Nevada State Route 722 is Truly a Lonely Road

 

Old U.S. 50, which just might be the real Loneliest Road in America

  If you want to find a road even lonelier than U.S. 50, which is officially called the Loneliest Road in America, than go no further than State Route 722, a paved highway that runs parallel to U.S. 50, that boasts even less traffic.

  Also known as the Carroll Summit Road or Old U.S. 50, SR 722 stretches between Eastgate and Austin, slightly south of U.S. 50.

  SR722 was, for many decades, part of U.S. 50. In the mid-1960s, however, state highway engineers realized that a more northern route avoided having to cross the high Desatoya Range, which can be treacherous to drive in the winter (and the road would often close).

  Once the new route of U.S. 50 opened, the old road continued to exist to service the handful of ranches and homesteads along the way. But few travel the 58-mile stretch of road unless they have to.

  And that’s too bad. SR 722 is actually very scenic and offers some wonderful views of wide-open Nevada landscapes.

  To access the route, head east on U.S. 50, past Fallon. Three miles east of Middlegate, travelers will find the turn off for State Route 722. The road slowly begins to climb as it heads toward craggy rock cliffs pocketed with small caves.

  An historic marker notes this is also the site of Wagon Jack Shelter, where prehistoric artifacts of the native Shoshone people, some dating back more than 1,500 years, have been found.

  The road passes through a narrow passageway in the rocks and an old stone house, which was once an Overland Stagecoach Station called Eastgate.

  The name was given to the area in 1859 by Captain James H. Simpson, who that year led an U.S. Army survey of Central Nevada. It reflected his observation that the shape of the terrain served as a natural pass or gateway into the surrounding valley.

  The highway continues to climb into the mountains, passing a small creek that has cut unusually deep channels in the soft ground. It passes a small rest area, just a picnic table under a few trees, before zigzagging through increasingly dense groves of pine trees.

  Soon, the steep climb ends at Carroll Summit, elevation 7,452 feet. This high pass, sometimes closed by snow, is a large part of the reason that U.S. 50 was relocated decades ago to lower ground to the north.

  The old highway now begins to gradually descend through the Desatoyas. Interesting, fractured rock cliffs, some of which resemble the formations found at California’s Devil’s Postpile, crop up occasionally.

  Along the way, travelers can view picturesque, small streams parallel to the road as well as a lush assortment of plant life, including large cottonwoods.

  Here and there, there are the ruins of historic ranches and other structures, such as the former Carroll Station, now little more than a little wooden frame house (it had been brought to the site from Lake Tahoe when the highway was built over the summit in 1924-25). The station once hosted a bar and a gas station.

  Up the road you can also see a couple of old stone buildings that are part of the Campbell Creek Ranch.

  At about 30 miles from the turnoff, the road crosses Smith Creek Valley, usually little more than a dry lakebed, before climbing over Railroad Pass (elevation 6,431 feet).

  To the south are the Shoshone Mountains, including North Shoshone Peak, which rises 10,313 feet. The air here is clean and fresh. In the spring, it’s often possible to see colorful fields of wildflowers.

  The route drifts south of the newer Highway 50 through the Reese River Valley. The view is gorgeous, with the snow-capped Toiyabe Mountains to the southeast and the broad Reese River Valley stretching out north and south for as far as you can see.

  The old highway crosses the Reese River, which during most years is more deserving of being called a creek. Ahead is Austin’s airport, a dirt landing strip with a windsock and a couple of small buildings.

  Throughout this valley, you can occasionally find cows wandering across the road and milling about the shoulders.

  About three miles west of Austin, State Route 722 re-merges with U.S. 50 and the side trip is over. You immediately miss the loneliness and almost want to turn around to do it again, just to see how things look from the other direction.

Cool Cars on Display at Don Laughlin's Classic Car Collection and Museum in Laughlin

 

Rare Muntz automobile in Don Laughlin's Car Collection Museum
 in Laughlin, NV (Photo courtesy of Travel Nevada/Sydney Martinez)

  Laughlin casino owner Don Laughlin enjoys old cars. In fact, he likes them so much that he’s collected dozens of them, many of which he displays in two showrooms at his Riverside Resort and Casino.

  The Laughlin Classic Car Collection includes more than 80 antique and collectible automobiles, many of which are owned by the casino magnate—who is the namesake for the Southern Nevada community of Laughlin—and some of which are on loan from other collectors.

  The Laughlin collection, however, is a bit different from car museums like Reno’s National Automobile Museum or the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan in that many of the autos on display are for sale.

  Indeed, as you enter either of the two exhibit areas at the Riverside you can pick up a copy of a newsletter that lists about 17 of the classic vehicles that you’re about to view, which you can take home for the right price.

  Additionally, Laughlin is continually rotating the cars on display—it’s said he has access to about 150 different vehicles—so you’ll find a different combination of cars each time you tour the collection.

  Laughlin’s two exhibit halls encompass more than 30,000 square feet and are climate controlled in order to preserve the valuable cars on display.

  The first exhibit space, located adjacent to the Riverside’s main valet entrance on the ground floor, serves as a kind of teaser for the collection. Here you can view a variety of desert racing machines—equipped to handle nearly any kind of desert terrain.

  The main showroom on the third floor of the resort’s South Tower is where you find the most valuable cars. In this hall, nearly 50 cars and motorcycles are jammed into nearly every available square foot.

  Wandering through the collection, you might spot cars ranging from a beautifully restored-to-factory-specifications 1930 Ford Model A to a cherry 1956 Chevrolet Bel Air.

