DOCSLIB.ORG

Humboldt River Chronology an Overview and Chronological History of the Humboldt River and Related Water Issues

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Humboldt River Chronology an Overview and Chronological History of the Humboldt River and Related Water Issues Humboldt River Chronology An Overview and Chronological History of the Humboldt River and Related Water Issues The information contained in Volume 1, Part I – Overview of this Humboldt River Chronology provides a general overview and description of the Humboldt River Basin and Humboldt River and its physical, geologic, and hydrologic characteristics and attributes. Volume 2, Part II – Pre-Twentieth Century and Part III – Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries contain a detailed listing by date of some of the more important events associated with the Humboldt River Basin, the Humboldt River, sub-basins and various tributaries, storage reservoirs, water diversions, and related water supply, water use, water rights, water resources development, fisheries and habitat, and environmental and water quality issues. Part I – Overview Introduction The Humboldt River Basin is an extensive river drainage system located in north-central Nevada and extending in a generally east-to-west direction from its headwaters in the Jarbidge, Independence and Ruby Mountains in Elko County, to its terminus in the Humboldt Sink, approximately 225 miles away in the desert of northwest Churchill County. The basin encompasses an area of approximately 16,840 square miles and is the only major river system wholly contained within the State of Nevada. Connecting the Humboldt River’s lofty mountain sources of water to the basin’s terminus is the 310- mile long Humboldt River, which, by some claims, is actually about twice that in length accounting for its countless meanders.1 One particularly interesting observation in a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers report’s background study dealt with the meandering flow of the Humboldt River. The report noted that the river’s overall length from near Wells to the Humboldt Sink was approximately 300 miles. However, “the actual length of the river was much more than this due to its extensive meandering from side to side of the valleys. At numerous points along the river the direction of flow is transverse and even opposite to the general slope of the valley, and in one valley 130 miles long it is estimated the river flows 380 miles.”2 From the river’s origin near Wells, Nevada, to the Humboldt Sink, located southwest of Lovelock, the river drops in elevation by approximately 1,675 feet. The importance of the Humboldt River and the Humboldt River Valley to early emigration is well documented in the history of the West. The river’s course cutting directly through Nevada’s basin and range topography became a primary route for the California Emigrant Overland Trail through Nevada beginning in the early 1840’s and lasting into the early 1870’s. With the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869, the route down the Humboldt River became a major east-west railroad passage and, through various phases of highway construction, eventually evolved into present-day U.S. Interstate 80. The earliest use of the Humboldt River Basin by Europeans was for trapping beaver. Later the river provided water to scattered agricultural activities which served the needs of early emigrant wagon trains. Upon the discovery of silver ore in the lower Humboldt basin in 1860, the economic focus shifted to the development of the river basin’s natural and mineral resources. The resultant influx of Nevada Water Basin Information and Chronology Series I–1 Humboldt River Chronology—Part I DIVISION OF WATER PLANNING people dramatically increased the demands for agricultural produce, necessitating more intensive use of the basin’s extensive rangelands for livestock grazing. By the early 1870’s, extensive ranching and open-range grazing operations stretched virtually from one end of the basin to the other and reached up every major stream and tributary to the Humboldt River. By the late 1800’s, most of the basin’s mining activities had lapsed into near-dormancy, but the extensive rail and road transportation systems that mining had fostered now amply served the needs of an expanding farming and ranching industry. Agriculture and transportation effectively dominated the Humboldt River Basin’s economy up until the late 1980’s, when gold production, primarily along the