lake and Lost River.

In the 1850s, white settlers entered the area and because they wanted to settle on land that was traditionally used by the Modocs, demanded that the Modocs be relocated to the Klamath Reservation with the Klamath and Snake Indians.

The Modocs and the other two tribes, however, were historic mortal enemies so attempts to force them to live together were doomed to fail.

One Modoc leader, Kientpoos, and a handful of his tribe refused to live at the Klamath reservation, which was in southern Oregon, and petitioned for their own reservation on the Lost River. Their presence along Lost River disturbed settlers, who pushed to have the Indians returned to the Klamath reservation.

Kientpoos agreed to return to the reservation but immediately faced harassment by the Klamaths. In April 1869, he again left the reservation, along with 371 members of his tribe, and returned to Lost River.

The situation worsened over the next few years and in late 1872, troops were sent from Fort Klamath to forcibly return the Modocs to the reservation. 

The troops fought with the tribe and burned their village, but were unsuccessful in relocating them to the reservation. In retaliation, one band of Modocs led by a man named Hooker Jim headed east of Tule Lake and killed 14 male settlers. Meanwhile, Kientpoos, who the settlers called “Captain Jack,” traveled to the lava beds area with the rest of the tribe.

Following the killings, Hooker Jim and his followers returned to the rest of the tribe. Kientpoos reluctantly allowed them to stay despite feeling that their murderous rampage might lead to retaliation against the entire tribe.

The area in which Kientpoos and the tribe settled was located in the rugged northern portion of Lava Beds Monument, just south of Tule Lake. The terrain is covered with sagebrush and encompasses deep lava trenches and small caves—which create the sense of being in a maze.

It was a perfect natural hideout for the Modocs and has become known as “Captain Jack’s Stronghold.”

In January 1873, about 300 troops marched on the Modocs, who numbered about 50 men and more than 100 women and children. The Modocs, however, were able to hold off the soldiers for the next five months.

Finally, President Ulysses S. Grant designated a Peace Commission to meet with the Modocs, who continued to insist on being granted their own reservation.

While Kientpoos favored negotiating a peaceful settlement, Hooker Jim (who had been indicted for murder and had no interest in peace) and other rival leaders jealous of Kientpoos’ authority led an effort to kill the Peace Commissioners.

Since the Modocs made decisions by consensus, a majority of the members sided with Hooker Jim and voted to execute the Peace Commissioners. On April 1873, two unarmed Peace Commissioners, which included General E.R.S. Canby, met with Kientpoos and several other Modocs. The Modocs again requested their own reservation but that proposal was rejected. In response, members of the tribe opened fire on Canby and the other commissioner, killing both.

General William T. Sherman soon called for the “utter extermination” of the Modoc people.

The U.S. government sent a much larger army to bring the Modocs to justice. They marched into the area only to find tribal members had again escaped into the Lava Beds landscape.

In May, the Modocs launched a counter-attack on the troops, who were camped at Dry Lake, but were rebuffed by the better-organized and better-equipped army. The failed attack resulted in the disintegration of the tribe into smaller groups, with Hooker Jim leaving with about a dozen other men.

The army quickly captured Hooker Jim who agreed to track down Kientpoos in return for amnesty. On June 1, 1873, Kientpoos finally surrendered and the war came to an end. Following a trial, Kientpoos and three other leaders were hanged. The remainder of the tribe was sent to a reservation in Oklahoma, where most soon died of various diseases.

Lava Beds Monument has several historic markers designating the sites of places related to the lengthy war.

In addition to Captain Jack’s Stronghold—where you can clearly see how the Modocs were able to hold off the army for months—there is Canby’s Cross, a large white cross with the inscription, “Gen. Canby U.S.A. was murdered here by the Modocs April 11, 1873.”

Visitors will find two self-guided trails leading through the rocky lava beds where Kientpoos and his people successfully avoided being captured by soldiers.

For more about the history of Captain Jack’s Stronghold, go to: www.nps.gov/parkhistory/online_books/5views/5views1h11.htm.

To reach Lava Beds National Monument travel north on U.S. 395, through Susanville to Alturas. Continue north on Highways 299 and 139 (toward Tulelake). About 45 miles north of Alturas, follow the signs. There is a fee for visiting the monument.

More on the cultural history of Lava Beds National Monument next week.

Lava Beds National Monument's Fascinating Subterranean Passages - Part 1

The 72-square-mile Lava Beds National Monument is a geologic marvel, and also a place filled with cultural treasures and a reminder of a tragic period in American history.

Set aside as a national monument in 1925, Lava Beds not only boasts the greatest concentration of lava caves or tubes in the continental U.S. (700 of them) but also prehistoric Native American petroglyphs (at Petroglyph Point) and pictographs (in Fern Cave) as well as lava fields that served as a refuge in the 1870s for members of the Modoc tribe trying to escape cultural extermination.

The lava tubes are what attract most visitors to the national monument. Nearly two dozen caves are marked and open to the public. They vary in length from 6,903 feet long to 148 feet.

