[111]       

Edwards Creek Valley

Churchill County
  39.54757, -117.67949

"This mysterious area set in between Austin and Fallon looks to hold many secrets. Like the Desatoyas ... one of the more isolated and often forgotten ranges in the western half of the state. It's easy to imagine any lone Pony Express rider trying to get his bearings in this very primal landscape of rugged peaks and lonely valleys. Where do I go? How long will it take to get there? Even with the convenience of an air-conditioned pickup truck, the landscape has changed little and we are still susceptible to its calling and solemn benevolence ..." -- Journal Entry, October 2009

Along US 50, approx. 35 miles west of Austin

Original Date Visited: 10/26/09

Signed: Both lanes of US 50

  • Marker 111 admires the view of its namesake valley. When we visited in early October, US 50 was definitely NOT Americas Loneliest Road!
  • Marker 111 with the lonely Desatoya Range looming in the b.g.
  • Marker 111
  • Marker 111

Exact Description:
This valley was favored by prehistoric Indians for its abundant grass and brush found near its springs and intermittent streams. Shoshonean Indians and their ancestors traveled seasonally to gather wild seeds and small game and settled here in winter camps.

In 1854, Col. John Reese discovered an emigrant/wagon route through Edwards Creek Valley that was shorter than the Humboldt Trail. Established by surveyor James Simpson in 1859, it was followed by the Pony Express, the Overland Telegraph, the Overland Mail stages, and in 1862, it became the Austin Gold Rush Route. It was the principal east-west commercial artery for Nevada until 1880.

[111]

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CARLIN

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 [176] -- The Surveyors 

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