While we are all isolating at home, I am taking the opportunity to document more adventures from our time at Lake Mead National Recreation area. It’s been fun reliving some of these cool experiences as we stay put for the time being. My hope is that we will all be out exploring and getting back to normal before too long!
A Gold Mine:
Just 30 minutes from Lake Mead, you can drive through beautiful Eldorado Canyon. We were lucky enough to go with friends who have Jeeps so we could get off the main road and see some of the back country. Starting with a beautiful view of the Colorado River, we ventured into the hills where we had some amazing views. The area was first called Eldorado in 1775 by Spaniards who uncovered gold in the region.
Today you can go back in history and visit the area’s oldest, richest, and most famous gold mine, the Techatticup Mine. The restored mine is open for 1-hour tours, complete with stories about the local history of the area. For many years gold and silver mining was a way of life in southern Nevada and this area saw its share of labor disputes, ownership disagreements, and crime. At one point it became so lawless that murders could happen daily and many sheriffs refused to go there!
Outside the mine you can explore restored historic buildings, interesting old relics and a general store with lots of memorabilia and artifacts. The Werly family purchased the town and mine in 1994 and continue to add items to their massive collection. They regularly fend off requests from American Pickers and other collectors. This scenic area has been the setting for a number of films including 3000 Miles to Graceland, from which the remains of an exploded plane can still be seen.
Photographers are drawn to Eldorado Canyon because of the incredible photo opportunities in this beautiful area. On the day we were there, it was very busy with tourists. We also saw a dance group doing a photo shoot for a calendar and a team from Volkswagen scouting the location for a commercial shoot.
A Ghost Town:
Within the park boundaries of Lake Mead lies a ghost town called St. Thomas. Originally founded by Mormon settlers in the mid-1800’s, St. Thomas was a stopping point between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City along the Arrowhead Trail. It was also a prime farming spot where the Muddy and Virgin rivers joined to flow towards the Colorado River and an important mining area with many deposits of salt, gold and copper
This small town of 500 had many amenities of other towns of the day: a grocery store, school, church, post office, soda fountain, garage and hotel. The townspeople had a simple but happy life until President Calvin Coolidge signed a bill authorizing the building of the Hoover Dam in 1928. The dam would seal the Colorado River into the Black Canyon resulting in the flooding of many areas along the rivers upstream.
This happened to St. Thomas in 1935 when the waters rose and the town was taken over by 60 feet of water. Residents were reimbursed by the government for their homes, but the last resident of the town, Hugh Lord, famously stayed until water lapped at his front door. He escaped by boat after burning his home to the ground because he did not want it taken by the lake.
Today the remains of St. Thomas have been exposed again due to years of drought conditions and lowering lake levels. Streets and foundations have reappeared to give us a look at this once thriving little town. The area is now protected as a historic site: the National Park Service is documenting the structural remains and exploring ways to preserve its cultural heritage.
There is a 2.5 mile loop trail where you can walk along the old roads of the original settlement of St. Thomas. It was eerily quiet as we read the information plaques and tried to imagine what life was like in the “little town that drowned.”
The Liberty Bell....in Nevada:
Also within the boundaries of Lake Mead National Recreation Area and a few miles south of the Hoover Dam is a moderate-level hiking trail called Liberty Bell Arch trail. It is a 7-mile round trip hike that leads past a natural rock formation with an arch shaped like…you guessed it….the Liberty Bell.
We enjoyed hiking over the rolling terrain which passes by remains of an old manganese mine and ends up overlooking the Colorado River. The elevation change is about 1000 feet, much of which is in the last part of the hike from the arch to the overlook area, but the view is so worth it.
Over geologic time, wind and water erosion created this unusual arch formation. It even includes the clapper, or round part of the bell that causes it to ring. You can’t see the arch until almost the 2 mile point when you round a corner on the trail and all of a sudden it is up high right in front of you. Continuing past the arch, the trail runs up a steep, rocky ridge ending with great views into the Black Canyon 1000 feet below. It is also a great place for a picnic lunch and signing the register of those who made it to the summit.
The desert flowers were just beginning to bloom when we hiked this trial, but even so the scenery was beautiful. The trail takes you through the sandy White Rock Canyon wash area, along some rocky slopes, and across open meadow areas where you have continual views of the mountain ranges in the distance. From the top of the trail you can even see the huge Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge which overlooks Hoover Dam.
I have one final post to come about our time at Lake Mead, so stay tuned. Hey there’s not much else to do nowadays, so maybe I will get it done pretty quickly…or maybe I’ll binge watch some more tv first… in between washing my hands!
It’s amazing to hear the history of those towns and people and see the beauty of the desert. In that time period, I still say I would not be in Colorado but would have stayed an easterner.
I also love to hear the history of an area–it really makes it come alive and helps you to understand much more. Yeah, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have wanted to be a pioneer either. We have it much easier nowadays!
Another adventure my mind was able to be part of thanks to your written words.
I wonder if there might be a family connection between Susan Callahan and Mike Callahan?
Thanks Stu–glad you enjoyed following along. Mike O’Callaghan was a veteran, politician, and the 23rd governor of Nevada–any relation to Susan?