The 40 Wilderness Miles North of Gerlach, Neuada
By PEGGY TREGO • Desert Magazine's Nevada Travel Correspondent
THE GERL.ACH-LEADVILLE "FOUNTAIN" particularly strange in that it is a hop-skip from the great expanse of the Black Rock Desert. from the nearby Western Pacific mainline. This is old country in the known account One restaurant, the Stanley Cafe, purveys of time, first explored by Fremont in 1844 good plain food. A garage and filling sta- and still much the way he and his tired tion, several bars, a movie theater and an men saw it. Gerlach is its one town, and excellent general store run by Justice of Gerlach is very good to those visitors who the Peace Charles Carter complete the fa- don't carp for luxuries. cilities. There is no telephone line. Emer- gencies must rely on the lone radio-phone, The fast route to Gerlach (Route 34) or on the Western Pacific's private wire takes off from U.S. 40, 33 miles northeast of Reno at Wadsworth. It leads past the to its own stations. south-end of Pyramid Lake, through the Most Gerlachers are glad to tell you Paiute community of Nixon, along the long what you need to know about the country dry Winnemucca Lake shores with their hereabouts, and it's particularly wise to acres of ancient terracing left by long-gone ask if you intend to leave the main Ger- inland seas. Route 34 skirts the industrial lach-Leadville stretch of road. Judge Car- town of Empire, where U.S. Gypsum's im- ter has been here 31 years, and what he mense white-powdered mill looms among can't supply in the way of general infor- neat homes and tree-shaded streets, but mation, gracious P o s t m i s t r e s s Helen Empire is there for business and not to Thrasher can, and the postofnce is in the cater to passers-by. Gerlach, another six same building as the store. A couple of miles up the road, is a fraction of Empire's other obliging people with a great deal of size but its eight decades of being a fron- necessary local know-how are Deputy tier village permit it to look on Empire Sheriff Cisco Aschenbrenner and Constable as an industrial suburb. Shorty Taylor, who are the only law in UT WHERE the mirage begins and these parts. Cisco and Shorty earn their the pavement ends is the 40-mile I prefer the Smoke Creek route, though wages; Gerlach can be rough and tough O Gerlach-to-Leadville Road. If you it is really worth a trip in itself. A few on a Saturday pay night. can shuck the trappings of ultra-civilized ranches are along here; Garaventa's, with travel, do without noise, hamburger stands the Garaventa plane usually parked along- Gerlach also bounces around in other and signboards, you'll find this trip a dandy. side the road, is one of the better known. ways. Every passing train jiggles it like a In this remote country, the family plane bowl of tapioca, and the omnipresent mi- Maps won't tell you much about this is often as important as the family pickup, rage frequently greets arriving travelers country, except that Gerlach is 111 miles and the airlanes are uncluttered except by with the fine spectacle of Gerlach rising northerly of Reno, and can be reached by an occasional brown eagle. A few old pavement on Nevada's State Route 34 or gently into the air and floating around the mines, several side roads, shallow caves Black Rock's edge. by a longer unpaved road that winds past that may yield arrowheads or better—all Pyramid Lake's west-side and through the of these make the Smoke Creek Road a A half-mile westerly of town are Ger- Smoke Creek Desert. No map can tell you happily slow trip. lach's own hot springs at which some ex- about the splendid hills, strange mountains, perts (Prof. V. P. Gianella of Reno, for long valleys and wild canyons, streams and But, however you get to Gerlach, be one) believe Fremont himself probably swamps north of Gerlach. Most maps don't prepared to be self-sufficient henceforth. camped. The hot springs are still available even show Leadville—a highly photogenic No filling stations, stores, hotels or motels to anyone, and they come in three tempera- "ghost town"—nor the petrified forest of from here on. The necessities are available tures—steam-hot, very warm and cool. The "dawn redwoods" just beyond there. Maps in Gerlach, dotted along its one street. latter two are deep roundish outdoor pools also don't designate one of the strangest There is qne small motel—Baum's—and filled with translucent turquoise water. The fountains ever evolved from a combina- one elderly one-story hotel which is usually "steam bath" is in a small hut made of tion of natural force and human error, full by evening with ranchers and "rails" railroad ties, and people with aches and pains say it does wonders for them. No charge, no restrictions, no life-guards—so keep an eye on the kids if they