Tag: Nevada

Nevada, often referred to as the “Silver State,” is located in the western United States. Renowned for its vast deserts and striking mountain ranges, the state boasts a diverse landscape that includes the arid Mojave Desert in the south and the forested Sierra Nevada mountains in the west. The state is famously home to Las Vegas, a vibrant city known for its bustling casinos, entertainment venues, and nightlife. Beyond the glitz of Las Vegas, Nevada offers rich history in its ghost towns, a legacy of the 19th-century mining boom. The state also features significant natural attractions, such as Lake Tahoe and Great Basin National Park, offering a wide range of outdoor activities. Nevada’s economy is driven by tourism, mining, and, increasingly, technology, making it a dynamic state with a blend of natural beauty and modern attractions.

Joshua Tree (Yucca brevifolia)

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The Joshua Tree was named for the biblical character by the Mormon Setters as they crossed the Mojave Desert in the mid 19th century.  It is told that the tree reminded the early Mormon’s of Joshua who, much like the tree, held his hands up in prayer.  From these humble beginnings, this tree and its undulating shadows have become of an icon of the desert southwest.

Joshua Tree located in the Mojave National Preserve.
Joshua Tree located in the Mojave National Preserve.
Natural distribution of Yucca brevifolia - U.S. Geological Survey - Digital representation of "Atlas of United States Trees" by Elbert L. Little, Jr.
Natural distribution of Yucca brevifolia – U.S. Geological Survey – Digital representation of “Atlas of United States Trees” by Elbert L. Little, Jr.

Joshua Trees are found in the desert southwest at elevations between 1300 and 5900 feet.  A member of the Yucca family, the Joshua can live several hundred years and grow up to 30 feet tall and have a trunk up to 3 feet in diameter.  The tree trunk contains many small fibers and does not contain growth rings as with typical trees.  A top heavy branched tree it can develop an impressive and deep root system which can reach 31 feet deep.

Joshua Tree Bloom are found in the spring month in the Mojave National Preserve. Photograph by James L Rathbun
Blooms are found in the spring month in the Mojave National Preserve. Photograph by James L Rathbun

During the spring months of February, March and April, white flowers signal be beginning of spring for the Joshua Tree.  Flowering is dependent upon both an adequate amount of rain and a freeze.  Once flowered, the Joshua Tree is dependent upon the Yucca month for pollination.

New trees can develop from the roots of existing tree from Rhizomes, however the Yucca moth is required to create new stands of trees from the seeds.

This yucca plant inspired a National Park in Southern CA, which is a favorite location to visit.  The symbol of the high desert, the tree is the name sake of a famous Irish rock band, which is also a favorite.

Bristlecone Pine (Pinus longaeva)

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Blown by wind, and ravaged by time, the Bristlecone pine tree is a silent sentinel of the White Mountains in eastern central California.  Only growing high in subapline mountains, Bristlecone pine trees are among the oldest living organisms, reaching ages of 5000 years old, with on specimen being documented at 5,067 years old by Tom Harlan who aged the tree by ring count.  That calculation confirms this one individual tree to be the oldest living non-clonal organism on the planet.

A Bristlecone Pine (not the oldest) located in the White Mountains, CA
A Bristlecone Pine (not the oldest) located in the White Mountains, CA

The Bristlecone pine groves are found between 5,600 and 11,200 ft of elevation on mountain slopes with dolomitic coils and can be reached using the White Mountain Road.  This harsh alkaline soil gives the Bristlecone a competitive advantage because over plants and tree are unable to grow.  The trees grow very slowly due cold temperatures, arid soil, wind and short growing seasons.

Reaching a maximum height of 49 ft with a truck diameter up to 12 ft, the Bristlecone pine maintains a bright orange or yellow.  The stunted, twisted and gnarled trees contain deep fissures which expose deep orange bands of wood within the tree.  The waxy needles are bunched in groups of five and form at the end of branches and also aid in water conservation.  The Bristlecone wood is resistant to insects, fungi and other pests which may shorten its lifespan, due to the density of its wood and relatively high resin content.  The harsh environment the tree grows in undoubtedly contributes.  Unlike most trees which rot with age, the wood of this tree is contorted and eroded from sand, high winds, rain and ice.  The age of these tree and harsh conditions cause the trees to twist and contort into other-worldly forms.

Bristlecone pine wood contorted with age and environment.
Bristlecone pine wood contorted with age and environment.

As with many species, the Bristlecone is uniquely qualified to thrive in its selected climate.  The tree maintains a shallow highly branched root system which not only brings in water from the soil around it, but also anchors the tree the the side of the mountain.  Its dense wood which protects from insects, also protects from the winds.  Although the Bristlecone pine population is stable, it is being monitored as a species of Least Concern due to its slow rate of growth, low reproduction rate, harsh environment and environmental concerns.

