Featured Articles
 What is an American !
Wrote for Leavitt Middle School, for my Grandson Mike.
Historians differ on who the first Americans were. There are many beliefs as to the direction from which they came. Indians met Columbus when he arrived on America's shores. Incas met the Spanish in the south. However, what race or races made up the Indians? Are they the real Americans because they were born here first? Then what is an American? click-thru
to the full article.
 Salt Springs, Death Valley !
One of the 49'ers stops in there quest for California.
At the southeastern end of Death Valley, where the heat from the desert floor billows up to make a mystic vision, there is but a place, known to so many whom have been there time and time again. Man often never learns, when the eyes of wealth so quickly cloud, that some things can not be had. Salt Springs had the common glory of a future of many firsts. click-thru
to the full article.
Free Downloads
I have not had a chance this month to create any new screen savers. Nov. was the last news ones, Oil Painting Screen Saver, showing a few oil paintings hanging around my house, by Me. Plus this last month I
have add Pioche and Delamar Screen Savers of my photos.
Book Reviews
One of the most interesting books That I am just finishing is one by Walter Averett. It is entitled
" Through the Rainbow Canyon." Walter grew up in that area and has a lot great history on the canyon along with a great amount of
railroad history as well.
Another book that I enjoyed reading was "Letters from the Nevada Frontier" a very detailed historical account of Belmont through Tonopah
from 1880 to the early 1900's. I found a lot of good historical data from his book.
Local News in Vegas!
Well with 300,000+ coming town for the big event and 50,000 locals running from
downtown at the strip, everything went off rather well. They were predicting 18 mph winds and 50% chance for rain. With
$600,000 worth of fireworks setting of the roof many were sweating it. Several of our younger ones in the department made plans to go down and fight the crowd, but I was very happy to set at home and watch it on the local TV. The weather cooperated and so did the crowd, I heard that the
whole event went rather well with few problems. I feel sorry for the guys working today. They are probably out front cleaning
out the fountains from debris.
Now well can all settle down to a normal life again, as normal a Las Vegas gets!
Bob and Brenda's Sponsored Sites!!!!!
One of the best on Missouri History sites that I have found. Kathy has done a real good job
and has put a great amount of effort in this site! Legends of America !
Now if you want to know whats what and who is where then there is only one site to see! VegasDuSoleil.com !
Now the best Nevada site on the Web, hands down has to be my Dearest of Friends Donna and Al Frederick. There is NOTHING about
White Pine County that you can not find there! Accessgenealogy.com !
trip log; December 7th, 2004
Well it's a Tuesday and the sky is overcast and they predict rain. But it don't look like is going
to do anything to me. Wesley and I head out right after eleven and head for the dreaded St. Thomas. Plan A being get St. Thomas first
and hit the other stuff on the way back. The weather is 55 degrees and cloudy.
We haul ass right up to the lake, and it starts raining big time. By this time the clouds are socked it tight, and it looks like rain all a round.
I get out and kick the tires a while waiting for it to let up.
Plan B, head back and hope the rain will let up long enough to get photos of the St Thomas cemetery. The Cemetery was moved in 1935 from
St. Thomas up to Overton before the lake flooded over. They have two whole rows marked Pioneer Adult or Pioneer Child. There were many
that were not readable when they moved the cemetery. The rain let up and I got a bunch of photos.
Now we went down the road a little to the Lost City Museum. I talked to the curator and found out where the St. Joseph Fort was located.
She assured me that all that is left is only ruins. We were not able to pin point, but her directions put it the same as my map, which I left at
home. We get this one on the trip back. Got several good photos of the Museum and the adobe shacks out back. This is a really nice Museum.
I did read my map last night and remembered several items in Glendale and Moapa we could probably find. I didn't bring my gps either.
I did find the old Moapa townsite and this was a plus. But we didn't find the mill site but I think we were close. I thought I could see it on
another hill side, but it really started to rain and we were off road. I could not find the road over across the tracks to get to it anyway. So
we start back because it is going to get dark soon.
After we got out of town it let up. So I had a air attack in my head and thought we would explore the Bryon area on the way home.
This looks like it will take a day all by itself, but I want to cover the area better, and later. Its getting dark now so we decide to head home.
Well we got one cemetery, one museum and a town site and didn't leave the house till after 11:00. I'm happy with the day, but I will
get St. Thomas next time if it kills me for sure.