The area’s geology is a result of it having been the focal point for major volcanic activity over the years. In fact, it is still considered a semi-active volcanic zone because several cinder cones in the region are less than a century old.

The monument sits on the northern slope of the Medicine Lake volcano, which last erupted 11,000 years ago. Volcanic rock, which formed from lava that flowed during eruptions 30,000 to 40,000 years ago, covers nearly the entire area and was responsible for creating the monument’s complex network of cinder cones, craters, chimneys and lava tubes.

The lava tubes were formed when streams of hot, flowing lava began to cool. The center of the stream would stay hot and continue to flow but the outside edge cooled and hardened. Once the hot lava drained away, it left behind a pipe-like cave.

Over time, multiple eruptions created stacks of caves on top of one another, creating multilevel underground passages. In some cases, the lava branched tree-like in various directions, creating smaller tunnels that sprouted from a central one, which is often known as the master tube.

Some of the caves at Lava Beds were used by Native people as campsites and as a source of water. During the first part of this century, J.D. Howard, a miller from Klamath Falls, Oregon, began exploring and mapping the caves.

Howard spent more than 20 years wandering through the underground passages and provided most of the colorful names for caves and cave features that are still used, such as Cleopatra’s Tomb, Hercules Leg, and the Labyrinth. His interest helped spur the creation of the create the monument.

Signs lead to the many open caves scattered throughout the monument lands. The most accessible are clustered near the visitor center along a paved road known as Cave Loop.

Visitors can pick up a flashlight at the visitor center and purchase an inexpensive, plastic hardhat (recommended because some of the caves have low ceilings). Guided tours of selected caves are offered most days, although visitors can do plenty of exploring on their own.

Best place to begin a look at these underground passages is Mushpot Cave, located adjacent to the visitor center. This is the most developed cave with lighting (you use your flashlight in all the other caves), informative signage, and paved walking surfaces.

A short walk away is the entrance to the Labyrinth, which is the largest branch of the system, connecting to eight major caves spread over two miles.

A steep metal ladder draws you into the inky depths of the Labyrinth. At the bottom, there is a large chamber that leads in three directions, each of which entails some bending (to avoid low ceilings) or climbing (to get over rubble).

In almost any of the caves, you can wander for a time and begin to feel totally alone. Shut off the flashlight and listen—most of the time you won’t hear anyone else.

During one visit severalyears ago, I zigzagged through one cave for about twenty minutes before coming to a dead-end. I started back and realized that nothing looked familiar. I tried to retrace my steps but I wasn’t sure I was going the right way.

Despite the coolness below, I began to get nervous and perspire. I looked at my phone every few minutes. I took one branch but it led to another dead-end. I realized that I honestly didn’t know where I was or how to get out.

Finally, I heard voices. I followed the sound and spotted sunlight streaking through an opening in the ceiling. A couple came down the ladder. As they passed me in the tunnel, they asked if it was scary.

Embarrassed I had felt so panicky just a few moments earlier, I lied and said it was “a piece of cake.”

To reach Lava Beds National Monument travel north on U.S. 395, through Susanville to Alturas. Continue north on Highways 299 and 139 (toward Tulelake). About 45 miles north of Alturas, follow the signs to the national monument. There is a fee for visiting the monument.

For more information go to http://www.nps.gov/labe/index.htm.

More about the monument’s tragic history next week.

Discovering Reno's Art Deco Treasures

 

El Cortez Hotel, Reno

Art Deco architecture is pretty easy to identify. In the U.S., perhaps the most well-known Art Deco structure is the Chrysler Building in New York City, with its elegant spire, streamlined torso and geometric accents crafted in chrome and glass.

The Art Deco (and the closely-related Art Moderne style) era is generally considered to have reached its heights in the 1920s and 30s.

In Nevada, Art Deco buildings can still be found in a number of places. Perhaps the most famous Art Deco building in the state was the now-demolished Mapes Hotel in Reno (it was blown up in 2000).

Built in 1947, the Mapes was constructed at the tail-end of the Art Deco period and boasted the ornate spires and panels that often grace such structures.

Fortunately, a handful of other Art Deco buildings have avoided similar fates. Reno, in fact, still has several other fine examples of the architecture, including the former Reno Post Office (at 50 South Virginia) and the El Cortez Hotel (239 W. Second).

The Reno Post Office was erected between 1931 and 1934 to serve as a post office and federal office building.

Designed by noted Nevada architect Frederic DeLongchamps, the structure contains plenty of examples of Art Deco flourishes, including a pale green terra cotta exterior (which resembles quarried stone) and the dark marble walls highlighted with cast aluminum in the first-floor lobby.

A local development group acquired the building in 2012 and have carefully restored it into a successful commercial and dining complex.

The El Cortez Hotel, constructed in 1931, is a six-story, 60-room Art Deco gem that was Reno’s tallest building at the time it opened. Designed by Reno architects George A. Ferris and Son, it boasts a beautiful terra cotta base and parapet. The frontispiece entrance to the hotel is a magnificent example of the Art Deco style.