take a dip. The road to Leadville (actually Route 34 extended) leads almost due north past the hot springs, at the edge of alluvial fans spread out to form rugged Granite Moun- tain's skirts. A lot of us who are familiar with the country quit the road about three miles from Gerlach and whiz along on the Black Rock Desert's marvelous flatness, enjoying our own wheel-tracks in the bis- The Alcan Camper is quickly transformed from its compact low silhouette on the road to roomy walk-in living quarters. Drive safely at any speed with minimum drag and sway. cuit-colored surface, then cut back to the Moments later, enjoy the comfort and convenience of a weather tight, high ceiling home away road several miles later. It's a good idea from home complete with three burner stove, sink, cabinets, ice box, beds, and many other to know what you are doing when you try luxury features. The unique hydraulic mechanism which raises the Write today for more informa- this cutoff — better check at Gerlach to camper top can be safely operated even by a small tion on the most advanced make sure a recent rain hasn't turned this child. Locks prevent accidental lowering. The top camper on the road. fast track into a quagmire. is lowered quickly by the simple turn of a valve. Patent No. 2879103 "NORTH WEST-BRANCH" Where the Leadville Road bends away R. D. Hall Mfg. Inc. from the Desert, it enters a broad valley 13408 Saticoy St. Camper's Inc. dotted with ranches, most of which are No. Hollywood, Calif. 8819 Renton Ave. holdings of the extensive Holland Land & Seattle, Wash, Livestock Co. The fantastic fountain is
36 / Desert Magazine / November, 1960 also on Holland property, but visitors are It's up to you where you go from Lead- own and pay me in the morning." A permitted so long as they close gates behind ville. Maybe you'll mosey back to Gerlach topnotch restaurant is next door to the them and do not scatter trash. and see about the long long road across Golden. The nearby Cedar Lodge is an- the Black Rock east to Sulphur, Rabbithole other good stopping place. By our speedometer, the fountain's un- and Lovelock. Maybe you'll push on north An easier road (Nevada's Route 81) marked entry road is 19.4 miles from Ger- another 48 miles to Vya (and Vya is not lach. It takes off to the right of the main than the Leadville route leads back to a town—just a crossroads) where Route 34 road, and you can see from there the foun- Gerlach from Cedarville; this, too, goes tain's conical form a mile easterly. You meets Nevada Route 8-A. West on 8-A through fine country where the arrowhead can drive to within 30 yards of the foun- 25 miles brings you to Cedarville, Calif., hunting and obsidian rock collecting is tain, but watch out for the hot-water ditch a charming town with excellent accommo- good. at road's end. Many prefer to park to one dations. My favorite is Ray Golden's Hotel Lake Mead is the setting for the National side of the drift-gate across the road and —possibly because when Ray decides to Limited Hydroplane Races, November 5-6; walk the last .4 mile along the causeway. take an evening off he leaves the room keys and the Gold Cup Races (unlimited hydro- Warm pools and swamps on either side on the lobby desk with a note: "Pick your planes), November 11-13. / / / support a surprising number of ducks, cur- lews and other shorebirds, perfectly at home here in the desert. There is no name for the fountain, al- though I've heard it called the Settler's Well (erroneously, it seems.) It all began GET IN ON THE GROUND FLOOR! in the World War I days when the Ger- . . . best desert-flavored Christmas gift suggestion of the lach Land Co. drilled here for water. They century . . . a set of four beautiful full-color reprints got water all right—a boiling-hot heavily- of artist Clyde Forsythe's famous "Gold Strike" paint- mineralized flow that has continued to ings depicting the birth, life and death of a Western spout ever since, building up its odd shape mining town . . . lithographed on high quality stock . . . bit by bit. ludge Carter remembers a six- order as many sets as you have special friends you want foot-high cone in 1929; it is closer to 15 to please . . . only $2.85 per set . . . our address: feet today and the constant jet of hot water Reprint Dept., Desert Magazine, Palm Desert, Calif. from its tip assures further growth. What that little jet has created is quite beautiful —a rounded fluted cone rising from a flat base, its sides folded and draped to re- semble a group of hooded figures. Its colors are rich umbers and oranges, greens shading from emerald to chartreuse, dashes of red and ochre. Rising from the tall grasses of the flat with the muted pastels of the Calico Range in the distance, the fountain is a spectacular phenomenon.