Natural distribution map for Pinus longaeva - Elbert L. Little, Jr., of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, and others
Natural distribution map for Pinus longaeva – Elbert L. Little, Jr., of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, and others

The age of these trees is story of these gnarled trees.  Although fantastic photographic subject, they are not particularly nice looking trees.  They tend to be rather short, not very green and in some cases appear to be mostly dead or dying.  However, they hold the top three on the list of oldest living  trees and are aged about 1000 years over the fourth ranked tree.  The third ranked tree, Prometheus, was cut down in by a graduate student in 1964 and the U.S Forest Service, because they did that sort of thing back then.  Prometheus was 4844 years old on its death and due to its location in Baker Nevada could be a trip in the next few years.  Over fifty years since the tree was killed, it is easy to second guess the decision with hind-sight and an environmental outlook that did not exist as much back then.  Science is not always clean and neat.

The second tree on the list is Methuselah at 4849 years of age at was the oldest tree until 2012 when an older tree was found.  The unidentified and unnamed oldest tree was 5,067 years old by Tom Harlan calculated its age in 2012.  This tree was around before the oldest pyramid of Egypt, the Pyramid of Djoser which was built in the 27th century B.C.

One a personal note, I can not remember when I didn’t know about the old trees in the white mountains.  I don’t remember my first visit, but I will never forget my last.  The wonderful part of these trees, is that their small environments are so remote and high in the mountains.  The trees are special and should be seen.  Walked through.  Appreciated.  Unlike other large tree groves, such as the Redwoods of Yosemite, the Bristlecone pine groves of the White Mountains, CA, are not as visited.  Which means that you can visit the trees and be alone without the throngs of people.  Finally, when you are done and turn back towards the car, if you are in the White Mountains, you get some of the most amazing view of the Owens valley below you.

Bodie and Aurora rivalry continues to this day

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Two towns located in the hills above Mono Lake maintain, the Bodie and Aurora rivalry continues even now, long past their demise.  Bodie, CA and Aurora, NV boomed with the gold rush of the 1870s and busted just years later when the gold ran out and faded into history.  Miners, merchants, and people would undoubtedly moved either direction between the two cities and with good fortune would undoubtedly talk down the previous city.  Such is human nature, but why would this rivalry continue long past the demise of both towns?

The Standard Mill, Bodie, CA. Photograph by James L Rathbun
The Standard Mill, Bodie, CA. Photograph by James L Rathbun

Bodie, CA is the crown jewel of ghost towns.  Maintained in a state of arrested decay and located just 13 miles off the 395 highway outside of Bridgeport, CA, Bodie hosts over 100,000 visitors each year.  The current site has some 100 structures, flush toilets, museum, guided tours, on-site staff, a website, Facebook presence and a gift shop.  (I own two coffee mugs and three shirts)  During a visit two Bodie, I over heard two fellow visitors joking about a StarBucks coffee located near the fire station.  Bodie, justifiably is a popular place to visit, there are many people there when you visit.

Aurora, NV Photograph by James L Rathbun
Aurora, NV Photograph by James L Rathbun

By contrast, Aurora is a forgotten intersection of two roads.  The town was raised long ago for its brick, and only two structures are not lost two the bush and those are unrecognizable monuments to the towns past.  Few visitors will reach the town site of Aurora and those who do might be disappointed in what they find.  By almost any measure there is no comparison in the quality of a visit to the two towns in modern times.  So, why would there be an active effort on the part of those affiliated with Bodie to discourage visitor from driving to Aurora? Does the Bodie and Aurora rivalry continue to this day?

On a visit in June, 2016 I walked into the museum and spoke with one of the park staff / ranger to inquire about Aurora.  I told the ranger I was planning to drive to Aurora and asked “How many miles is it to Aurora?”

The Ranger replied, “I think it is about 30 miles?”

I answered, “Well, I thought it was about 9 miles, but I don’t remember the source so I could be wrong.”  I thanked him and moved on.

Perplexed a bit, I walked around the museum and studied a few exhibits.   Once of the exhibits I saw was a hand written note / map, which noted that it was 6 miles to the Nevada border and Aurora was 10 miles past that point.  I returned to the Ranger at the front desk and told him, “Apparently, we are both wrong you have a document which states it is 16 miles to Aurora.”

He replied, “Well, it can be a rough road and I heard the bridge is out.”

