Lahontan Valley
Encyclopedia
The Lahontan Valley is in Churchill County
in the U.S. state of Nevada
. The valley is a landform of the central portion of the prehistoric Lake Lahontan
's lakebed of 20,000-9,000 years ago. The valley and the adjacent Carson Sink
represent a small portion of the lake bed, and Humboldt Lake is to the valley's northeast (Pyramid Lake is west and Walker Lake
is south). Aside from the city of Fallon
, the railroad junction at Hazen
, and the ghost town of Stillwater
, the Lahontan Valley is mostly uninhabited desert. During the era of the California trail
the Lahontan and adjacent valleys to the northwest were called the Forty Mile Desert.
name for Nevada's Lahontan Valley and the adjoining area to the northwest. Emigrants following the California Trail
west came into the Lahonton Valley via the Humboldt River
. West of the river's end in the Humboldt Sink
, the trail forked, with one branch leading towards the Carson River
and the other towards the Truckee River
. Regardless of which route they took, the travelers would have to endure about 40 miles (64 km) of desert without usable water. The Truckee route traversed the area starting at modern Lovelock
, reaching the waters of the Truckee River near modern Wadsworth
. This path is along a series of smaller valleys separated from the main part of the Lahontan Valley by the Hot Springs Mountains
. Modern Interstate 80
closely approximates this path. The Carson route across the Lahontan Valley proceeds south from modern Lovelock towards an area west of modern Fallon
called Ragtown
, which had the last usable water on the Carson River
. The First Transcontinental Railroad
(modern Overland Route
) and U.S. Route 95 loosely follow the Carson route.
Per a state historical marker at a rest area
at the junction of I-80 and US 95, the Forty Mile Desert was the most dreaded part of the California Trail. If possible, it was crossed at night. An 1850 survey counted 953 graves along this portion of the trail, along with thousands of animal skeletons and abandoned belongings of the desperate travelers.
Churchill County, Nevada
Churchill County is a county located in the western U.S. state of Nevada. As of the 2000 census, the population was 23,982. As of July 1, 2007, the population of Churchill County was estimated at 27,190. The county, named after Mexican-American War hero brevet Brigadier General Sylvester Churchill,...
in the U.S. state of 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...
. The valley is a landform of the central portion of the prehistoric Lake Lahontan
Lake Lahontan
Lake Lahontan was a large endorheic Pleistocene lake of modern northwestern Nevada that extended into northeastern California and southern Oregon...
's lakebed of 20,000-9,000 years ago. The valley and the adjacent Carson Sink
Carson Sink
Carson Sink is a playa in the northeastern portion of the Carson Desert that was formerly the terminus of the Carson River. The sink is currently fed by drainage canals of the Truckee-Carson Irrigation District...
represent a small portion of the lake bed, and Humboldt Lake is to the valley's northeast (Pyramid Lake is west and Walker Lake
Walker Lake (Nevada)
Walker Lake is a natural lake, 50.3 mi² in area, in the Great Basin in western Nevada in the United States. It is 18 mi long and 7 mi wide, located in northwestern Mineral County along the eastern side of the Wassuk Range, approximately 75 mi southeast of Reno...
is south). Aside from the city of Fallon
Fallon, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 7,536 people, 3,004 households, and 1,877 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,474.1 people per square mile . There were 3,336 housing units at an average density of 1,095.2 per square mile...
, the railroad junction at Hazen
Hazen, Nevada
Hazen is an unincorporated community in Churchill County, Nevada, United States, about 12 miles southeast of Fernley and 16 miles northwest of Fallon, on U.S. Route 50....
, and the ghost town of Stillwater
Stillwater, Nevada
Stillwater is a 19th century ghost town of Churchill County, Nevada.-External links:* at GhostTowns.com...
, the Lahontan Valley is mostly uninhabited desert. During the era of the California trail
California Trail
The California Trail was an emigrant trail of about across the western half of the North American continent from Missouri River towns to what is now the state of California...
the Lahontan and adjacent valleys to the northwest were called the Forty Mile Desert.
