Markers: 17

Churchill

At the westernmost edge of Nevada's rural outback sits Churchill County - a region deep in history and often forgotten chapters: an impossible mail route, a waning telegraph line, an influx of color seekers, and the greening of the desert. If anything we can compare Churchill County to a neglected hardback book, easily judged on the exterior, with a juicy story waiting to be discovered on the inside. Most of the county's markers span the breast of the county along US 50, "America's Loneliest Road" with only a few stragglers on the far corners of the county that don't relate to "the Pony."

Copy of Copy of Copy of Easy Skill LEvel (1).png

See the description on the map below for each marker's locals' tips and tricks!

- 10 - Sand Mountain

"Sand Mountain, dominating Salt Wells Basin, is a prominent landmark in Nevada's early history."

- 19 - Ragtown

"Ragtown was never a town, but the name of a most welcome oasis and hamlet ... a mecca on the banks of nearby Carson River."

- 26 - Forty Mile Desert

"Starvation for men stalked every mile. A survey made in 1850 showed these appalling statistics."

- 27 - Grimes Point (Prehistoric Rock Art Site)

"Grimes Point, one of the largest and most accessible petroglyph sites in northern Nevada, contains about 150 basalt boulders covered with petroglyphs."

- 83 - Rock Creek (Cold Springs Station)

"An important stage stop on John Butterfield's (1861-1866) Overland Stage & Mail Company's historic line between Salt Lake City and Genoa, Nevada."

- 110 - Wagon Jack Shelter

"The ten foot wide flat at the base of the cliff is the site of Wagon Jack Shelter who camped here about 1900, while working on an Eastgate Ranch."

- 111 - Edwards Creek Valley

"This valley was favored by prehistoric Indians for its abundant grass and brush found near its springs and intermittent streams."

- 135 - New Pass Station

"It was one part of "stagecoach king", John Butterfield's Overland Mail & Stage Company road systems, which at the time began traversing this central route between Salt Lake City, Utah and Genoa, Nevada."

- 147 - People of the Humboldt

"The marshy remnant of Lake Lahontan served as a life sustaining resource of wildlife for prehistoric man who lived by its shores."

- 161 - Churchill County Courthouse

"The neo-classical Churchill County Courthouse was constructed in 1903."

- 178 - Hazen

"Hazen was named for William Babcock Hazen, who served under General Sherman in his "march to the sea."

- 201 - Wonder (Historic Mining Camp-- 1906-1919)

"Located 13 miles to the north is the camp of Wonder, a major mining center in the early years of this century. "

- 202 - Fairview (1905-1917)

"A substantial town that boasted 27 saloons, hotels, banks, assay offices, a newspaper, post office and a miner's union hall."

- 215 - Lahontan Dam

"Lahontan Dam is the key feature of the Newlands Irrigation Project which has turned Lahontan Valley into one of Nevada's most productive farming areas."

- 216 - Stillwater

"The community population peaked in 1880, and when the county seat was removed to Fallon in 1904, barely three dozen residents remained."

- 263 - Oats Park School

"The Oats Park School was designed in 1914 by Frederick J. DeLongchamps, Nevada's preeminent architect of the period."

- 271 - Pony Express Trail (1860 - Sesquicentennial - 2010)

"One hundred and fifty years ago, the Pony Express was founded by W. H. Russell, Alexander Majors and William B. Waddell, operators of the Overland Stage Line of Leavenworth, Kansas."

"Wanted: young, skinny, wiry fellows! ..."

... Not over eighteen.

Must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred. Wages, $25 per week."

Perhaps it was written in the stars that "Churchill" has always been a travel corridor. If anything we can compare Churchill County to a neglected hardback book, easily judged on the exterior, with a juicy story waiting to be discovered on the inside.

The tale of the Pony Express Trail was one such fascinating chapter in Churchill's playbook.

Such as the trademark for a route that was to become the great Pony Express Trail, christened in legend as one of America's shortest, but most intriguing tales of Manifest Destiny.

"Pony Express! St. Joseph, Missouri to Sacramento, California... in 10 days or less,"

Churchill County's heart will forever be its big open spaces and the ghosts of days gone past among the vastness. Listen carefully. Perhaps that nomadic herd of horses is more than just a gang of mustangs.

Over half of Churchill County's population lives in Fallon.

Founded: November 4, 1861
Size: 5,023 sq. mi.
Rank: 10th out of 17
Population: 26,118 (2022)
Rank: 8th out of 17
Density: 5 sq. mi.
Rank: 7th out of 17
Largest Community: Fallon (9,327)
County Seat: Fallon (9,327)
Highest Point: Desatoya Peak (9,978')

Known for ...
Pony Express Trail, Lahontan Reservoir State Recreation Area, Grimes Point, Sand Mountain Recreation Area, "Hearts O' Gold" Cantaloupe Festival, "Top Gun" anything