Beyond the fountain turnoff, the Lead- ville Road lopes along easily for some miles, then begins to climb. All along here are pleasant places to picnic or camp, especi- ally if the streams have stayed alive (they sometimes wilt down to puddles in a dry year). The terrain is rocky, rugged and rolling, with eye-pulling vistas of far hills and canyons. There are side-roads—but here again, know what you're doing when you explore them. Some lead into very rough country. Some of the rougher parts of that coun- try still carry the marks of emigrant trails. One of these routes winds through massive High Rock Canyon, and in one of the Canyon's shallow caves are names and dates of a century ago, scrawled in axle grease. This side-trip requires a four-wheel-drive vehicle and a guide for comfort and safety. Leadville is 40 miles from Gerlach, and a small sign indicates the better of two Statement Required by the Act of August 24, Edw. Lightfoot, California Bank Bldg., Pomona, roads to the little cluster of abandoned 1912, as amended by the Acts of March 3, 1933, Calif. July 2, 1946 and June 11, 1960 (74 Stat. 208) Mrs. Alice Shelton, 334 N. Cambridge, Clare- buildings clinging to the steep hillside. A showing the ownership, management, and cir- mont, Calif. boom mining community several decades culation of Desert Magazine published monthly 3. The known bondholders, mortgagees, and ago, Leadville is peacefully vacant now. at Palm Desert, California, for October 1, 1960. other security holders owning or holding 1 The rocky portal of its main tunnel just 1. The names and addresses of the publisher, percent or more of total amount of bonds, editor, managing editor, and business managers mortgages, or other securities are: (If there above the buildings is a cool resting place are: are none, so state.) on a hot day, but going farther in is not Publisher Charles E. Shelton, La Quinta, Cal. None. recommended. There are usually a few 4. Paragraphs 2 and 3 include, in cases Editor Eugene L. Conrotto, P.O. Box 481, La where the stockholder or security holder ap- animals (rats, for instance) at home in old Quinta, California. pears upon the books of the company as tunnels, and deep shafts or weak sidewall 2. The owner is: (If owned by a corporation, trustee or any other fiduciary relation, the can mean serious trouble. The little water- its name and address must be stated and also name of the person or corporation for whom course in the canyon bottom is another immediately thereunder the names and ad- such trustee is acting; also the statements in dresses of stockholders owning or holding 1 the two paragraphs show the affiant's full attractive stopping place; last time there, percent or more of total amount of stock. If knowledge and belief as to the circumstances my husband and I jumped a magnificent not owned by a corporation, the names and ad- and conditions under which stockholders and buck on its edge. dresses of the individual owners must be given. security holders who do not appear upon the If owned by a partnership or other unincorpo- books of the company as trustees, hold stock The petrified forest is almost a suburb of rated firm, its name and address, as well as and securities in a capacity other than that of that of each individual member, must be given.) a bona fide owner. Leadville, a couple of miles farther along Desert Magazine, Inc., Palm Desert, Calif. 5. The average number of copies of each the main road. The great stumps, some Charles E. Shelton, P.O. Box 153, La Quinta, issue of this publication sold or distributed, through the mails or otherwise, to paid sub- of them larger than 20-feet in diameter, are Calif. scribers during the 12 months preceding the relics of a forest that pre-dates the Sierra Leonard A. Shelton, California Bank Bldg., date shown above was: (This information is Nevada. They are for looking only, as Pomona, Calif. required by the act of June 11, 1960 to be Joe Turner. 129 N. Rockingham, Los Angeles, included in all statements regardless of fre- recent legislation provides heavy penalties Calif. quency of issue.) 34483. for souvenir-gathering. Ugly pits show why Randall Henderson, Lantana Ave., Palm Desert, Charles E. Shelton, publisher this was necessary—unscrupulous commer- Calif. Sworn to and subscribed before me this 29th cialism dynamited some of the better Robert M. Shelton, 2950 Lombardy Rd., Pasa- day of September, 1960. dena, Calif. J. Phil Franklin stumps to get slabs for polishing. Eugene L. Conrotto. La Quinta, Calif. (My commission expires January 21, 1961.)
