RonnieAdventure #0129 - Lincoln County, Nevada - 2014 Part II

Panaca is located in Meadow Valley about 15 miles north of Caliente and is the oldest surviving town in Eastern Nevada. According to the 2010 census, the population of Panaca is 963. The community is easily recognizable from the highway (about one mile to the easdt) because Court Rock on the edge of town is the tallest thing in the area.

In 1864, Francis Lee and six other Mormon families moved to Meadow Valley to start an agricultural settlement in what was then Utah Territory. The community was called “Panaca,” which was the name used by the Paiute Indians to describe a silver rock in the area. Today, many of the Panaca residents can trace their family history back to the original families that settled the area. Panaca is the only “dry” community in Nevada and one of only two communities in Nevada that prohibits gambling. There is a nice statue of Francis Lee and his wife in front of the Post Office on Main Street. The sculptor was Lester Lee, a great-great grandson of Francis Lee. 

The Uvada Stake Bishop’s Storehouse is the oldest building in Lincoln County, constructed in 1867 from adobe obtained from the swamps west of town. Built as a Mormon chapel, the building has also been used as a school and recreation hall. 

Across the street to the east is the Panaca Mercantile building (built in 1868), which was also constructed of adobe. The building was known as the "Panaca Cooperative Mercantile Institution," or "Panaca Co-Op," comprised of about 115 stockholders. The building was used for the bartering, merchandising and marketing needs of the area residents. In that period of time, many goods were paid for by bartering with in-kind goods or labors on the Panaca Ditch and Pipeline. The building is still in use as a market, but it has been substantially remodeled and expanded from its original design.

Another one of the historic structures in Panaca is the Wadsworth Store, located directly across the street to the south from the Bishop’s Storehouse. The building was constructed in the 1880s as a general mercantile and a school; but is now only open to the public on special occasions.  

The Panaca Ditch and Pipeline was built from a spring north of town to supply Panaca's domestic water. There is a nice interpretive panel and historical marker located in the Panaca park that provides additional information about the pipeline and shows the pipeline route from the spring into town. Also on display in the park is the Clover Valley Mountain Steam Engine, which was used to power lumber mills in the area from the 1860s until 1910. The engine is reported to be in such good condition that it could still be used today. 

A walking tour guide for Panaca is available that describes the history of many existing commercial buildings and homes.

The historic mining townsite of Bullionville is located about one mile west of Panaca, but the site is on private land and is closed to the public. However, visitations to the cemetery are allowed by a short hike from US Highway 93.

Located east of Panaca and north from Nevada State Route 319 (about five miles on a small dirt trail) are the Panaca Summit Charcoal Kilns. The kilns were constructed to supply charcoal for the Bullionville smelters. Charcoal from these kilns was in high demand because the charcoal was made from old growth Pinyon Trees, which burned much hotter than charcoal made from Juniper Trees that are typical in many parts of Nevada.

Near the charcoal kilns we saw a small herd of wild horses and a Mule Deer with a really large rack. The horses let me take their picture, but the Mule Deer disappeared into the brush too quickly.

A word of warning! If you decide to visit the Panaca Summit Charcoal Kilns, be aware that the road may be washed out in places. My wife always accuses me watching everything except the road when I am driving, so she thinks that I didn't see the four-foot deep arroyo that that had cut across the road. After coming to a quick stop, I explained that I wanted her to learn what she needed to do if she was ever out four-wheeling by herself and got stuck in an arroyo five miles from the nearest road and little chance of a rescue by another vehicle. Since four-wheel drive without a positraction (limited slip) differential does not work too well when you have two diagonal wheels off of the ground at the same time, after only two hours of jacking the vehicle up and putting rocks under the wheels, I was finally able to back out of the arroyo.  Good teaching experience!