Again, I thanked him and walked off towards the jeep.  Rough roads do not cause much concern, and a bridge being out is a binary concern.  We can either pass or not pass and will not know until we get there.  I loaded my family into the jeep, reset the trip odometer and sent off east towards Aurora.  We followed the road and Bodie Creek North from Bodie and soon we reached a small bridge.   As we drove over the bridge, I thought to myself, “Well so much from that bridge being out…”

As we continued down Bodie Creek there was another bridge, which was indeed out but immediately the obstacle was passable via the road to the right.    The bypass simple dropped down a few feet, crossed Bodie Creek and up the other side.  Not any issue with our Jeep JK.  We continued down the road and made a right turn to climb the hill into Aurora.  We soon reach an valley covered in sage brush with a wooden structure which appeared to be a head frame.  A moment later we reached and intersection and another concrete structure which was the remains of a building.  Surely, this must the Aurora.

Everything about the small valley was screaming Aurora.  The map told me we found Aurora.  Memories from my last visit 30 years prior told me it was Aurora.  The structural remains told me we found Aurora.  Everything told me that we found Aurora, except my trip odometer.  Since my cell phone GPS is worthless with no Internet connection, the one piece of measuring equipment told me I was 5 miles off of my destination.  After lunch we headed out again and soon found ourselves in the highlands above Mono Lake in extremely rough terrain.  We finally reached mile 16 and knew that the distance measurement found in the Bodie Museum was flat out wrong and wrong in a big way!

Remains of Aurora bricks found deep in the undergrowth. Photograph by James L Rathbun
Remains of Aurora bricks found deep in the undergrowth. Photograph by James L Rathbun

We turned around and returned to the site we believed to be Aurora.  Again we checked the maps, and everything appeared to match.  We had an intersection with another road.  We had a few limited structures.  One further investigation, we began to see flattened buildings in the over growth of sage brush.  Two structures became several.  As I walked through the thigh high sage brush, I looked down and saw bricks!  Bricks are the sure sign that we found Aurora!

Photographic landscape comparison between our trip and a historical photograph.
Photographic landscape comparison between our trip and a historical photograph.  The angles are slightly different but clearly the hillside line up.

So, how do we explain the differences in the distances.   My memory, which is fallible, was 9 miles.  The Ranger told me about 30, which I believed was way off.  The map in the museum told me 16 miles, and my odometer measured 11.5.  I reset my odometer and drove back to Bodie and duplicated my initial measurement of 11.5 miles and made a mental note of the dilemma.  Why is the distance so wrong?  I am willing the accept a slight variation in the mileage measurement of the jeep.  I have 35″ tires on the 4×4 and the gears are changed to 5.13:1.  The computer was changed to reflect these modifications.  This could explain a slight variation but not 4 miles over 16 if the program parameters are not exact or correct.

When we returned to camp that night I checked the “Bodie State Historic Park” guide purchased when I arrived at Bodie and published and revised in 2010.  On page one there is a town map with a reference to Aurora at a distance of 18 miles away!!!  Great, another number for the distance between the two towns.

When I arrived home I opened up Google Earth and check my measurement for the Bodie to Aurora Trail.  This measurement from Google Earth is 12.1 miles are more or less corroborates my measurement.  So, why would California State Parks publish an erroneous value and lengthen the distance of the Road from Bodie to Aurora?  Could the fact that California “lost” Aurora to  and its revenue to Nevada when the area was surveyed in 1863 explain this behavior?   Does the Bodie and Aurora rivalry between the two towns continue?  Could it be that the mile distances site actually describe a longer route around the mountain to the north west of Aurora.  Perhaps no one from California State Parks has checked?

I prefer to think of this is the last argument in the rivalry between two lost mining towns. An underhanded slight to history. The Bodie and Aurora rivalry continues…

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Davy Gilia (Gilia latiflora)

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A Davey Gilia stalk poking up between the California Poppies in the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve.
A Davey Gilia stalk poking up between the California Poppies in the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve.

Davy Gilia (Gilia latiflora) also known as Hollyleaf gilia or broad-flowered gilia is a flowering plant commonly found in the open flats or sandy areas and can carpet the western Mojave Desert, Joshua Tree woodlands and endemic throughout California.  This wild flower grows at 2500 to 4000 feet in elevation and grows to reach about 18 inches in height.

The plant features a tiny, small, five leafed flower about one inch in diameter. The flower is is purple in color and features a white throat to offer a beautiful display. The purple flowers are known to bloom between March and May.

Typically a Southern California Flower, the Davy Gilia has been observed in southern Nevada in the areas surrounding Rhyolite and Beatty, Nevada.

This Davy Gilia was photographed in the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve and the small purple flower was a highlight in the lush canvas of deep golden colored, California Poppies. It was common for a taller gilia flower to explode above the shorter California Poppies.

The California Poppy was the reason from my trip, however the gilia was the purple accent which made my trip.

Downeyville Nevada

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Downeyville is a historic silver-lead mining ghost town located in Nye County, Nevada, in the remote Gabbs Valley region. Once known as one of the westernmost settlements in the county, it emerged during the late 19th-century mining boom in central Nevada but followed the familiar pattern of many Western mining camps: rapid growth fueled by mineral discoveries, followed by decline as ore bodies played out and larger strikes elsewhere drew away residents. Today, it consists primarily of scattered rock foundations, mining debris, and remnants of structures on a sloping rocky fan in a desolate desert landscape.

