[6]       

El Dorado Canyon -- Head of Steamboat Navigation in Nevada (Replacement)

Clark County
  35.827923, -114.936931

"A tale of two Nevadas in a canyon of two faces." -- Journal Entry, April 2013

At Nelson Junction, US 95 and SR 165, 17 miles south of Henderson.

Original Date Visited: 4/25/13

Signed: Both lanes of US 95

Replacement Marker Dedication: April 2013
After the disappearance of its original Stone version, it wasn't until almost twenty years later that the SHPO replaced the original with a new metal marker you see today at the intersection of SR 165 and US 95. Rather than concentrate on the canyon's extensive mining legacy, the SHPO decided to elaborate more on the incredible steamboat navigation along the Colorado River -- history that's otherwise unknown to many Nevadans! Those of us who prefer nostalgia, the original stone marker is still around today ... alive and well in a cactus bed 13 miles east of here upon entering the town of Nelson. Either way, Marker 6 now has two very unique versions, each one with fine representations of the Silver State's rich history.


  • Find this new replacement marker about thirty minutes south of Las Vegas
  • Find this new replacement marker about thirty minutes south of Las Vegas

Exact Description:
Eldorado Canyon runs east from here to the Colorado River and was the site of one of Nevada's mining booms. Prospectors began digging for gold and silver here, about 1859, forming the Colorado Mining District. The three largest mines, the Techatticup, Wall Street, and El Dorado Rand Group, yielded over $6,000,000.

This portion of the Colorado River was navigable before Dam construction, allowing steamboats and barges to freight good 350 miles from the California Gulf to the mouth of Eldorado Canyon and upriver. The steamboat era peaked in the 1860s, but continued to the turn of the twentieth century.

In 1867, the U. S. Army established an outpost at Eldorado Canyon to secure the riverboats' freight and protect miners in the canyon from Native Americans. The military abandoned the camp in 1869. In the 1870s, the mines flourished again, producing ore until World War II.

Next Marker:

DAYTON

Related Links & Markers:

 Lawlessness in El Dorado Canyon   El Dorado Canyon, Jan/Feb 2014: Nevada Magazine 

Have you been to this marker? Tell us all about it here!