Carlin Trend in western Elko County and northern Eureka County, turned the basin into the largest producer of gold in the United States. Throughout the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, the mining industry came to dominate the economies of the principal counties in the Humboldt River Basin. The Humboldt River Basin encompasses significant portions of five Nevada counties – Elko, Eureka, Lander, Humboldt and Pershing – and also includes smaller portions of three other counties – White Pine (upper Huntington Valley), Nye County (upper Reese River Valley) and Churchill County (Humboldt Sink).3 The Humboldt River Basin, or Nevada Hydrographic Region 4, is one of 14 hydrographic regions, basins or watersheds designated within the State of Nevada.4 The Humboldt River Basin is sub-divided into 33 hydrographic areas with one area sub-divided into a hydrographic sub-area. A hydrographic area typically represents a defined valley drainage area5 or some other discreet drainage system within a larger hydrographic region, basin or watershed. Appendix 1 to Part I lists the hydrographic areas located within the Humboldt River Basin along with the area or valley names, surface areas, counties of coverage and whether they have been designated by the Nevada State Engineer for additional administration.6 For purposes of this overview of the Humboldt River Basin, the hydrographic areas have been aggregated into eleven “sub-basins”, each of which consists of one or more hydrographic area. The sub-basin designation allows for more detailed analysis of the region’s hydrographic and geographic characteristics than provided by the total basin or watershed concept, while at the same time providing a more comprehensive assessment than that possible using the individual hydrographic areas. The sections which follow present detailed information and analysis of the Humboldt River Basin’s physical and geographic characteristics, river reaches and stream segments, major tributaries, water- related issues, stream flows, the eleven defined sub-basins, water rights and the river’s adjudication process, reservoirs and storage facilities, mining and mine dewatering, agriculture, changes in rangeland conditions, livestock grazing, erosion, flooding, cheatgrass invasion and wildfires, and snowpack water content trends and related matters. Also presented at the end of this overview is a section on climatic changes which have taken place during the Pleistocene Epoch (approximately 2 million years ago to about 11,000 years ago) and the Holocene Epoch (about 11,000 years ago to the present) and the effects on the hydrology of the Great Basin and the Humboldt River Basin. The Great Basin and the Humboldt River Basin The Humboldt River Basin lies wholly within a vast Intermountain region which was first recognized I–2 Nevada Water Basin Information and Chronology Series DIVISION OF WATER PLANNING Humboldt River Chronology—Part I for its unique geophysical structure by John C. Frémont, who fittingly named it the “Great Basin”.7 The hydrographic8 Great Basin is defined as an area of internal drainage systems bordered by the Rocky Mountains on the east, the Sierra Nevada9 on the west, the Columbia Plateau on the north and the Colorado Plateau on the south. Surface waters within this expansive area never reach the ocean, but are confined to closed basins which ultimately drain to terminal lakes, playas, or sinks. The Great Basin covers an area of approximately 205,780 square miles (131,699,230 acres or 532,970 square kilometers) and includes nearly all of Nevada, much of eastern California, western Utah, southeastern Oregon, and portions of southern Idaho. Within Nevada, four designated hydrographic regions, basins or watersheds constitute the northern boundary of the Great Basin. These include the Northwest Region (Nevada Hydrographic Region 1),10 the Black Rock Desert Region (Nevada Hydrographic Region 2),11 the Humboldt River Basin (Nevada Hydrographic Region 4),12 and the Great Salt Lake Basin (Nevada Hydrographic Region 11).13 Of these four hydrographic regions, only the Humboldt River Basin is wholly contained within Nevada. The Great Basin is characterized by considerable variation in its topography, with one record example for adjacent valley bottoms and mountain tops being the vertical relief of 11,331 feet between Badwater in Death Valley (282 feet below mean sea level, or MSL) and nearby Telescope Peak in the Panamint Range (11,049 feet MSL).14 The most extreme example of this variable