Discovery and Founding (1877–1878)

The story of Downeyville begins in May 1877 when four brothers—Patrick, Jeremiah, Edman, and James Downey—discovered rich silver-lead ore deposits a short distance from the existing camp of Ellsworth. Word of the strike spread quickly, drawing miners and opportunists from Ellsworth and other nearby areas. The new settlement initially consisted of just four crudely built log cabins. By 1878, it had grown into a functional mining camp with a population of approximately 200 residents (mostly men). The town was named after the Downey brothers, with one of them (often referred to as P. Downey or J. Downey) serving as the first postmaster.

Early infrastructure reflected the camp’s hasty development. New arrivals often slept outdoors or among the sagebrush due to a lack of housing. The post office opened on March 31, 1879, and operated until October 15, 1901, providing an official marker of the town’s legitimacy. Stage lines connected Downeyville to Wadsworth and Luning, and Wells Fargo & Co. established an express office.

Boom Period and Daily Life (1878–Early 1880s)

By late 1878, the town had expanded significantly. A correspondent for the Grantsville Sun (October 19, 1878) described it as having 60–70 buildings of various types, including three well-stocked stores, six saloons, three boarding houses, three blacksmith shops, a stable, hay corrals, and other businesses. The camp was lively, with miners, merchants, and support services catering to the growing population.

A lead smelter—one of the first true lead smelters in Nevada—was constructed around 1880 (some accounts place it slightly later) by the Downey Mining Company. This reduced the need to haul ore long distances to mills in Austin or the Carson & Colorado Railroad. Ore shipments and smelting operations drove the local economy. High hopes were expressed in local newspapers; the Silver State (September 5, 1882) predicted that Downeyville would rank among Nevada’s top bullion shipping camps due to expanding ore bodies.

Daily life in Downeyville mirrored other frontier mining towns. Saloons provided entertainment, while stores and boarding houses supported the workforce. The town’s isolation in a “lonely valley” added to its rugged character. In 1879, an Indian scare involving Piute (Paiute) groups heightened tensions; reports noted anger over an incident near Mammoth and Grantsville, with warnings that a large gathering near Ellsworth could threaten the lightly defended camp (which had only about 30 men at the time).

Mining Operations and Economy

The primary producer was the Downeyville Mine (sometimes associated with the broader Gabbs Mining District). Initial ore was shipped for processing elsewhere, but the local smelter improved efficiency. Production figures vary by source: some estimate the district yielded $7 million to $12 million in silver and lead between 1878 and 1901, while one account notes the main Downeyville mine produced about $600,000 by 1901 alone. Lead was a key output alongside silver.

Decline and Early Challenges (Mid-1880s–1900)

The boom proved short-lived. By 1885, most residents had departed, leaving only the Downey brothers. Mining proved inconsistent, and a resident’s letter in the Eureka Sentinel (June 7, 1890) lamented that no mining income had been earned for over a year. The 1901 census recorded just three residents in Downeyville amid Nye County’s total population of 1,140. The discovery of rich silver at Tonopah in 1900–1901 accelerated the exodus, as miners chased newer opportunities.

Brief Revivals (1901–1950s)

In 1901, the Downey family sold the main properties to the Nevada Company, operated by J. Phelps Stokes (son of Anson Phelps Stokes, associated with Austin’s Stokes Castle). The company built a store and boarding house and brought in about 30 workers, but profitable ore could not be located, and operations ceased by year’s end.

A more sustained revival occurred in 1923 when Downeyville Mines, Inc. rehabilitated the mine. It operated intermittently until 1927. Smaller revivals followed in the 1930s and 1950s as metal prices fluctuated, but these were minor leasing operations with limited impact. After 1927, the town remained largely silent except for occasional prospecting.

Legacy and Current Remains

Downeyville never recovered as a populated settlement. Its post office closure in 1901 marked the effective end of its official status. The site today is a classic Nevada ghost town. Scattered rock foundations (all that remain of buildings) and mining debris, including cans and broken glass, cover a spread-out area on a rocky fan. No complete structures survive, though mine ruins are among the better-preserved features. The location feels particularly isolated, with a nearby desert grave marker for Korean War veteran Private Teddie Mack Edwards (1929–1995) adding to its lonely character. Recent artifacts, such as an old mobile home trailer chassis, suggest sporadic modern visitation.

Access requires four-wheel-drive vehicles over rough roads, and the site is best visited with caution due to its remote desert setting (hot summers, cool winters). Downeyville exemplifies the ephemeral nature of Nevada’s mining towns—built on hope, sustained briefly by ore, and abandoned when economics shifted.

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