November, 1960 / Desert Magazine / 37 potted throughout the Great Ba- ejected into the air which met and sin of Nevada are beds of "rock" adhered to one another in midair S formations which appear to have and plunked to the surface of the been formed the same way that the earth in huge blobs. Great Barrier Reef of Australia was Such large chunks are found in formed . . . as coral at the bottom of central Nevada in the Pyramid Lake the sea. region about 38 miles northeast of And well it could have been so, Reno and along U. S. Highway 40, for the entire Great Basin of the west- starting about eight miles south of ern states once formed the ancient Lovelock and extending about six bed of the prehistoric Lake Lahontan miles along the desert valley floor. more years ago than you can count on This area is known locally as the your fingers, even if you take a hun- Giant Tufa Park and a highway dred thousand years per finger. marker indicates the location.
No one was more astonished than long-time Nevada resident Vern Miller to discover that formations he'd always known as "tufa," were not really tufa at all.
The tuffs, however, which have er- While locally they are referred to roneously been called tufa by many as tufas, they actually are tuffs, form- authorities for a great number of ed from volcanic action. "Tufa" is years and still today are called so by a name properly applied to the cellu- the majority of Nevadans, came from lar deposits from mineral springs or volcanic action that took place those waters, either siliceous or calcareous. many years ago when the Great Basin The latter is called "calc tufa," and is Tuff, si! was still a sea. These are being eager- a cellular variety of calcite in which ly sought by rock hunters and rock the mineral matter has been deposit- garden enthusiasts today. ed from the waters of springs. In the The material in these tuffs, accord- past, mineralologists have included Tufa, no! ing to the latest scientific authority, these formations along with tuff. erupted from the magma zone thous- However, this theory is no longer ands of feet below the surface as fine sanctioned. ash and pellets. These were carried Prime example of tufa formations by the high winds sometimes for many are the stalagmites and stalactites miles before settling to earth. Others found in caves throughout the coun- fell nearby, close to the eruption. try, formed by the dripping mineral waters within those caves. There is As they floated into water, such as little to indicate that the Nevada that contained in Lake Lahontan, "tufas" were formed by this action, they settled to the bottom and min- although materially tuffs and tufas gled with the normal sediment. In ad- are similar. dition, ash falling on bare land was later washed into lakes by rains and Small tuffs are found under desert streams. Ashy clays and sands thus sands, one type resembling toadstools. produced were converted into tuface- Resting on the desert floor, they vary ous shales and sandstones. The larger in depth from the surface to several pellets formed the blobs that are now feet below. The ones most easily called tuffs. available to hunters of specimens are those easily spotted on the surface, Volcanic ash tends to travel far such as a field of toadstool tuffs lo- while pellets or the coarser ejected cated near Henderson on Nevada 41. materials fall near to the source. These make an exotic addition to Because of this, tuff varies a great decorative rock gardens. It is quite deal in texture as well as chemical an oddity, however, that they are and mineralogical composition. It rarely, if ever, located near the beds also varies in appearance from white of giant tuffs which may reach the to a dull brown and in several shapes. proportions of a four-story apartment Generally, the material ejected is house. The mushroom variety ranges by usually thought of as fine ash or small from the size and weight of a marble pellets. Actually, some were much to five feet in diameter, often weigh- Vern Miller more than pellets. They were chunks ing 400 pounds.
