Fort Churchill, Nevada by Zina Abbott

 

Nevada has been known for many reasons, but not for having an abundance of frontier forts. It had one notable military fort: Fort Churchill.

First, as part of Utah Territory (Nevada became its own territory on March 2, 1861 and a state on October 31, 1864), much of the California Trail crossed what is now modern-day Nevada.

Second, starting in the 1850s, the mountains just east of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range became a destination in and of themselves due to the discovery of gold and silver. The Comstock Lode in the Virginia Mountains discovered in 1859, the first major discovery of silver in the United States, drew fortune-seekers from all over.

 

Third, the American Civil War, even though most battles took place in the Eastern states, also caused issues in Nevada.

Two battles with the Northern Paiute tribe in May and June of 1860 prompted the federal government to appoint Captain Joseph Stewart to establish a military outpost near the Carson River. It is located east of Carson City and about twenty-five miles southeast of the territory’s largest city at the time, Virginia City. The largest and most elaborate post built in the Nevada Territory, it overlooks the river through the big cottonwood trees ten miles south of Silver Springs.

Buckland Station

The fort was built adjacent to Buckland Station, a stagecoach station established by Samuel Buckland in the 1859. During 1860-61, Buckland Station also served as a Pony Express station.

 Completed in 1861, Fort Churchill—named after Sylvester Churchill, an Inspector General for the Army—was built to provide protection for this section of the Pony Express, protection from Native Americans attempting to reclaim their territory, maintain the telegraph lines, quell any skirmishes resulting from the Civil War, as well as those who either lived in or passed through western Nevada. The fort also doubled as a supply depot for the Union Army.

 

Volunteer soldiers who served at the fort came from Carson City, Lake’s Crossing—which was renamed Reno in 1868, Virginia City, and Dayton. It is believed the fort housed an average of 200 at any given time.

After the fort was abandoned in 1869, the state of Nevada declined to take ownership. The fort’s buildings were auctioned off for $750. Nothing was done with the remaining structures, so they stayed in place, subject to time and weather.

In 1885, the bodies of forty-four soldiers who died and were buried while at Fort Churchill were exhumed and moved to  Carson City’s Lone Mountain Cemetery in the Grand Army of the Republic section. All but two had originally been buried in wooden coffins. The only man identified was the fort’s commanding officer, Charles McDermit. Therefore, the headstones of the other forty-three read U.S. Soldier. Most of the deaths occurred between 1863 and 1866.

Remains of Fort Churchill

In 1932, the National Park Service took control of the property. The NPS began restoration efforts and built a visitors center. In 1957, Fort Churchill became a Nevada State Park.

 

Fort Churchill would have been an active fort during the time in which my Prairie Roses Collection book, Lucy, was set. It would have been all but abandoned at the time of Sue, my most recent book in the series.

To find the book description and purchase options for Sue please CLICK HERE

 

 

 

Sources:

https://www.inkedwithwanderlust.com/nevada/fortchurchill

https://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/2022/may/04/forgotten-soldiers-tribute-honors-fort-churchills-/

https://mynews4.com/news/knowing-nevada/knowing-nevada-fort-churchill-and-the-battles-of-pyramid-lake

https://www.ancestry.com/historical-insights/war-military/civil-war/nevada-civil-war

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Churchill_State_Historic_Park

 

Humboldt River by Zina Abbott

 

The Humboldt River is a river drainage system located in north-central Nevada. 

 

Pond along far upper Humboldt River adjacent to Elko County Rt 754 near Wells, Nevada

It extends in a general east-to-west direction from its headwaters in the Jarbidge, Independence, and Ruby Mountains in Elko County, to its terminus in the Humboldt Sink in northwest Churchill County.  

 

Humboldt Wells, the source of the Humboldt River

The river begins north of Wells (originally named Humboldt Wells). Although there are rivers and creeks that feed the river, the actual river itself starts at Humboldt Wells. From there, it runs west to the town of Lovelock. That makes it the longest river in America that begins and ends within the area of one state.

View from Nevada State Route 230 (Starr Valley Road) in Deeth, ctsy Famartin

Most estimates put the Humboldt River at 300 (480 km) miles to 330 (530 km) miles long. The meandering brings it closer to 380 miles. It is located within the Great Basin Watershed.

 The Humboldt River is the third longest river in the watershed behind the Bear River at 355 miles (570 km) and the Sevier River at 325 miles (523 km). The Humboldt River Basin is the largest sub-basin of the Great Basin encompassing an area of 16,840 square miles (43,615 km2). It is the only major river system wholly contained within the state of Nevada.

 View from Nevada State Route 789 near Golconda, Nevada

I found an interesting article in a Elko, Nevada, newspaper about a presentation given at the California Trail Center by Tim Burns, Nevada Outdoor School education program technician, on May 2, 2018. Much of the following information comes from that article.

