Day 79 - Wendover to Winnemucca, Nevada

Today turned out to be a marvelous day, indeed! Though plans called for putting well over 200 miles on the odometer, and no real stops were planned, we managed to spend quite a few happy hours walking the streets of Wells, wandering the Eastern Nevada Museum in Elko, and absolutely devouring the new emigrant trail museum west of Elko. And we still managed to make our mileage, though not until after 5:00 p.m., even after picking up an hour before reaching Wells (due to crossing into the Pacific timezone).

Today we needed to get as far as Winnemucca because it lay about halfway between Wendover and home. Though we normally only drive about 150 miles a day, today we had to do about 235 miles, which is tough when there are so many interesting things to stop and see.

Our first stop this morning was the rather sad little town of Wells, Nevada. Wells looks for all the world like a plant that someone has neglected to water. Bypassed by the Interstate, abandoned by her business community, nothing but boarded shops, weed-covered vacant lots, and decay greet you as you enter town. Still, every hour or so I like to stop the rig, get out, and walk around a bit to get the circulation going. When we saw the exit sign for Wells, it fell just about at the right time for a bit of exercise.

When we reached the center of town, we saw just the sign to entice us to stop a few minutes. The sign was over the visitor center and promised an emigrant trails museum, something that I find absolutely irresistible. Unfortunately, when we reached the door, the visitor center had not yet opened for business. A small sign advised that 11:00 a.m. was their normal opening time. So, still needing a bit of leg stretching, we set off to walk the central part of town.

Even though everything looked pretty depressing in central Wells, I still found a couple of old cars to photograph. But when we reached the supposed historic section, that row of buildings that dated back to the coming of the railroad in 1869 or so, there was nothing but a vast vacant lot strewn with antique bricks. Only one building was still standing, and it looked like a strong wind would finish it (photos top left and right).

We went ahead and took photos of that one remaining red-brick building, and more of some nearby buildings that probably went back to the turn of the last century, including one with a killer neon sign which probably hadn't worked since the Eisenhower administration. The sky was pretty dark and overcast, so the photos are probably just as somber as we felt in seeing all the decay and ruined properties. We decided that Wells was probably headed for ghost town status, as have so many other Nevada towns that depended on the boom and were wiped out by the bust. It wasn't until much later in the day that we found out that Wells had suffered from a devastating earthquake about mid decade, and the historic district had been all but wiped out. Very sad!

Back on the Interstate, our next stop was the absolutely thriving community of Elko. It wasn't all that long ago that Elko was just a sleepy little Nevada town that the Interstate had bypassed, and time was all set to forget. Enter the Barrick and Newmont minning companies and their search for gold. The hunt for the precious yellow metal has supercharged the Elko economy and the place has been growing like a weed ever since.

The Eastern Nevada Museum in Elko has long been a pleasurable stop while you're in transit through the state. I've been there a number of times. But it's been many years since Concetta and I stopped while on a camping trip to Jarbidge one year with our ten-year-old son, Robert. Robert is now well past thirty. So we were very much surprised at all the improvements the museum has undergone. They've more than tripled their floor space. Now, in addition to the displays devoted to antique and vintage items, the museum has installed a complete natural history room devoted to wild animals, and a like-sized floor devoted to art. Today they had on display a huge collection of works by the famous western artist and writer, Will James. The art was stunning, AND they had a large collection of Will's original books, probably first additions. We were just awestruck with the job the museum personnel have accomplished.

When our museum visit was over, we took time for lunch in the RV, then we set out for our final stop for the day in Winnemucca, where we had already made a reservation. The RV park lay somewhat over 100 miles away. But we hadn't gone but eight miles and we saw yet another turnoff promising a museum on the California emigrant trail. I almost drove on by, since we'd only just gotten on the road again. But thankfully, I changed my mind and exited the Interstate and drove over to the rest stop which was festooned with a variety of signs describing the trail.

But as we stood there reading the signs (I was actually taking photos of the clouds), a car rolled by, didn't stop, and made its way along a road that we hadn't yet noticed. As I watched the car, I noticed it approaching a large building off about a quarter of a mile with a parking lot filled with cars. In addition, I could see a school bus in the lot. "Hmm," I said to Concetta. "That looks like it might be the trails museum over there."

Both of us stared at the distant building. "Come on," I said. "We need to check it out."

And it sure is a good thing we did, for the building turned out to be a brand new (as of 2012) museum totally dedicated to the California emigrant trail and the sturdy pioneers who walked its length. Once inside the door, I knew immediately that we had stumbled onto something wonderful; something that you might wait a lifetime to see.

Using dioramas, photographs, appropriately-dressed manikins, real and recreated pioneer gear, personal accounts, videos, and a host of other techniques, the museum curators have totally recreated the 1840s and 1850s for the visitor. Everything from real covered wagons, to trail-side cooking gear are represented, and everything in between. I was especially awestruck by the display that showed just what was packed into one of the prairie schooners when fully loaded. It sure helped answer the question, "did people ride in the wagons?" No, they didn't most times. There was simply no room for people when all the supplies, tools, weapons, and such like were stowed.

Did you think that a speedometer was a modern invention? Think again. One of the displays featured an exact replica of a working speedometer, constructed completely of wooden gears, that had been invented and used on some emigrant wagons.

Here's a statistic that you might find sobering: ten people died each mile all the way across the plains for more than 2,000 miles. That's just about one person every 500 feet. Can you imagine that many unmarked graves along the trail?

Some of the emigrants' story was told via video feed which, fortunately, were separated enough so they didn't interfere with each other. They even had a special theater for watching the Donner Party story, which is something most folks want to know about.

We learned a number of facts that we hadn't known before. For instance, at any given time 1/5 of the women on a wagon train were pregnant. Naturally, when you're racing against the clock and the weather, stopping for any length of time is not practical. So, mere hours after giving birth, the new mother would be expected to be on the move again, though she would probably ride for awhile.

We also learned that small children were expected to walk ahead of the train and clear the route of rocks and brush, as well as fill up holes that might potentially damage a wagon wheel. The biggest killer on a wagon train was most often Cholera, since pollution of the drinking water took place so easily when one train followed another so closely and used the same streams for both human and animal consumption.

So, as we near the last day of our adventure, I think I can say with confidence that the California Trail Museum is perhaps in the top five museums we have visited. If, like us, you didn't even know about it, we encourage you to spend a couple of hours on your next vacation. You'll be really, really glad you did. The web address according to the flyer I picked up is: www.blm.gov/cv5c It's located of I-80 Hunter Exit 292, 8 miles west of Elko, Nevada. The phone is 775-738-1849.

AND, if you're available really, really soon, the Trail Museum is having a 1850s Wagon Encampment between May 31st and June 1st, 2014. There will be a circle of wagons, live music, craft demonstrations, Shoshone Summer Camp, and a Sutter's Fort presentation. They promise a dance on that Saturday night from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. I would love to go if the timing was a bit different, and I wasn't just getting back from 80 days on the road. But why not see if you can make it. I bet it will be great fun!