10 / Desert Magazine / December, 1963 One of the most sought after areas mucca Lake, a dry lake bed that is in the realm of tuff hunting is the completely surrounded by more giant Lahontan Valley of central Nevada tuffs. whose center is the city of Fallon. This dry lake bed reveals yet an- Located sixty miles east of Reno, the other form of tuff — sheets of tuface- northern portion of the valley con- ous material similar to the thin shale tains many of the mushroom type of of the desert's sandy areas, only tuffs. Part of this area is known as greater in thickness. Often mistaken the Forty Mile Desert, the Nemesis of for tufa formed by mineral water ac- pioneers a century ago who crossed tion, this tuff material so closely re- it in covered wagons. It is more acces- sembles coral that unless an individ- sible now, however, being crossed ual knows differently he would surely from north to south by black-topped identify it as such. Found protruding MACDONALD'S U. S. Highway 95. in small sheets it, too, adds much to This area is reached from Reno by rock gardens and table centerpieces. traveling on U. S. Highway 40 to 'Ki Fernley. The remainder of the dis- There is no need for rock hunt- tance into Fallon is traveled by U. S. ers to chip away at giant tuffs and YOU CAN EASILY turn our kit into a Highway 95 alternate. The entire por- destroy their beauty in order to ob- complete, professional looking, well-built tain a specimen, as smaller counter- camper in just a few hours with simple tion of the valley to the north of hand tools. (Or complete line for the man Fallon contains the Carson Sink and parts abound in the areas mentioned who wants one assembled). above. portions of the Forty Mile Desert. STRONG STEEL TUBING framework and In this desert wasteland, numerous To uncover and retrieve mushroom beautiful heavy aluminum cover, scored for mushroom type tuffs are located. tuff specimens, only a sharp pointed strength. Extremely light. Other tuffs small enough to be re- shovel is necessary. This implement FEATURES LARGE WINDOWS and rear trieved from the desert floor, while may be used to dig sand away from door; wide range of optional equipment the tuff's edges and is strong enough and accessories to further enhance your they may vary slightly to those found camper. in central Nevada, are located in al- to pry a weighty specimen from its most every one of the desert valleys sandy bed. Sometimes a pry bar is Write or visit one of our 12 western plants: useful in locating underground tuffs, stretching from Black Rock Desert Macdonald Camper Kit Co. south to Las Vegas and nearby as it may be easily poked into deep sand. EL MONTE SAN JOSE ELCAJON Henderson. 11015 E. Rush 1070 Elm 501 Wile For those interested in rock for- Special transportation is unneces- HAYWARD VENTURA OGDEN, UTAH mations that lend themselves to sary, as desert roads in most of these 82 W. Jackson 181 West Main 185 West 12th exotic camera work, the giant tuffs regions may be traveled by passenger SACRAMENTO EAST MESA, ARIZ. of Pyramid Lake are readily acces- car if the driver takes care in avoid- 4865 Pasadena 9643 Apache Trail sible from Reno. Adjacent to both ing soft sand. Those who conduct PORTLAND, ORE. FRESNO shores, giant tuffs tower over a hun- their search in a 4-wheeler, however, 9215 SE 82nd 1525 Blackstone dred feet into the air. operate at an advantage — especially PUYALLUP, WASH. TUCSON when one of the larger tuffs is un- 207 Jovita N.E. 4952 Casa Grande Hwy. A short drive around the southern covered and the vehicle may be driven end of Pyramid Lake places the tuff to the site. hunter in the Indian reservation town of Nixon, one of the headquarters for For a day's outing, tuff hunting is Nevada's Paiute Indians. Here the hard to beat. Carry along a good driver may turn north on State Route picnic lunch with plenty of water and 34 and within ten miles is traveling the whole family will have a "tuff" along the western shore of Winne- time! /// STOP 2-WHEEL DRIVE DRAG TUFF MOUNDS NEAR PYRAMID LAKE Save gas, gears, tires! Warn Hubs on your 4-w.d. give it double-duty value thru economical free- wheeling 2-w.d. with added pep, speed and han- dling ease; plus normal 4-w.d. — automatically with Warn Lock-O-Matics, manually with Lock- ing Hubs. Used by the majority of 4-w.d. owners. See your dealer soon! WARN MANUFACTURING CO., INC. Riverton Bex 6064-DM SMHI* 88, Woih. OATMAH — ARIZONA — SCENIC BEAUTY FIRE AGATE FIELDS MOVIE SETS Please consider this your invitation to visit this fascinating corner of the West .• . . OATMAN - GOLDROADS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
December. 1963 / Desert Maaazine / 11