As the sun came up, we found ourselves headed for the old Toll Road that leads from the Truckee Meadows to the Virginia Range. This is not a road that you want to attempt in Grandpa’s 2-wheel drive vehicle (or your own) and should not be attempted with any vehicle when the road is wet from rain or snow. There is a reason that one spot is called “Dead Man’s Point,” as it tends to be a long drop to the bottom of the canyon.
The
Toll Road that runs up through the canyon was constructed by Davison Geiger in
1862, so it is often referred to as the Geiger Grade. The road was constructed
as a northern route to move precious cargo from Washoe Valley to Virginia City,
but the road was also used by stagecoaches to ferry passenger up the grade. Due
to the steepness of the grade, and the many hairpin turns in the road, travel
up the grade was slow and highwaymen soon found that this was an area for easy
pickings; thus, the area toward the top of the grade became known as “Robbers
Roost.”
Today,
the Toll Road is primarily used by 4-wheel drive vehicles, mountain bikers, and
hikers.
The
next stop was Bowers Mansion, located about half way between Reno and Carson
City. The mansion was built in 1863 by “Sandy” Bowers and his wife Eilley, who
had become millionaires from the Comstock Lode mining boom. The mansion is a combination of Georgian
Revival and Italianate architectural styles and has been used in several
movies.
After
Sandy died, Eilley fell on hard times and she lost the home to foreclosure in
1876. (Some things never change!) The mansion was abandoned and then in 1946 it was opened as a resort
until the Washoe County Parks Department acquired the property for its many recreational activities. The Mansion is
not currently open to the public, but the Parks Department hopes to have the
building open for tours in 2013 or 2014.
Located
about a mile south of Bowers Mansion is the location of Franktown, one of the
earliest settled places in Western Utah. Franktown was established in 1855 by
Orson Hyde, a probate judge for the Utah Territory. The town’s major employer
was a sawmill operation that supplied lumber to the mines in Virginia City.
However, when the railroad was completed from Carson City to Virginia City in
1869, Franktown lost its importance and the once prosperous town soon faded
into obscurity. Today, the only thing that remains at Franktown is a roadside
marker and a chimney, which is located on private land.
Located
about one mile north of Bowers Mansion is the Ophir town site, which was
established in 1861. Ophir was also started as a sawmill location because the other
four-five sawmills in the area could not supply the increasing demand for
lumber. The town site around the mill grew quickly to support the millwrights,
carpenters, masons, machinists, and laborers.
There
were no water and power resources available in Virginia City in 1861, so Ophir
became the first large-scale milling operation in the area. A steam-powered
72-stamp mill was constructed on the west shore of Washoe Lake and the town
soon had over 1200 residents. Unfortunately, as with most western boom towns,
conditions changed quickly in 1870 when the Virginia and Truckee (VT) Railroad
was completed and ore could be shipped more economically to the Carson River where there
was a better water source. Today, all that remains of Ophir are some walls, foundations,
and traces of the VT Railroad.
Remains of Assessor's Office at Ophir Town Site
The
winter of 1982-1983 was exceptionally wet around Ophir, which promoted
infiltration of water into the soil subsurface. The increased moisture content
in the soils increased pressures on the southeast face of the mountain to the
west of Ophir and then, about noon on May 30, 1983, a large part of the
mountain overlooking Ophir broke loose and slid into Upper Price Lake, a
reservoir at the base of the mountain. The water level rose quickly and
breached the dam, sending an avalanche of mud and rock toward Ophir that was
reported to be about 100 feet deep in the canyon. As the torrential flow of
materials exited the canyon, it spread out and parts of the flow crossed the
town site of Ophir and continued on until it crossed US Highway 395 (about four
miles from the mountain). A number of homes were damaged and cars swept away,
but amazingly, only one person was killed. Today, the missing section of “Slide
Mountain” is still visible.
No comments:
Post a Comment