topography within the Great Basin is the elevation difference of 14,744 feet MSL over a distance of 84 miles which separates Death Valley’s Badwater site from the summit of Mount Whitney (14,462 feet MSL).15 More typically, the difference between the Great Basin’s mountaintops and valley bottoms ranges from 3,800 feet to 7,600 feet with an average difference of 5,800 feet. The extreme topographic relief of this area greatly affects the distribution of plants and animals and provides niches for a multitude of organisms with diverse habitat requirements.16 The Great Basin is a land of striking contrasts containing considerable biological diversity. The Great Basin ranks as the fourth highest in terms of the number of vascular plant species among 116 ecoregions throughout North America and also ranks very high in the number of species of birds, butterflies
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Stable Isotopes, Hypsodonty, and the Paleodiet of Hemiauchenia (Mammalia: Camelidae): a Morphological Specialization Creating Ecological Generalization
    Paleobiology, 29(2), 2003, pp. 230±242 Stable isotopes, hypsodonty, and the paleodiet of Hemiauchenia (Mammalia: Camelidae): a morphological specialization creating ecological generalization Robert S. Feranec Abstract.ÐMorphological adaptations may indicate increased specialization (narrowing of ecolog- ical niche) or expansion of the suite of lifestyles available to an organism (increasing niche breadth). Hypsodonty in mammals generally has been interpreted as a specialization into a grazing niche from a browsing niche. Here I examine the feeding strategy of the extinct hypsodont camel Hem- iauchenia through an analysis of stable carbon isotope values from its tooth enamel, which was used to clarify its feeding strategy and to resolve con¯icting interpretations of dental versus muzzle attributes. The paleodiet of Hemiauchenia is then used to test whether hypsodonty correlates to graz- ing within fossil Lamini. This study focuses on fossils from Florida, which is geographically ideal because unlike other regions of the country almost all extant plants on which animals browse use the C3 photosynthetic pathway. In contrast, most of the grasses and sedges utilized by grazers use the C4 photosynthetic pathway. If Hemiauchenia was an obligate grazer, the stable carbon isotope values of tooth enamel should re¯ect primarily a diet of C4 grass and sedge (.21.3½). If Hem- iauchenia was mainly a browser, the isotopic value should be considerably more negative re¯ecting 13 ingestion primarily of C3 browse (,27.9½). The mean d C values for Hemiauchenia during each time interval average more negative than 28.0½, indicating a dominantly C3 browse diet, and there is no evidence for abandonment of the browsing niche from the Hemphillian through the Ran- cholabrean North American Land Mammal Ages.
    [Show full text]
  • Ecoregions of Nevada Ecoregion 5 Is a Mountainous, Deeply Dissected, and Westerly Tilting Fault Block
    5 . S i e r r a N e v a d a Ecoregions of Nevada Ecoregion 5 is a mountainous, deeply dissected, and westerly tilting fault block. It is largely composed of granitic rocks that are lithologically distinct from the sedimentary rocks of the Klamath Mountains (78) and the volcanic rocks of the Cascades (4). A Ecoregions denote areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the type, quality, Vegas, Reno, and Carson City areas. Most of the state is internally drained and lies Literature Cited: high fault scarp divides the Sierra Nevada (5) from the Northern Basin and Range (80) and Central Basin and Range (13) to the 2 2 . A r i z o n a / N e w M e x i c o P l a t e a u east. Near this eastern fault scarp, the Sierra Nevada (5) reaches its highest elevations. Here, moraines, cirques, and small lakes and quantity of environmental resources. They are designed to serve as a spatial within the Great Basin; rivers in the southeast are part of the Colorado River system Bailey, R.G., Avers, P.E., King, T., and McNab, W.H., eds., 1994, Ecoregions and subregions of the Ecoregion 22 is a high dissected plateau underlain by horizontal beds of limestone, sandstone, and shale, cut by canyons, and United States (map): Washington, D.C., USFS, scale 1:7,500,000. are especially common and are products of Pleistocene alpine glaciation. Large areas are above timberline, including Mt. Whitney framework for the research, assessment, management, and monitoring of ecosystems and those in the northeast drain to the Snake River.
