This is a short trip that we recently took from the Reno area
to Fort Churchill, Nevada. Along the
way, we spent the night at the very small Dayton State Park – which was a bit
noisy for the night. Our goal here was
to explore the Dayton area a bit to see if it was a destination we would like
to return to. It certainly was, as I
will explain a little later.
Dayton is not far from the Reno area which makes it a great
stopping point as we left home on a Friday evening. We took US 395 south to US 50 and headed east
towards our first nights stop. This park
is clean and well kempt, but has the disadvantage of being right along Highway
50. Now Highway 50 may be the loneliest
Highway in America – but not on this stretch!
Lots of road noise throughout the night, but we wanted to see some of
the surrounding attractions in the area, so this was a good jumping off
point. We walked up a small trail to a
tunnel that takes you under Highway 50 and over to an old processing station
for ore coming out of the Virginia City area mines. This was an easy walk although it was a bit
warm in the sun, be sure to bring sunscreen and a hat. After we checked out the rest of the park, we
loaded up and headed just a short ways back west to see the Dayton Cemetery and
the Dayton Historic Schoolhouse. The Cemetery
was interesting and had several unknown graves – miners that did not have
gravestones any longer… and there is also the site of the grave of the
gentleman who is credited with being the inspiration for the name Virginia
City. The Dayton Schoolhouse is part of
a historic walking tour and we will be sure to come back this way when we have
the additional time to spend here. Of
note – there seems to be some controversy over whether the first settlement in
Nevada was here in Dayton or in Genoa.
Both sides put up valid arguments and seeing as we have not yet been to
Genoa to read the story they present, I am not sure it is fir to side with one
or the other. I will say that they do
have in their possession a diary that references a family having a visitor to
their settlement who was on his way… to establish Genoa – or at the very least
he was a man of the same name…..
Leaving Dayton, we traveled east on Highway 50 and when we reached the Lahontan cutoff and go south on Alt 95. Our final destination of this trip is Fort
Churchill. This place has a great sense
of history and a small museum …more of a display than a museum but interesting nonetheless. The Fort was built in 1861 to protect
settlers from the local Indians. Sadly,
it was the settlers that were harassing the Indians. You can read more about this part of the
story on the State of Nevada website by using this link: http://parks.nv.gov/parks/fort-churchill-state-historic-park/
and other facts. Named after Sylvester Churchill,
the fort served as an important site for the Army during the Civil War. Permanent structures of adobe were made,
surrounding a central parade ground. The
Fort was abandoned and the buildings sold off to the highest bidder for only
$750. The State was offered the property
and gained title to it in 1957. While no
complete structure remains, they are beautiful to capture at sunrise and
sunset. When we toured the grounds a
thunderstorm was in the area so it made for some really great photos.
The campground rates are very reasonable and there are many
shade trees. While there are no amenities,
if you are spending the night you are in for a great show from Mother Nature. The restrooms are clean and the grounds are
well kempt. One of the things we love
about camping in State and Federal Campgrounds is the ability to have a
campfire and Fort Churchill does not disappoint. The night sky here is
beautiful and is not too light polluted, so it makes for good photo
opportunities. The Carson River runs
along the park boundary and there is also a train track nearby that is seldom
used. Close by the Fort is Buckland Station,
this was an important stop for both the Overland Stage and Pony Express. They
also supplied the locals with supplies.
The house that stands today was built from some of the ruins of the Fort
after it was abandoned by the military.
Check the site listed above for opening hours of the Station and a brief
video about Fort Churchill. We were
unable to tour the facility as it was closed when we stopped by.
I want to apologize for being so new to this that I have just
come to the realization that I can also post photos here as well. I am going to try and insert some into this story
if I can figure it out.
Til we see you again, stay safe
out there,
Laurie and JP
No comments:
Post a Comment