  Interpretive signs on many of the cars describe what’s special about them. For instance, the collection boasts a rare four-seat 1952 Muntz Jet. This sleek, red auto was the creation of a TV and electronics sales pitchman, who went by the name, “Madman” Muntz.

  In the early 1950s, Muntz decided to expand his business to include automobiles and developed the Muntz Jet, which incorporated a Cadillac engine.

  The streamlined car proved fairly popular—he sold 374 of them in less than a year. Unfortunately, he priced the vehicle at $5,500 each but his costs exceeded $6,500 apiece. Within a few months he had lost about $400,000 and was forced to shut down his operation and ceased production of the Muntz.

  Another car on display has an equally interesting story. Described on a sign as a 1937 Hudson 8 Boattail Speedster, this beautiful, aerodynamic vehicle was actually constructed in the 1980s from vintage Hudson parts.

  According to the display, despite its clearly 1930s appearance, the Hudson 8 was concocted by artist Gunner Lindstrom in 1984 as part of a series of drawings entitled “Hudson’s That Never Were.”

  Car collector Bill Albright was so impressed with the designs that he cobbled together a dead ringer for the never-made Hudson 8 using vintage Hudson parts and pieces.

  Many of the cars are just fascinating to look at. For instance, there’s a marvelous 1930s-era Cord, boasting shiny chrome pipes coming out of the hood, as well as a very elegant 1941 Hollywood Graham, which in addition to looking cool has a fast six cylinder, super-charged engine.

  One of the oldest cars in the collection is a beautifully-restored, bright yellow 1915 Ford Speedster, that looks ready to hit the road.

  Yet another intriguing car in the collection is a reproduction of a 1936 Auburn convertible. This powerful, chrome-accented roadster combines the classic styling of the original Auburn with modern amenities like power windows and air-conditioning.

  The first floor of the Laughlin Classic Car Collection is open Sunday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is free.

  The larger third- floor exhibition hall is open Sunday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Admission is free with a King of Clubs Players’ Card or $3 without the card.

  For more information, go to http://www.riversideresort.com/don-laughlins-classic-car-museum/.

Finding Pioneer George C. Yount in California

   It was while growing up in the small town of St. Helena, in the middle of California’s Napa Valley, that I first heard the name, George C. Yount. In our local history classes, we were told Young was the first non-Native American to settle in the valley and, later, the town of Yountville was named after him.

   Later, I discovered he was a famous mountain man, guide and fur trapper who had joined an expedition led by William Wolfskill that, in 1830, had traveled from Santa Fe, New Mexico to the Mission San Gabriel in Southern California—a route that became part of the Old Spanish Trail and later, the Santa Fe Trail.

   During its travels, the group decided to follow the Virgin and Colorado rivers, then continuing west along the Mojave River. This route, however, had them only touch parts of the territory that would eventually become the state of Nevada.

   After the group arrived in California, it splintered, with Yount heading north. Along the way, he trapped sea otters on the Santa Barbara Channel Islands, and traveled up the California coast to Sonoma.

   It was there, in 1834, that he encountered General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, the governor of Northern California. He offered his services as a carpenter to the general and in return Vallejo gave him the first land grant in the Napa Valley. He established a homestead, which he named Ranch Caymus.

   In the years after receiving the grant, Yount built a blockhouse in which to live and a grist mill. A few years later, in 1843, he received a second land grant, Rancho La Jota, on Howell Mountain north of Rancho Caymus, where he built a sawmill. With that grant, Yount owned a total of 16,341 acres in the Napa Valley.

   In 1855, Yount, who was famous for his hospitality to new settlers to the area, set aside land on which to establish a townsite, which was named Sebastopol, until it was discovered that another community in Sonoma County was already using that name. The town was later renamed Yountville in his honor.

   Yount was born in Burke County, North Carolina in 1794, but grew up in Missouri. He fought in the War of 1812 and in the Indian Wars, before embarking on the life of a mountain man. In 1818, Yount married Elizabeth (Eliza) Wilds, with whom he would have three children.

   The union was short-lived, however, with Yount more-or-less abandoning his family after deciding to pursue the life of a mountain man. She divorced him and later remarried.

   In 1855, Yount married a second time, to another woman named Elizabeth, and also called Eliza. By all accounts, Eliza was a shrewd businesswoman who helped her husband with legal matters, including fighting the many squatters who sought to homestead on his land.

   In October 1865, George Yount died in his home at the age of 71.

   It was with such knowledge in mind that I recently sought to find Yount’s final resting place. For years, I had driven around Yountville, seeing the signs for his grave, but never bothered to visit it.

   So, I followed the signs this time, which led me to the aptly-named George C. Yount Pioneer Cemetery and Ancient Indian Burial Grounds. Established in 1848 as a native burial-grounds, the cemetery at Jackson Street and Washington Street in Yountville is a peaceful cluster of new and old headstones monuments commemorating many of the area’s pioneer citizens. Adjacent is a large vineyard that spreads over a small hill.

   Yount’s grave is easy to find—again just follow the signs. It’s an impressive white marble obelisk on a carved base, surrounded by an elegant short, wrought-iron fence. Additionally, as you walk through the cemetery, which has some 949 graves, including members of the Wappo tribe, which predates Yount’s arrival, and Civil War veterans.

   For more information, go to the Napa County Historical Society’s page on Yount, https://napahistory.org/george-yount/.