    [Show full text]
  • 51 Investigation of Nevada's 2009-2010 East Humboldt Range
    17th Biennial Symposium Northern Wild Sheep and Goat Council Investigation of Nevada’s 2009-2010 East Humboldt Range and Ruby Mountain Bighorn Dieoff CALEB MCADOO, Nevada Department of Wildlife, 60 Youth Center Road, Elko, NV 89801 PEREGRINE WOLFF, Nevada Department of Wildlife, 405 South 21st Street, Sparks, NV 89431 MIKE COX, Nevada Department of Wildlife, 1100 Valley Road, Reno, NV 89512 Abstract: Coughing Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep were first reported by sportsmen the second week in December 2009 in the Ruby Mountains. In late December sportsmen again reported coughing and ill bighorn sheep but this time in the adjacent East Humboldt Range approximately 30 miles from the Ruby Mountains core bighorn area. Rut-related ram movement between these 2 ranges mostly likely occurs. Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) quickly confirmed that bacterial pneumonia was present in the bighorn herds in both mountain ranges. The NDOW veterinarian and biologists developed an investigative and surveillance plan to learn the extent of the disease event, and administer an antibiotic treatment to a subgroup of animals. Objectives of the plan were to 1) compare and contrast bighorn sub-herds at different sites within the 2 mountain ranges with animals evaluated for respiratory pathogens and nutritional status (forage quality and trace mineral levels); 2) measure the benefit and effectiveness of the antibiotic Draxxin administered to bighorn sheep as measured by survival, lamb recruitment, body condition, residual lung pathology, and detected pathogens in collared and treated animals vs collared and untreated animals.; and 3) compare and contrast forage, soil, and blood and/or liver selenium levels; pathogen profiles; spring/early summer 2009 precipitation amounts; and forage quality measures among the East Humboldt Range and Ruby Mountain bighorn herds and other bighorn herds in Nevada that were captured in January 2010.
    [Show full text]
  • Lovelock-Cave-Back-Country-Byway
    Back Country Byways . An Invitation to Discover There is an axiom among seasoned travelers advising that the best way to get to know a new place is to get off the highway and visit the back roads, the side trails and the hidden, out-of-the-way corners where the true qualities wait to be discovered. The same axiom holds true for America’s public lands, the vast reaches of our nation that are all too often seen only from the windows of speeding cars or the tiny portholes of airliners. The Bureau of Land Management, America’s largest land managing agency, is providing an exciting opportunity for more Americans to get to know their lands by getting off the main roads for leisurely trips on a series of roads and trails being dedicated as Back Country Byways. The Back Country Byways Program, an outgrowth of the national Scenic Byways Program, is designed to encourage greater use of these existing back roads through greater public awareness. The system is BUREAUREAU OOFF LANDLAND MANMANAGEMENTGEMENT expected to expand to 100 roads when completed. In Nevada, each byway has a character and beauty of its own, taking travelers through scenery that is uniquely Nevadan, into historic areas that helped shape our state and near areas that have been largely untouched by man. They can see the multiple uses of their lands and come to a greater awareness of the need for the conservation and wise use of these resources. And all this can be accomplished at little cost to the taxpayer. Because the roads are already in place, only interpretive signs and limited facilities are needed to better serve the public.
    [Show full text]
  • Northern Paiute and Western Shoshone Land Use in Northern Nevada: a Class I Ethnographic/Ethnohistoric Overview
