Hamlin Valley
Encyclopedia
Hamlin Valley is a north-south trending valley of the Great Basin
located near the Nevada
–Utah
state line. It is about 60 miles (96.6 km) long.
Hamlin Valley lies between the Mountain Home Range
and Indian Peak Range on the east and south, and the Needle Mountains, White Rock Mountains
, and Limestone Hills
on the west. On the north it merges with Snake Valley, about 11 miles (17.7 km) south of Garrison
. The north end of the valley is located at 38°45′20"N 114°4′30"W, and the south end at 37°57′33"N 113°56′50"W. Rosencrans Well is located just southwest of the valley's center.
The Hamlin Valley Wash is an ephemeral stream running through the valley. It originates in the foothills north of Modena
, Utah, and drains northwest, following the Hamlin Valley into Nevada. The Hamilin Valley Wash disappears near the northern end of the valley. Big Springs Creek, originating at the northern end of Hamlin Valley flows north past Burbank
and into the Snake Valley, joins Lake Creek and empties into Pruess Lake
. The Hamlin and Snake valleys together constitute a closed drainage basin.
In 1953, at a sheep camp in Hamlin Valley, Elma Mackelprang observed tiny whitish flakes swirling through the air. They were part of the fallout
associated with the Grable
experiment, part of the Operation Upshot-Knothole
series of nuclear weapon tests, the most reckless and dirtiest ever conducted in Nevada. Mackelprang later experienced symptoms of radiation poisoning
.
Great Basin
The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic watersheds in North America and is noted for its arid conditions and Basin and Range topography that varies from the North American low point at Badwater Basin to the highest point of the contiguous United States, less than away at the...
located near the Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
–Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
state line. It is about 60 miles (96.6 km) long.
Hamlin Valley lies between the Mountain Home Range
Mountain Home Range
The Mountain Home Range is a north-south trending mountain range in western Beaver County in southwest Utah, United States. It is part of the Basin and Range Province. It is bound by Hamlin Valley to the west, Snake Valley to the north, Pine Valley to the east, and trends into the Indian Peak...
and Indian Peak Range on the east and south, and the Needle Mountains, White Rock Mountains
White Rock Mountains
The White Rock Mountains are a mountain range attached to the Wilson Creek Range on the west, which both form the northeast headwaters of the Meadow Valley Wash.. To the south of Meadow Valley Wash are the Cedar Range and the Clover Mountains....
, and Limestone Hills
Limestone Hills
The Limestone Hills are a mountain range in Lincoln County, Nevada....
on the west. On the north it merges with Snake Valley, about 11 miles (17.7 km) south of Garrison
Garrison, Utah
Garrison is an unincorporated town in Millard County, Utah, United States. It is home to a Utah Department of Transportation yard and office, but other than that, offers no services.- Geography :...
. The north end of the valley is located at 38°45′20"N 114°4′30"W, and the south end at 37°57′33"N 113°56′50"W. Rosencrans Well is located just southwest of the valley's center.
The Hamlin Valley Wash is an ephemeral stream running through the valley. It originates in the foothills north of Modena
Modena, Utah
Modena is an unincorporated community in far western Iron County, Utah, United States, near the Nevada border. It lies along State Route 56 west of the city of Parowan, the county seat of Iron County. Its elevation is 5,476 feet...
, Utah, and drains northwest, following the Hamlin Valley into Nevada. The Hamilin Valley Wash disappears near the northern end of the valley. Big Springs Creek, originating at the northern end of Hamlin Valley flows north past Burbank
Burbank, Utah
Burbank is a small farming community in Millard County, Utah, located just east of the Nevada border. It is located in the southern part of Snake Valley, near the opening of Hamlin Valley. It was founded as a Mormon farming community in the 1870s, with an early post office located at the Dearden...
and into the Snake Valley, joins Lake Creek and empties into Pruess Lake
Pruess Lake
Pruess Lake is a small spring-fed lake in Snake Valley, Millard County, west-central Utah. It is just south of Garrison and north of Burbank. It was named after Charles Preuss, a cartographer who was on John C. Fremont's first and second expeditions...
. The Hamlin and Snake valleys together constitute a closed drainage basin.
In 1953, at a sheep camp in Hamlin Valley, Elma Mackelprang observed tiny whitish flakes swirling through the air. They were part of the fallout
Nuclear fallout
Fallout is the residual radioactive material propelled into the upper atmosphere following a nuclear blast, so called because it "falls out" of the sky after the explosion and shock wave have passed. It commonly refers to the radioactive dust and ash created when a nuclear weapon explodes...
associated with the Grable
Upshot-Knothole Grable
Upshot-Knothole Grable was a nuclear weapons test conducted by the United States as part of Operation Upshot-Knothole. Detonation of the associated nuclear weapon occurred shortly after its deployment at 8:30am PDT on May 25, 1953, in Area 5 of the Nevada Test Site...
experiment, part of the Operation Upshot-Knothole
Operation Upshot-Knothole
Operation Upshot-Knothole was a series of eleven nuclear test shots conducted in 1953 at the Nevada Test Site.Over twenty-one thousand soldiers took part in the ground exercise Desert Rock V in conjunction with the Grable shot...
series of nuclear weapon tests, the most reckless and dirtiest ever conducted in Nevada. Mackelprang later experienced symptoms of radiation poisoning
Radiation poisoning
Acute radiation syndrome also known as radiation poisoning, radiation sickness or radiation toxicity, is a constellation of health effects which occur within several months of exposure to high amounts of ionizing radiation...
.