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Trip log; December 12th, 2004
You know they always say that the third time is a charm. Well with 70 degree weather
and not a cloud in the sky, you can't go wrong. St. Thomas is now a done deal. Wesley and I took along a work mate of mine,
Mike Cheney. I got a great amount of photos. I should be able to add at least two more pages to St. Thomas. They now have a sign
telling you it is 2.5 miles round trip out to the site. And there is a park range assigned to watch the point of a day time. He
seemed to have made note that we were down at the site for two hours. I wonder if my first trip had anything to do with this.
Well, with this behind us now we head back home with plans of only a few stops. I have found reference to a site call Buena Vista
as being historical. So on the way back to Overton we stopped and took a few pictures. It is interesting, and I am not sure yet
what it ever was. But I will post the photos and try to find some kind of history on it. It looked like an early day rest stop.
After the rest of plan B fell through we decided to try for Byron again. We actually found the site. Its not a mining town and I don't
think it was a railroad town either. There was no foundations to speak of but there was some wood and housing spots located. We do know
they had eaten 50 million cans of beans. From the look of the trash piles the town was there for at least a couple of years. This will be
interesting to research for the history because the whole site just looks out of place. The photos I have really don't show much but we are
going back to explore the area farther now that we know where it is. The trip was classic, going across the desert the hard way. I thought
we had found a good road out, but we had to go back the way we came after dark. The good part about having a GPS unit is it
traces your route as you drive. And after dark it is real handy to find your way back. The desert is a dark place after the sun go's down.
We really had a good time today. It is always a satisfaction to one when plans go well. Again We got more than I had hoped for! But I also
left something behind, my front license plate. When we got home Wesley check out the truck for damages, as he always does. It seems I have
completely ripped off my front plate holder. We had to cut a new trail out of the wash, so I think I know where to find it when we go back.
| Personal Notes |
In January
December was a really good month for us. Wesley and I had a couple of enjoyable trips and we finally got
St Thomas, I was beginning to wonder.
I have joined up with Tom Strata ( Professor at Clemson) to co-author some articles on Nevada's Charcoal Kilns and History
on a few sites, such as Tybo and others. For the next few months I will have to make trips to Bristol Wells, Panaca, Wheeler Pass and a week
camped out in the Hot Creek Range in May. I am really learning a lot from Tom, because I have never published anything yet and
it is a new field for me. Maybe now I can get a little more done on my book. The journal we are writing for is the Nevada Central Glorious past! So
hopefully this summer I will post the whole thing on my web site, after it is published.
We are still planning on our early trip with the gang from work, the Forum Shops outing in about April. I also have plans for an over night
trip south of Vegas around March or so with new friends. It sounds like this is going to be a landmark year for us, I hope.
Brenda's health is getting better, even though she is still planning on back surgery after the first. I promised her not to worry, I would
chain the wheel Chair on behind the truck and she will have a great view, she never reads my newsletter anyway.
A long with everything else in December, I made another trip to UNLV for more newspaper history. My annual Christmas break trip, the kids are all gone and it is peaceful. I will have to go back sometime in January, for more that I miss on the charcoal info, this I am not looking forward to.
I hope this year to get a lot of my old pages updated with better photos and the history that I have not had time to write.
As the vote went for the last newsletter, it was 100% for keeping this format. As you have noticed, your e-mail had to links
to refer to. The first link is the new letter and the second link you may want to make a favorite, because it will never change and is the
main page for all back issues. This was one of the many suggestions I received along with the votes. My newsletter is sent out to 173 people
for which I got 43 votes back. I did not know that many people really read this, it was something I just started and for years I had no idea
that anyone was really reading it.
2005 Plans and Goals
Brenda and I both want to try and make the 2005 Rally this year. Cat has e-mailed us and she will keep me posted on the new Rally
info for this year. I think they are going to south eastern Nevada this year for one of them. If so this would be a big help to me.
We are having a Forum Shops Ghosttown outing about April for an over night. The plans are still up in the Peavine
Canyon area. I hope to get to Simon, Athens, Potomac, return to Cimarron, return to Cloverdale, San Antonio Mine, Ray, Golden and anything
else in the area if we have time. The camp site will be at the Peavine campgrounds. I will keep everyone post on this so anyone free to play can let me
know, the more the better.
In March is the over night in southern Nevada and over in California.
Also sometime in 2005 I hope to get back up to the Sprucemont area again. I have so many places on my list that I need photos of. I do not
think I will get but half of them this year, unless things really go great. The northern counties I do not have anything in yet. So I will try to do
the history pages first and then add photos as we get there.
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