    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Land Management NEVADA NORTHERN PAIUTE AND WESTERN SHOSHONE LAND USE IN NORTHERN NEVADA: A CLASS I ETHNOGRAPHIC/ETHNOHISTORIC OVERVIEW Ginny Bengston CULTURAL RESOURCE SERIES NO. 12 2003 SWCA ENVIROHMENTAL CON..·S:.. .U LTt;NTS . iitew.a,e.El t:ti.r B'i!lt e.a:b ~f l-amd :Nf'arat:1.iern'.~nt N~:¥G~GI Sl$i~-'®'ffl'c~. P,rceP,GJ r.ei l l§y. SWGA.,,En:v,ir.e.m"me'Y-tfol I €on's.wlf.arats NORTHERN PAIUTE AND WESTERN SHOSHONE LAND USE IN NORTHERN NEVADA: A CLASS I ETHNOGRAPHIC/ETHNOHISTORIC OVERVIEW Submitted to BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT Nevada State Office 1340 Financial Boulevard Reno, Nevada 89520-0008 Submitted by SWCA, INC. Environmental Consultants 5370 Kietzke Lane, Suite 205 Reno, Nevada 89511 (775) 826-1700 Prepared by Ginny Bengston SWCA Cultural Resources Report No. 02-551 December 16, 2002 TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures ................................................................v List of Tables .................................................................v List of Appendixes ............................................................ vi CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................1 CHAPTER 2. ETHNOGRAPHIC OVERVIEW .....................................4 Northern Paiute ............................................................4 Habitation Patterns .......................................................8 Subsistence .............................................................9 Burial Practices ........................................................11
    [Show full text]
  • High-Mtn-Lakes.Pdf
    NEVADA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE STATEWIDE SPORT FISHERIES MANAGEMENT FEDERAL AID JOB PROGRESS REPORT F-20-50 2014 RUBY MOUNTAIN & EAST HUMBOLDT HIGH MOUNTAIN LAKES NEVADA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE, FISHERIES DIVISION ANNUAL JOB PROGRESS REPORT Table of Contents Contents Page SUMMARY ...................................................................................................................... 1 BACKGROUND .............................................................................................................. 1 OBJECTIVES and APPROACHES ................................................................................. 2 PROCEDURES ............................................................................................................... 3 FINDINGS ....................................................................................................................... 3 MANAGEMENT REVIEW ............................................................................................... 6 RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................................... 7 NEVADA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE, FISHERIES DIVISION ANNUAL JOB PROGRESS REPORT State: Nevada Project Title: Statewide Fisheries Program Job Title: Ruby Mountain and East Humboldt High Mountain Lakes Period Covered: January 1, 2014 through December 31, 2014 SUMMARY During 2014, none of the high mountain lakes in the Ruby Mountains and East Humboldt Range was aerially stocked with Lahontan cutthroat trout fry due to the unavailability of
    [Show full text]
  • Growth Rate and Duration of Growth in the Adult Canine of Smilodon Gracilis, and Inferences on Diet Through Stable Isotope Analysis
    Bull. Fla. Mus. Nat. Hist. (2005) 45(4): 369-377 369 GROWTH RATE AND DURATION OF GROWTH IN THE ADULT CANINE OF SMILODON GRACILIS, AND INFERENCES ON DIET THROUGH STABLE ISOTOPE ANALYSIS Robert S. Feranec1,2 Trophic structure and interconnectedness have important implications for diversity and stability in ecosystems. While it is generally difficult to determine trophic structure and the specific prey of predators in ancient ecosystems, analysis of stable δ13 δ18 isotope ratios in tooth enamel can be used to exclude taxa from a predator’s diet. This study analyzes Cv-pdb and Ov-pdb values in a canine of Smilodon gracilis to understand tooth growth and the preferred prey of this species. Oxygen isotope results show a 5 mm/month growth rate and a duration of growth estimated to be 16 months long. The carbon isotope results suggest δ13 consumption of animals that depended only on C3 plants. Due to overlap in Cv-pdb values, it appears that Hemiauchenia and Platygonus may have been included in the diet of this individual of S. gracilis, while Equus and Mammuthus were probably δ13 excluded. Also, the mean Cv-pdb values of S. gracilis were more negative than the prey, which may indicate prey captured in a closed environment, or consumption of species present at Leisey 1A but not yet analyzed isotopically. This study shows that determining trophic relationships and interconnectedness within ancient ecosystems is possible. Key Words: Smilodon; tooth development; diet; stable isotopes; enamel INTRODUCTION common carnivore found at the LSP 1A locality was the Trophic interconnectedness has important implications saber-toothed felid Smilodon gracilis (Berta 1995).