View southwest along from the 9th Street Footbridge in downtown Elko, NV

The Humboldt River might be a tiny trickle by August, but it is the longest waterway running within a single state in the United States. The length doesn’t count the Humboldt’s meandering ways. It meanders in a serpentine course, causing the river to run more than twice its as-the-crow-flies distance.

Before the great westward migration, the first inhabitants of the Great Basin made use of the river later known as the Humboldt for millennia. Unfortunately, only stories survive to tell us about the original condition of the valley. One of those is a hint from John C. Fremont’s report of his 1845 exploration. He described the valley as being beautifully covered with blue grass, herb grass, clover and other nutritious grasses and that scattered cottonwood trees grew along the stream banks.

Burns went on to explain that the valley did not stay green for long once the first American explorers started visiting the area.

“The first white men to explore the valley were the members of Peter Skene Ogden’s 1828 expedition,” Burns said. “The river was originally named Paul’s River and Mary’s River.”

Alexander von Humboldt

Ogden was sent to explore the river by Hudson’s Bay Company, a fur business. His team was sent to create a “fur desert,” or to kill as many beavers as possible to cut the supply for their rivals. Beaver damns declined, as did the natural course and management of the river.

Other explorers went in search of the Bonaventura River that was rumored to be a huge river that flowed from the Rocky Mountains to the ocean. It was believed this river was as large as the Mississippi. Although a myth, explorers and those migrating west expected more than what they discovered. It was the 1845 U.S. mapping expedition under John C. Fremont that disproved these rumors once and for all. He named this river after a German naturalist named Alexander von Humboldt. Mr. Humboldt never saw the river that bore his name.

Later, people made their way west, they had to follow this waterway to survive. Nevertheless, many of them did not regard it highly. The following are some quotes by those who traveled the California Trail along the Humboldt River:

Railroad bridges over the Humboldt River near Hunter, NV

In 1849, Reuben Cole Shaw wrote: “The Humboldt is not good for man nor beast and there is not timber enough in three hundred miles of its desolate valley to make a snuff box, or sufficient vegetation along its banks to shade a rabbit, while its waters contain the alkali to make soap for a nation.”

In 1852 a man named Gilbert L. Cole wrote: “For about 10 days the only water we had was obtained in the pools by which we’d camp. These pools were stagnant and their edges invariably lined with dead cattle that had died trying to get a drink. Selecting a carcass that was solid enough to hold us up we would walk into the pool taking a blanket with us which we would wash around and get as full of water as it would hold, then carry it ashore where two men, one holding each end, would twist the filthy water out into a pan, which would, in turn, be emptied into our canteens.”

In 1850, Margaret Frank said about the Humboldt Sink: “This is the end of the most miserable river on the face of the Earth.”

 View down the Humboldt River from Interstate 80 northeast of Lovelock, NV ctsy Famartin

A man named Addison Crane in 1852 was inspired enough to write a poem about the Humboldt River:

Farewell to thee, thou stinking, turbid stream,

Amid who’s waters frogs and serpents glean.

Thou putrid mass of filth, farewell forever,

For here again I’ll tempt my fortunes never.

Lakes Lahontan and Lake Bonneville

Mr. Burns explained that the reason the river’s water is so bitter is because it is filled with alkali left over from ancient Lake Bonneville, of which the Great Salt Lake is a remnant.

Said Ted Burns:

      “At one point, the Humboldt River Valley was only inhabited by a few hundred people who never stayed for extended periods of time in any one place,” Burns said. “Then tens of thousands of wagons passed through the valley in the 1840s. Tens of thousands of oxen, mules and horses ate the grass growing along the riverbanks. Tens of thousands of wagon parties chopped down trees to repair their wagons or make their campfires. Tens of thousands of thirsty people and animals drained the river when the water level was at its lowest. Without the plants to filter out the river, the water became even more soapy and bitter. The immigrants were complaining about a problem they created.”

Humboldt River drawing by Daniel A. Jenks whose party reached river on July 22, 1859

          Based on the information I found, in my book Pearl, I wrote the following about Michael and his two employees as, in 1858, they approached the end of the Humboldt River, not too many miles before the river dries up in the Humboldt Sink. As bad as it was in the early 1850s, it did not improve as wagon trains continued to follow its banks to California. Here is the excerpt:

Will shook his head as he set down another bucket next to the water barrel. “This has got to be the nastiest-tasting water I’ve ever had the misfortune to drink. It’s so alkaline, it’s almost like swallowing liquid soap.”

