![]() | Along Old US 40, 1 mile west of Wells |
Original Date Visited: 5/13/09
Revisited: 4/21/22
Notes: This one's been around for a long time and it's still no less hard to find than in past years! According to the SHPO, you can find Marker 45 "along Interstate 80 at the Union Pacific Railroad overpass in Wells." This might prove to be helpful if there wasn't three railroad overpasses in Wells! Oh, and you won't see it from the freeway either. Read up, folks.
- Find this one by leaving the 80 at Exit 351 ("West Wells") and make a left onto Old US 40 toward Wells from the off-ramp. After a mile you'll come to an intersection. This is the corner of 6th Street (Old US 40) and SR 231. Yes, old US 40 -- Nevada's original lifeline across the state. (Keep in mind that US 40 is often signed as "Business 80" across Nevada.) Here the old highway takes the form of "6th Street" through downtown Wells, but instead of turning right into town make a left turn (west) as if you were to head back out of town. This old blacktop follows a route over an old railroad overpass before reaching the marker a half-mile outside of town.
- A more straightforward way to get here is by leaving the freeway at Exit 348 ("Beverly Hills") - one exit before the "West Wells" off-ramp. Make a right turn onto the frontage road (US 40) and head straight in the direction of Wells. The marker will be on your left as you approach the Wells Tribal Colony. Marker 45 is set far enough back from the road (see the Street View above) that you probably won't see it until you come right up on its location.
Exact Description:
These springs, seen as marsh spots and small ponds of water in the meadows here, are the Humboldt Wells, a historic oasis on the California Emigrant Trail. Here, during the period 1845-1870, hundreds of covered wagons each year rested and refitted from their arduous journeys up Raft River, past the City of Rocks, across the Goose Creek Range and down Thousand Springs Valley, and prepared for the grueling 300-mile trek along the Humboldt Valley. Ruts of the old emigrant trail winding down to the springs may yet be seen on the slopes above them and to the northwest.
The City of Wells, first established as the water stop of Humboldt Wells on the Central Pacific Railroad in September, 1869, is named for these springs. Its name was shortened to Wells in 1873.
![]() COVERED IN MY I-80 ROAD TRIP | ![]() COVERED IN US MY 93 ROAD TRIP |
Related Links & Markers:
- 21 - The Humboldt River The Source of the Humboldt River Virtual Tour of the California Trail
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