Now known as Siegel Suites El Cortez Apartments, the building remains in use as a residential complex.

Another Reno building considered to have an Art Deco look is the former Southside School (190 East Liberty), built in 1936. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), the school is considered noteworthy for “its embodiment of a regional interpretation of the Art Deco style in Nevada,” according to its NRHP nomination.

Three less well-known but noteworthy examples of the Art Deco/Moderne style are the Veterans Memorial Elementary School (1200 Locust Street), Landrum’s (1300 South Virginia Street) and an apartment building at 633 W. 2^nd Street.

Veterans Memorial Elementary School was built in 1949 and was one of the first schools constructed in Nevada following World War II. The building was expanded with two cinder block annexes in 1958.

Named to honor former Reno students killed in the conflict, the school was designed by Reno architect Russell Mills. It remains in use and is now known as Veterans Memorial STEM Academy.

Landrum’s, originally known as Landrum’s Hamburger System No. 1, is an interesting case. According to the NRHP, in 1947 the building was prefabricated in Wichita, Kansas, and shipped to Reno on a railroad flat car to be assembled at its location.

The company that made the building, Valentine Manufacturing, advertised its diners as “absolutely the most fool proof operation in the world” and noted the only things a customer had to do to get the business up and running was to lay down a foundation and hook up electricity, gas, water, and sewer.

Valentine apparently manufactured these diners in various sizes, with Landrum’s being the smallest model. Called the Little Chef, it could seat six to 10 customers with a single operator to run the grill.

The structure is elegantly stream-lined (in white and green) with a distinctly Art Deco entrance. It continues to be used as a restaurant (now called Beefy’s).

The apartment building at 633 W. Second Street is perhaps the most obscure Art Deco building in the city.

Apparently constructed in the 1930s, it was built as a housing option for divorce seekers who flocked to Reno at that time to establish their six-week residency in order to qualify for a “quickie” divorce. Not much else is known about the building, which continues to be used as apartments.

Of course, Art Deco buildings can be found in other parts of the state and I’ll talk about them in the future.

Despite Nevada’s Desert Image, the State Boasts Some Big Trees

Bristlecone Pine Tree, Mt. Charleston

The Nevada Division of Forestry’s State Big Tree Program has been identifying the largest specimen of every native and introduced tree species growing in Nevada since 1992.

The division’s first register listed some 70 trees, which, with submissions from the public over the years, has grown to 303 tree species. Keep in mind that most of the state’s biggest trees are found on private property, so seeing them can be difficult.

The Division of Forestry notes that trees selected for the Big Tree list are compared on a point basis that includes not only height but circumference and crown spread. The measuring guidelines are set by American Forests, which maintains a national registry of big trees.

So, what are some of the biggest trees found in the Silver State and where are they found? For purposes of this article, I’ll only mention landmark trees found on public property.

Based on the register’s information, the tallest tree in the state appears to be a California Red Fir, which stands at 166-feet-high, found in Spooner Lake State Park. This tree also is a circumference of 248 feet.

Runner-up is a Pacific Ponderosa pine tree, measuring 161 feet in height, that has been found in the Carson Range in Douglas County. This particular tree has a circumference of 275 feet, making it a pretty husky specimen.

Not surprisingly, several of the state’s big trees can be found on the University of Nevada-Reno campus, which long has nurtured tree specimens in its arboretum. Among the championship species there are the state’s biggest Ginkgo tree (62 feet tall), Japanese Flowering Cherry tree (43-feet tall) and the largest Northern red oak tree (89 feet).

The Wilbur D. May Arboretum at Rancho San Rafael Park in Reno is another place hosting big trees, including the tallest white oak tree (70 feet), scarlet oak tree (71 feet), and a Weeping European Beech tree (36 feet)

Reno’s Idlewild Park is another prime spot for big trees, with the biggest Cedar of Lebanon (79 feet), Sweet Cherry tree (53 feet), American Elm (86 feet) and red maple (70 feet).

In southern Nevada, the Ethel M Chocolates plant has a very extensive desert trees and plants garden that contains the largest Twisted Acacia tree (34-feet-high), the tallest Chilean Mesquite tree (34-feet) and the biggest Reese Mesquite tree (37 feet).

Perhaps surprisingly, the biggest Bristlecone pine tree is not found at Great Basin National Park, which is famous for its Bristlecones, but at Mount Charleston near Las Vegas. This tree is also thought to have the largest circumference of any in the state, measuring 455 inches around or about 12 feet.

Great Basin National Park does have a couple of noteworthy trees including the state’s biggest white poplar (53 feet tall) and Curlleaf mountain mahogany (28 feet tall and 124 feet around).

The largest Western Juniper tree (74 feet high) is located in the Mount Rose Wilderness, along Bronco Creek while the biggest Washoe pine (117 feet high), a fairly rare species found only in the eastern slopes and foothills of the northern Sierra range, stands on Mount Rose.

To review the most recent roster of Nevada’s Big Trees go to: http://forestry.nv.gov/forestry-resources/nevadas-big-tree-program-2/.