          “You’re right about that.” Michael squinted into the setting sun. “They say this river is getting worse and worse every year. With so many people traveling its banks to reach California, they’re using what few trees grow here for fires, leaving less available firewood. The cattle are eating the plants that grow along the banks, so there’s almost nothing left to help filter out all the salt.”

          “Cottonwood don’t make the best firewood, anyway.” Jeremy, who had followed behind his friend by only a few steps, also set down his bucket. “Most of this scrub brush around here don’t burn all that well, either.”

          “Never thought I’d see the day I missed having buffalo chips to use for fires,” Michael sighed. “I’ll have to admit, I admire these ladies for having everything set up for cooking so they can get as much done quickly with what little fuel we’re able to gather.”

          “Where are we again, Boss?” Jeremy looked around their camping area.

          “I think this is called French Ford, although I’m not sure you’d call it a place. There’s a Frenchman who runs a ferry here, though.”

          “If the river gets much lower, people can walk across and won’t need no ferry.” Will pointed toward a trail leading to the river. Next to the bank, a wooden raft was tied to a pole set several feet inland.

          “We won’t travel much farther before this river ends in a sink. At that point, the forty miles of nothing but heat, sand, and misery begins.” Michael inhaled deeply and shook his head. “That’s where we’ll face the real challenge, men. We have these women and children to get safely across, and it won’t be a pleasure stroll.”

~o0o~

 

Pearl, Book 16 in the Prairie Roses Collection is now available. To find the book description and link, please CLICK HERE.

 

 

 

 

Sources:

State Historic Marker No. 45, Nevada State Park System

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humboldt_River

https://apnews.com/article/4a2ffdc8acc742ef927dcf8058c3a277

Mining Business Brings Luxuries To Virginia City

When writing a story, I often refer to a series of book titled Images of America (insert city name). What I particularly like is seeing how a town progressed from clapboard construction to masonry or brick buildings within a few years--often as a result of a fire sweeping through the town. The horrible event happened in a high number of cities--large and small.

From the business signs shown in the pictures, I can get a sense of the ethnic makeup. Seeing the density of businesses sharing a wall means that someone might have to walk halfway down or all the way around the block to go to a rear entrance--like for a delivery. Sometimes the streets are really wide. Often a well is seen in a downtown section. You can get a sense of the height of structures, as well as the architectural style. When I lived in Texas, I liked seeing the old buildings containing the year it was built somewhere at the top near the roof. Now, I look for those indicators everywhere.

My latest story, An Agent for Liana, is partially set in Virginia City, Nevada, which is a good example of a boomtown that became permanent. A large body of gold and silver ore (the Comstock Lode) was struck in 1859. Prospectors flocked to the area, and initially, the miners lived in tents and flimsy shacks. But as the strike was determined not to be placer (where just anyone would find flakes in a stream) but instead deep in the earth (where heavy machinery was needed to extract it), the way of mining changed. But people had already built shops or houses there at the edges of the holes miners went into to do their work.

source: Wikipedia

An 1875 bird’s-eye view map of Virginia City shows huge piles of tailings located on lots between streets. Conveyor belts ran from smelters or stamp mills to deliver the remaining rock once the precious metal had been extracted. Buildings are evident right next to the mounds. Businesses are built on both sides of the street where tracks for ore cars disappear underground.

The city itself is built into the side of Mount Davidson. Pictures in the Images book show the stepped foundation and inclined dirt streets. Walking from the bottom of the city to the top would involve a change in elevation of several hundred feet.


The Comstock Lode was so rich that the majority of the businesses in town performed tasks that supported the mining operation (stamp mills, foundries, assay, freighting, railroad, etc.) The city operated a gas plant that allowed for streetlights and gas heating for homes. Water and sewer lines provided modern utilities for shops and residents in a town with a population of approximately 7,000 people in 1877.


I recommend this series of books for when you want to see how life was back then.

An Agent for Liana released today and is part of the popular Pinkerton Matchmaker series. I hope the blurb entices you.


Loner Dale Claybourne spent the last five years as a dedicated and decorated Pinkerton agent. Confident in his abilities, he’s not afraid to face down thieves, swindlers and even murderers. But he quells at the mandate of having to train a female agent and, even worse, to marry her before receiving his next assignment.


Gregarious Liana LaFontaine served as a seamstress for the Denver Pinkerton Agency. Now she yearns for a taste of the adventurous life of being an agent. Her ability to speak several languages and her ease with getting people to talk are her strongest assets.


Impulsive by nature, Liana jumps into situations she doesn’t have the experience to handle. Dale fights his growing admiration for this French beauty while keeping close to guard her safety. At odds over almost everything, the pair has to solve the mystery of who is stealing from a Virginia City saloon—a task made even harder because of the wild attraction that shouldn’t be present in a marriage of convenience.

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