Forty Mile Desert
The Forty Mile Desert is a California Gold RushCalifornia Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The first to hear confirmed information of the gold rush were the people in Oregon, the Sandwich Islands , and Latin America, who were the first to start flocking to...
name for Nevada's Lahontan Valley and the adjoining area to the northwest. Emigrants following the California Trail
California Trail
The California Trail was an emigrant trail of about across the western half of the North American continent from Missouri River towns to what is now the state of California...
west came into the Lahonton Valley via the Humboldt River
Humboldt River
The Humboldt River runs through northern Nevada in the western United States. At approximately long it is the second longest river in the Great Basin, after the Bear River. It has no outlet to the ocean, but instead empties into the Humboldt Sink...
. West of the river's end in the Humboldt Sink
Humboldt Sink
Humboldt Sink is an intermittent dry lake bed, approximately 11 mi long, and 4 mi across, in northwestern Nevada in the United States...
, the trail forked, with one branch leading towards the Carson River
Carson River
The Carson River is a northwestern Nevada river that empties into the Carson Sink, an endorheic basin. The main stem of the river is long....
and the other towards the Truckee River
Truckee River
The Truckee River is a stream in the U.S. states of California and Nevada. The river is about long. Its endorheic drainage basin is about , of which about are in Nevada. The Truckee is the sole outlet of Lake Tahoe and drains part of the high Sierra Nevada, emptying into Pyramid Lake in the Great...
. Regardless of which route they took, the travelers would have to endure about 40 miles (64 km) of desert without usable water. The Truckee route traversed the area starting at modern Lovelock
Lovelock, Nevada
Lovelock is a city in western Nevada that is the county seat of Pershing County, the location of a prison, and the namesake of the area's Cold War gunnery range...
, reaching the waters of the Truckee River near modern Wadsworth
Wadsworth, Nevada
Wadsworth is a census-designated place in Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The population was 881 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Reno–Sparks Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town was named for General James S. Wadsworth, a Civil War general killed at the battle of the...
. This path is along a series of smaller valleys separated from the main part of the Lahontan Valley by the Hot Springs Mountains
Hot Springs Mountains
The Hot Springs Mountains are located approximately 2 miles east of the U.S. Route 395 on Bureau of Land Management land. It is a popular spot for recreational vehicles and hiking. The mountain contains several mines most of which are abandoned and virtually none can be found on record, although...
. Modern Interstate 80
Interstate 80 in Nevada
In the U.S. state of Nevada, Interstate 80 traverses the northern portion of the state. The freeway serves the Reno-Sparks metropolitan area, and also goes through the towns of Fernley, Lovelock, Winnemucca, Battle Mountain, Elko, Wells and West Wendover on its way through the state.I-80 follows...
closely approximates this path. The Carson route across the Lahontan Valley proceeds south from modern Lovelock towards an area west of modern Fallon
Fallon, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 7,536 people, 3,004 households, and 1,877 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,474.1 people per square mile . There were 3,336 housing units at an average density of 1,095.2 per square mile...
called Ragtown
Ragtown, Nevada
Ragtown, Nevada, is a Churchill County ghost town of an abandoned 1854 trading post west of Fallon....
, which had the last usable water on the Carson River
Carson River
The Carson River is a northwestern Nevada river that empties into the Carson Sink, an endorheic basin. The main stem of the river is long....
. The First Transcontinental Railroad
First Transcontinental Railroad
The First Transcontinental Railroad was a railroad line built in the United States of America between 1863 and 1869 by the Central Pacific Railroad of California and the Union Pacific Railroad that connected its statutory Eastern terminus at Council Bluffs, Iowa/Omaha, Nebraska The First...
(modern Overland Route
Overland Route (Union Pacific Railroad)
The Overland Route was a train route operated jointly by the Union Pacific Railroad and the Central Pacific Railroad / Southern Pacific Railroad, between Council Bluffs, Iowa / Omaha, Nebraska, and San Francisco, California over the grade of the First Transcontinental Railroad which had been...
) and U.S. Route 95 loosely follow the Carson route.
Per a state historical marker at a rest area
Rest area
A rest area, travel plaza, rest stop, or service area is a public facility, located next to a large thoroughfare such as a highway, expressway, or freeway at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting on to secondary roads...
at the junction of I-80 and US 95, the Forty Mile Desert was the most dreaded part of the California Trail. If possible, it was crossed at night. An 1850 survey counted 953 graves along this portion of the trail, along with thousands of animal skeletons and abandoned belongings of the desperate travelers.