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Friends oF red rock canyon 5
Sharon’s Slant By Sharon Schaaf
Roadside History of Nevada
or those of us who now call Nevada our shop to handle, he moved to San
home, Reno resident Richard Moreno has Francisco to work with his fabric supplier
F written “Roadside History of Nevada,” Levi Strauss.
a good “go to” book for information • In 1986, Time Magazine
about our state’s history. The book described U.S. 50 in
begins with an overview of Nevada Nevada as The Loneliest
history going back 12,000 years when Road in America. However,
man first came to what is now the they were wrong as some
western United States to present day of the most historically
Nevada. significant towns in Nevada
are located along U.S. 50
Organized by highway and region, and Great Basin National
Moreno starts with I-80 in the far Park sits at it eastern end.
north and then heads over to the Reno/ • Black fire opals are found
Lake Tahoe area. U.S. 50, The Loneli- in the Virgin Valley, off
est Road in America, bisects the state NV 140 near the Oregon
going from Carson City eastward to border. One of the largest
Great Basin National Park. U.S. 95 is housed in the Smithson-
and U.S. 6 are called Nevada’s Silver ian’s Gem Hall. Geologists
Trails; 95 is Nevada’s longest road, trace the origin of these
going 665 miles through our state from opals to Nevada’s
Oregon to California. On the eastern volcanic period.
side of Nevada, we follow U.S. 93 • Lunar Crater is located
from Jackpot on the Idaho border south to I-15, 83 miles northeast of Tonopah. It is three-
ending up in the Las Vegas area. Along the way, quarters-of-a-mile wide and 420-feet deep,
we visit dozens of towns. formed by an exploded volcanic cinder cone.
In the 1960’s, Apollo astronauts trained
I learned a lot about our state on my road trip there to prepare for their lunar landing.
through the book. Some of the more interesting • The last stagecoach robbery in the American
facts are… West happened in Jarbidge, Nevada in 1916.
It was also one of the first times fingerprints
• The Enola Gay was hangered at Wendover were used to convict a criminal when the
Air Force Auxiliary Field, which is in West robber left his bloody fingerprints on the
Wendover, Nevada and Wendover, Utah. envelopes that contained the money.
West Wendover is one of the few places on
the planet where you can see the curvature “Roadside History of Nevada” has a six page
of the earth from the top of a small hill three bibliography of books and periodicals, an index,
miles from the town. lots of photographs and, of course, road maps. You
• Reno tailor Jacob Davis invented blue jeans can buy the book on Amazon or at Elements Gift
in 1870. When the demand for the sturdy and Book Store in the Visitor Center.
pants he designed became too great for his
Winter 2018
