Chronicles of the Comstock: The Series

For thousands of years, much of western Nevada was submerged under the waters of ancient Lake Lahontan. About 4,000 years ago, climate change caused the waters to recede and the area around what is now Fallon, Nevada became a dry desert playa. Prevailing winds from the west blew millions of tons of sand from this playa into a 500-foot high pile of sand now known as Sand Mountain. In modern times, Sand Mountain became an attraction to dune buggy enthusiasts and it became a popular recreation destination. Continue reading →

Carson Sink is a playa, or large alkali flat area, in the northeastern portion of the Carson Desert south of Fallon. This was formerly the terminus of the Carson River where the waters of the river simply sank into ground and evaporated. Thousands of years ago, this area was several hundred feet under the waters of ancient Lake Lahontan. The Carson Sink Pony Express station was situated between Hooten Wells to the west and Sand Springs toward the east. The site can be reached off U.S. 95 about 14 miles south of Fallon, then about 1/2 mile west of the highway. Continue reading →

Williams Station is the next Nevada Pony Express station to be encountered when traveling east from Hooten Wells and Desert Station. Originally located along the Carson River, the ruins of the station have been inundated by the waters of Lahontan Reservoir since Lahontan Dam was created in 1911. There are reports that during the drought of 1992, the ruins became visible again due to the low water level. In the early days, it was sometimes referred to as Honey Lake Station. Continue reading →

The next original Pony Express station east of Buckland’s Station was Hooten Wells and nearby Desert Station. When the Pony Express riders left Buckland’s, they rode south over the wooden toll bridge Buckland had constructed across the Carson River for about two miles before turning east toward the next station. About twelve miles east was Hooten Wells station and nearby was Desert Station which became the station for the Pony Express after Hooten Wells Station was abandoned. Since the structures were so close together, they can be considered one and the same station. Hooten Well is about 1.5 miles northeast of Desert Station. The site is on the Rafter D Ranch. Continue reading →

Beyond Fort Churchill and Buckland’s Station through the area now known as Churchill County, the history of the Pony Express Stations becomes a confusing mess. Captain James H. Simpson blazed a trail across central Nevada that roughly follows U.S. Highway 50 across Nevada and Utah in 1859 and 1860. This became known as the Simpson Route or the Central Nevada Route. Continue reading →

The previous Pony Express station I told about in this series was Buckland’s Station. It served as a Pony Express station for just a short time between April 3, 1860 until the Pyramid Lake Indian War started about May 12, 1860. For the next two months, service on the Pony Express was disrupted by periodic Indian attacks on several of the riders and some of the stations. Service was sporadic at best during this time and full regular service was not resumed until a new station was established in the administrative office at Fort Churchill. Continue reading →

The next Pony Express station we come to when traveling east along the Fort Churchill Road from Miller’s Station is really the site of two stations serving the same general area. The first one, established in 1860, was Buckland’s Station. At that time, Fort Churchill did not exist. It was not until the summer of 1861, after the Pyramid Lake Indian Wars, that Fort Churchill was constructed to provide a military presence to protect the citizens of the Nevada Territory from hostile Indian attacks. Continue reading →

The next documented Pony Express station to be encountered when traveling east from Dayton was known as Miller’s Station. It was a wooden structure located about 8 miles east of Dayton along the Old River Road and the Fort Churchill Road. It had been one of about 20 or more rest and supply stations that were established along the Carson River branch of the California Emigrant Trail in 1849 and 1850. After serving emigrants bound for the California Gold Rush for over 10 years, it became a Pony Express relay station when the service started in 1860. Continue reading →

In 1849, Abner Blackburn and other prospectors heading to the California gold fields discovered the first Nevada gold where Gold Canyon reaches the Carson River at a place that later became Dayton. In the early 1850s, Spafford Hall constructed a log station and trading post to accommodate the needs of emigrants bound for California along the Overland Trail. Hall’s Station became the center of activity for the Dayton area and was the place where the first dance ever held in Nevada Territory occurred on New Years Eve, 1853. Continue reading →

By 1851, a trading post and a small ranch were established on the Carson Branch of the California Emigrant Trail in what is now Carson City. Frank Hall, W.J. Hall and George Jollenshee operated the station near what is now Fifth and Thompson streets. They called the place Eagle Station due to a large stuffed eagle that had been shot by Frank Hall mounted on the wall of the station. The property operated as a successful stopover for travel weary gold prospectors headed for the California gold fields. Continue reading →

The second Pony Express Station encountered when traveling east from Friday’s Station at the California/Nevada State Line is Van Sickle Station at the bottom of Old Kingsbury Grade in Carson Valley. In 1857, rancher Henry Van Sickle constructed a two-story hotel with a bar, kitchen and a store to cater to the needs of emigrants traveling to California as a rest stop before the climb over the high Sierra Nevada Mountains. When the Pony Express started operation in 1860, it became a station where the riders stopped to change horses. Continue reading →

When I first started researching the Pony Express I was not too impressed with the operation and the prominence it held in the history of the American West. The more I read and studied, however, the more I came to appreciate how the Pony Express became so famous. At my first impression, I wondered how this enterprise that lasted just eighteen months and ended not only broke but deeply in debt, could have achieved the apparent legendary status it holds in our history. Continue reading →

Much has been written about the Pony Express and the place it has occupied in the History of the American West. Many of the stories written about the Pony Express were romanticized fictional accounts. One true story about the Pony Express that is well documented is the exciting adventures of of Pony Bob Haslam. Continue reading →

I first heard about the legend of Susan's Bluff more than 40 years ago from Oliver Perondi, a fellow employee at the Nevada Department of Transportation. We were traveling east on Highway 50 a few miles east of Dayton when he pointed to a mountain off to the south and told me it was called Susan's Bluff. Continue reading →

Did a petrified forest once really exist in Dayton, Nevada? Continue reading →

The Cassinelli-Perino Artifact Collection is a permanent exhibit of American Indian stone tools on display at the Carson Valley Museum and Cultural Center in Gardnerville, Nevada. It contains such items as an obsidian crescent and a moccasin last. Continue reading →

The remains of the Rock Point Mill exist alongside Highway 50 in Dayton, Nevada. The area is connected to the Dayton State Park via a tunnel that runs underneath the highway. Visitors can view the ruins and follow a trail that leads up to the top of a small hillside. Continue reading →

Virginia City, Nevada, is the quintessential Old West town. Just minutes from Reno, tourists flock here each year to walk along VC's historical streets. Landmarks include the Bucket of Blood Saloon, the Mackay Mansion, the Washoe Club, and Piper's Opera House -- just to name a few. Continue reading →

Throughout the early 1900s, patients at the Nevada State Asylum in Sparks, Nevada, were buried in unmarked graves. As a young boy, Dennis witnessed the bodies being dug up during a road project. A group known as the Friends of the Northern Nevada Adult Mental Health Services Cemetery helped to create a memorial park to pay respect to all those buried disrespectfully. The park includes a granite obelisk memorial that contains the names of many of the people. Continue reading →