    [Show full text]
  • Elko County Nevada Water Resource Management Plan 2017
    Elko County Nevada Water Resource Management Plan 2017 Echo Lake - Ruby Mountains Elko County Board of Commissioners Elko County Natural Resource Management Advisory Commission December 6, 2017 Executive Summary The Elko County Water Resource Management Plan has been prepared to guide the development, management and use of water resources in conjunction with land use management over the next twenty-five (25) years. Use by decision makers of information contained within this plan will help to ensure that the environment of the County is sustained while at the same time enabling the expansion and diversification of the local economy. Implementation of the Elko County Water Resource Management Plan will assist in maintaining the quality of life enjoyed by residents and visitors of Elko County now and in the future. Achievement of goals outlined in the plan will result in water resources found within Elko County being utilized in a manner beneficial to the residents of Elko County and the State of Nevada. The State of Nevada Water Plan represents that Elko County will endure a loss of population and agricultural lands over the next twenty-five years. Land use and development patterns prepared by Elko County do not agree with this estimated substantial loss of population and agricultural lands. The trends show that agricultural uses in Elko County are stable with minimal notable losses each year. Development patterns represent that private lands that are not currently utilized for agricultural are being developed in cooperation and conjunction with agricultural uses. In 2007, Elko County was the largest water user in the State of Nevada.
    [Show full text]
  • Lahontan Cutthroat Trout Species Management Plan for the Upper Humboldt River Drainage Basin
    STATE OF NEVADA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE LAHONTAN CUTTHROAT TROUT SPECIES MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE UPPER HUMBOLDT RIVER DRAINAGE BASIN Prepared by John Elliott SPECIES MANAGEMENT PLAN December 2004 LAHONTAN CUTTHROAT TROUT SPECIES MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR THE UPPER HUMBOLDT RIVER DRAINAGE BASIN SUBMITTED BY: _______________________________________ __________ John Elliott, Supervising Fisheries Biologist Date Nevada Department of Wildlife, Eastern Region APPROVED BY: _______________________________________ __________ Richard L. Haskins II, Fisheries Bureau Chief Date Nevada Department of Wildlife _______________________________________ __________ Kenneth E. Mayer, Director Date Nevada Department of Wildlife REVIEWED BY: _______________________________________ __________ Robert Williams, Field Supervisor Date Nevada Fish and Wildlife Office U.S.D.I. Fish and Wildlife Service _______________________________________ __________ Ron Wenker, State Director Date U.S.D.I. Bureau of Land Management _______________________________________ __________ Edward C. Monnig, Forest Supervisor Date Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest U.S.D.A. Forest Service TABLE OF CONTENTS Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ……………………………………………………………………..1 INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………………….…2 AGENCY RESPONSIBILITIES……………………………………………………………….…4 CURRENT STATUS……………………………………………………………………………..6 RECOVERY OBJECTIVES……………………………………………………………………19 RECOVERY ACTIONS…………………………………………………………………………21 RECOVERY ACTION PRIORITIES BY SUBBASIN………………………………………….33 IMPLEMENTATION SCHEDULE……………………………………………………………..47
    [Show full text]
  • Hydrographic Basins Information
    A p p e n d i x A - B a s i n 54 Crescent Valley Page 1 of 6 Basin 54 - Crescent Valley Crescent Valley is a semi-closed basin that is bounded on the west by the Shoshone Range, on the east by the Cortez Mountains, on the south by the Toiyabe Range, and on the north by the Dry Hills. The drainage basin is about 45 miles long, 20 miles wide, and includes an area of approximately 750 square miles. Water enters the basin primarily as precipitation and is discharged primarily through evaporation and transpiration. Relatively small quantities of water enter the basin as surface flow and ground water underflow from the adjacent Carico Lake Valley at Rocky Pass, where Cooks Creek enters the southwestern end of Crescent Valley. Ground water generally flows northeasterly along the axis of the basin. The natural flow of ground water from Crescent Valley discharges into the Humboldt River between Rose Ranch and Beowawe. It is estimated that the average annual net discharge rate is approximately 700 to 750 acre-feet annually. Many of the streams which drain snowmelt of rainfall from the mountains surrounding Crescent Valley do not reach the dry lake beds on the Valley floor: instead, they branch into smaller channels that eventually run dry. Runoff from Crescent Valley does not reach Humboldt River with the exception of Coyote Creek, an intermittent stream that flows north from the Malpais to the Humboldt River and several small ephemeral streams that flow north from the Dry Hills. Surface flow in the Carico Lake Valley coalesces into Cooks Creek, which enters Crescent Valley through Rocky Pass.
