Along the California Trail

Hi Blog!

On Monday, April 1, 2019, we left Baker, Nevada behind and drove west on Highway 50, the loneliest road in America. It was just us and cows for miles and mile and miles. The scenery was spectacular! We climbed up and over mountain range after mountain range. In between, we crossed long valleys. While there were grades of 6, 7 and 8 percent, Buster handled the ups and downs without complaint. When we reached the town of Austin, we turned north to Battle Mountain.

There's not much to report from our first full day in Battle Mountain. Steady rain kept us in all day except for some chores - grocery shopping, laundry and Jeep washing. Now, you may wonder why we washed the Jeep on a rainy day, but it really needed it after off-roading in Baker. It was scheduled for service on Wednesday, and we wanted to make Dusty less dusty.

On Tuesday, April 3rd, our day started bright and early. We had an hour's drive to get from Battle Mountain to the Jeep dealer in Elko. Once we got the Jeep settled in for service, the dealer shuttle dropped us off at Toki Ona, a Basque Restaurant in downtown Elko. Dave had Lomo and Eggs. Lomo is spanish for tenderloin. In this case, it was a pork tenderloin marinated in white wine, garlic and paprika, then grilled to perfection and smothered in roasted peppers.

After breakfast, we walked across the street to the Northeastern Nevada Museum.

Elko was established in 1868 with the arrival of the Central Pacific Railroad, the town was named after the herds of elk once common to the region. Once the transcontinental railroad was completed, a number of stage coach lines popped up to feed passengers, including the Elko-to-Tuscarora-Cope Stage. Hard to believe this small, lightweight coach could carry 13 people, plus the mail!

Pictured below, Dave bellies up to the Halleck Bar. Once a year, the museum hosts a cocktail party where members and friends, with a glass of Beefeater gin in hand, drink a toast to the acquisition of the antique bar and back bar from a saloon in the once wild and woolly nearby town of Halleck. Reflected in the back bar is an exhibit of works by Billy Schenck, one of the originators of the Western pop art movement.  (Pay no attention to that woman in the mirror.)

Nevada’s largest collection of wild animals from around the world is on permanent exhibit in the Wanamaker Wing.  There are more than 180 specimens displayed in habitat dioramas, as well as animal mounts and historic hunting gear. The majority of these animals were donated by the late Jack Wanamaker of Burbank, California. He made his fortune renting equipment to the movie industry and then spent it on big game safaris.

The second floor of the museum is a western art gallery. It contains the second largest Will James collection in the world. Will James (1892–1942) was a legendary western artist, author, and cowboy of the American West.  The exhibit includes drawings, watercolors, sketches, and first edition signed books. The museum also owns a rare collection - Ansel Adams: Portfolio One.  Ansel Adams (1902–1984) is widely known as the most famous American landscape photographer of all time.  Edward Weston was really no slouch himself.

There are a number of exhibits that chronicle northeastern Nevada history including exploration, railroads, mining, and ranching. There are displays of early life in Elko County featuring American Indian, Basque, Chinese, and Cowboy cultures. We noticed this winecup brand from the Winecup Ranch, once owned by Governor John Sparks. Back in 2017, we visited western Nevada and had a chance to visit the Sparks Heritage Museum.  (Oh, yes, and we have raised more than one winecup with his grandson.  You know who you are...)

On permanent exhibit is a rare collection of 2 million-year-old mastodon bones that were recovered from a construction site in nearby Spring Creek, Nevada. While the bones were interesting, we loved the mastodon and mammoth drawings the local schoolkids did.

Just as we were finishing up at the museum, we received a call that our Jeep was ready. Rather than call for the shuttle, we decided to walk back to the dealership. On the way, we passed the Elko Chamber of Commerce, located in the historic Sherman Station. In 1997, this historic limber pine ranch house and its five outbuildings were relocated to Elko from Huntington Valley (60 miles south of Elko). 

After retrieving our Jeep, we drove over to the California Trail Interpretive Center, sitting near the California Trail along the Humboldt River west of Elko. Between 1841 and 1869, up to 250,000 people sold their belongings, packed wagons, and set out for California. The California Trail Interpretive Center offers dioramas and interactive exhibits that immerse the visitor in the trail experience of those who endured the 2,000 mile trek - the most notable of which were the Bidwell-Bartelson Party and the Reed-Donner Party, each of whom followed the California Trail through northern Nevada. The route follows the Humboldt River through the Great Basin.

Being full-time RVers, we share an affinity with these travelers. After all, they traveled in America's first mobile homes.

Did you know that the pioneer wagons had odometers? They also had trail guides. So, it was important to know who far the group travels to make sure they made the correct turns to follow the trail.

The Oregon Trail and the California Trail started out along the same route. Once travelers passed Fort Bridger and got to Soda Springs (assuming they didn't the Hastings Cutoff), they had a choice. Turn right and head to Oregon or turn left and head to California.

The most common type of pioneer wagon was the “prairie schooner.” These were emigrant wagons. Prairie Schooners were larger and used for shorter distances, and to haul freight as they could carry heavier loads. Some of the emigrant wagons were modified farm wagons that the pioneers already had, while other pioneers had to purchase new wagons. These lightweight, affordable wagons were, essentially, square boxes, and had five or six curved wooden hoops attached to them and were usually covered in a white canvas to keep contents and the occasional passenger dry.

Wagons were often pulled by several oxen or mules, with a teamster who walked alongside the to direct the animals with verbal commands and an occasional whip.

Probably the most famous or infamous group to follow the California Trail would be the Donner Party. The Donner Party was a group of American pioneers that set out for California in a wagon train in May 1846. Departing from Independence, Missouri, they were delayed by a series of mishaps and mistakes, and spent the winter of 1846–47 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada near what is now called Donner Lake in Truckee, California. The party came to popular attention due to their immense hardships and because some of the pioneers resorted to cannibalism to survive.

With this history, it isn't surprising that the California Trail Interpretive Center adopted a Prairie Schooner as its logo:

We will continue to follow the California Trail, at least until we reach Winnemucca. Hopefully, the groceries we bought yesterday will sustain us!