National Historic Trails - National Park Service

National Trails Intermountain Region National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

National Historic Trails

Auto Tour Route Interpretive Guide Across Nevada

California National Historic Trail Pony Express National Historic Trail

By the time they reached the Humboldt Sink, or Forty-mile Desert, many emigrant pioneers had little food, exhausted livestock, and broken wagons.

[Cover photo] Forty-mile Desert

NATIONAL HISTORIC TRAILS

AUTO TOUR ROUTE INTERPRETIVE GUIDE

Across Nevada on the Humboldt Route and The Central Route of the Pony Express

Prepared by National Park Service National Trails Intermountain Region

cali oreg poex mopi

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE U. S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

April 2012

Table of Contents

`MOST CORDIALLY I HATE YOU': THE HUMBOLDT RIVER

THE GREAT BASIN SEEKING MARY'S RIVER APPROACHING THE HUMBOLDT PRELUDE TO MURDER THE HUMBOLDT EXPERIENCE WEST TO STONY POINT THE POLITICS OF HUNGER A FLASH OF THE BLADE `HEARTILY TIRED OF THE JOURNEY' THE HUMBOLDT SINK THE Forty-mile DESERT; or,

HOW TO KILL AN OX INTO THE SIERRA NEVADA THE PONY BOYS CHANGE IN THE GREAT BASIN

???????????????????? 2 ???????????????????? 4 ???????????????????? 5 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 11 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 15 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 18 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 21 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 24 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 27 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 29 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 33

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 35 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 42 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 44 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 51

Sites & Points of Interest:

Setting Out

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 53

Navigating the California Trail Across Nevada ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 54

Tips for Trailing Across Nevada

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 56

AUTO TOUR SEGMENT A:

WEST WENDOVER AND JACKPOT, NEVADA, TO CALIFORNIA

(California Trail)

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 58

AUTO TOUR SEGMENT B:

BLACK ROCK DESERT, RYE PATCH RESERVOIR TO GERLACH, NEVADA

(Applegate and Nobles Trails)

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 77

AUTO TOUR SEGMENT C:

WEST WENDOVER, NEVADA TO CALIFORNIA BORDER

(Pony Express Trail and Carson and Walker River-Sonora

Routes of the California Trail)

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 86

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 102

Introduction

Many of the pioneer trails and other historic routes that are important in our nation's past have been designated by Congress as national historic trails. While most of those old wagon roads and routes are not open to motorized traffic, visitors can drive along modern highways that either retrace the original route or closely parallel it. Those modern roads are designated as Auto Tour Routes. They are marked with "National Historic Trails" highway signs to help today's travelers follow the routes used by the pioneers who helped to open the American West.

This interpretive publication guides visitors along the Auto Tour Routes for the California and Pony Express national historic trails as they cross the state of Nevada from east to west. Site-by-site driving directions are included, and an overview map is located inside the back cover. To make the tour more meaningful, this guide also provides a historical overview of the two trails, shares the thoughts and experiences of emigrants who trekked to California, and discusses how the westward expansion impacted native peoples of what is now Nevada.

Individual Auto Tour Route interpretive guides such as this one are in preparation for each state that the Oregon, California, Mormon Pioneer, and Pony Express trails pass through. In addition, individual National Park Service brochures for the four national historic trails are available at many trail-related venues and can be requested from the National Trails Intermountain Region Salt Lake City Branch Office at ntsl_interpretation@. Each brochure includes a color map of the entire trail and provides an overview of information about each of the trails. Additional information can also can be found on individual trail websites. For links see page 102.

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