    [Show full text]
  • Cultural Resources Overview of the Heinz Ranch, South Parcel (Approximately 1378 Acres) for the Stone Gate Master Planned Community, Washoe County, Nevada
    Cultural Resources Overview of the Heinz Ranch, South Parcel (approximately 1378 acres) for the Stone Gate Master Planned Community, Washoe County, Nevada Project Number: 2016-110-1 Submitted to: Heinz Ranch Company, LLCt 2999 Oak Road, Suite 400 Walnut Creek, CA 94597 Prepared by: Michael Drews Dayna Giambastiani, MA, RPA Great Basin Consulting Group, LLC. 200 Winters Drive Carson City, Nevada 89703 July7, 2016 G-1 Summary Heinz Ranch was established in 1855 by Frank Heinz, an emigrant from Germany, who together with his wife Wilhelmina, turned it into a profitable cow and calf operation (Nevada Department of Agriculture 2016). In 2004, Heinz Ranch received the Nevada Centennial Ranch and Farm award from the Nevada Department of Agriculture for being an active ranch for over 100 years. A Class II archaeological investigation of the property was conducted in May and June 2016. Several prehistoric archaeological sites have been recorded on the property. Habitation sites hold the potential for additional research and have previously been determined eligible to the National Register of Historic Places. Historic sites relating to mining and transportation along with the ranching landscape are also prominent. Architectural resources on the property consist of several barns, outbuildings and residences. The barns are notable for their method of construction. Many are constructed of hand hewn posts and beams, and assembled with pegged mortise and tenon joinery. They date to the earliest use of the ranch. Residences generally date to the 1930s. Historic sites and resources located on Heinz Ranch provide an opportunity for more scholarly research into the prehistory and history of Cold Springs Valley (also Laughton’s Valley) and the region in general.
    [Show full text]
  • Geochemical Reconnaissance of the Cortez-Buckhorn Area, X Southern Cortez Mountains, -V Nevada
    - Geochemical Reconnaissance of the Cortez-Buckhorn Area, x Southern Cortez Mountains, -v Nevada By JOHN D. WELLS and JAMES E. ELLIOTT , CONTRIBUTIONS TO ECONOMIC GEOLOGY \ _____________________________ GEOLOGICAL SURVEY BULLETIN 1312-P * Geochemical data show the distribution of gold, silver, mercury, arsenic, antimony, copper, zinc, molybdenum, and tellurium in carbonate and siliceous sedimentary rocks - and granitic and basaltic igneous rocks UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE, WASHINGTON : 1971 -A, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR GEOLOGICAL SURVEY William T. Pecora, Director Library of Congress catalog-card No. 79-609840 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office Washington, D.C. 2040 CONTENTS Pago Abstract._________-_-_---____-_-_-----__-- PI Introduction. ______._.__.._._._.__-.__-.__- 2 Previous geochemical and geologic work... 2 Acknowledgments. _____.____-___-.___-. 2 General geology.___._._._-..-_-_._.-_.. 4 Ore deposits.________________---_-_-_-_ 5 Current geochemical work.__________________ 6 Geochemical anomalies.______-----_-_-_-_._ 7 Geochemical maps-__--_--_-_---------_-_-- 8 Summary of geochemical anomalies.__-_-__-_- 14 Summary of geologic associations.._.__.-_-_._ 15 Geochemical anomalies and exploration targets. 16 References cited._______--____-____-_-_--_- 17 ILLUSTRATIONS [Plates are in pocket] PLATE 1. Generalized geologic map and geochemical map showing dis­ tribution of silver, Cortez-Buckhorn area, Lander and Eure­ ka Counties, Nevada. 2. Geochemical maps showing distribution of gold, mercury, ar­ senic, and antimony, Cortez-Buckhorn area, Lander and Eureka Counties, Nevada.
    [Show full text]