We started out by driving by the old St. Thomas town site that has resurfaced as the Lake Mead waters have receded. I have not visited the area in several years and was not aware that you are now required to walk a 2.5 mile trail from the mesa down to the old town site. Since we had to be back in Las Vegas in time to eat and see a Cirque dd Soleil show, we decided to save the hike for another visit.
There are so many things to see and do while visiting Valley of Fire that we had to limit our visit to the south end of the Park. (See RonnieAdventure #0075, November 22, 2013 for additional information on Valley of Fire State Park.)
We started our visit by hiking through Petroglyph Canyon to Mouse's Tank. I have made this hike many times and each time I make the hike I find new petroglyphs that I have not noticed on previous visits.
At the end of Fire Canyon Road there is a precipice that is a popular photo stop. While we were there a tourist asked me to take his picture while he was standing on the ragged edge of nothing, so I agreed to do so. However, as I was focusing the camera, I asked the tourist to back up a few steps and then he just disappeared. I don't know where he went so quickly.
There are petrified logs on both sides of the park; and since I typically visit the logs on the west side, for a change we hiked up to logs on the east side.
Begin Natural Arch and a monument in memory of Sergeant John J. Clark are also located in this area. (I used the telephoto lens on my camera and photographed both the arch and the monument from the road.)
Sergeant Clark was a Civil War hero and discharged from the military on March 6, 1963 after being wounded and then contracting typhoid fever. After his discharge he emigrated to Southern California and later while traveling to Salt Lake City (Utah) he died of thirst at this spot while presumably looking for water.
Shoshone (California) contains many historic buildings and is a nice place to stop for lunch.
The Flower Building at the south end of town was constructed in 1939 by the Tecopa-Shoshone Women's Improvement Club. I don't know what a "Women's Improvement Club" is, but I guess that is where you send women that need improvement. (I'd better stop there before I get into trouble!)
The adobe building next-door was constructed by the T&T Bridge Gang after the town's restaurant that had been on the site burned down. In the 1930s The Famous Crowbar Cafe and Saloon was constructed on a site to the north and the adobe building was converted into the Inyo County Sheriff's Office. It is still in use as the Sheriff's Office.
The Famous Crowbar Cafe and Saloon is well known for its "hand crafted cuisine in a traditional Western atmosphere" and also contains Jill "Lady Buffalo" Thacker's "exquisite iron art work." This is a popular place not only because of its food and beverages, but also because they have wireless internet service that is provided by the Amargosa Conservancy and the Death Valley Chamber of Commerce.
Probably the most photographed building in town is the Shoshone Museum that was built in Greenwater (California) in 1906 as a miners' union hall, then moved to the town of Zabriskie (California), and then to Shoshone in 1920 where it became a gas station and general store. In 1982 what was thought to be a Columbian Mammoth skeleton was discovered behind the gas station, and the bones were excavated by a group of college students. However, more recent studies have revealed that the bones are probably the remains of seven to nine different individuals, from two different genera and possibly three species, none of which are Columbian Mammoths. The bones are on display in the museum, along with a lot of local history items, and other historical pieces are scattered around the outside of the building.
The Shoshone Cemetery is located at the entrance to Dublin Gulch diagonally across the street from the museum. It is believed that there are at least 55 people buried here, many in unmarked graves or in graves that have almost vanished. On this trip I found a small child's grave that I had never noticed before.
Continuing up Dublin Gulch are the remains of several underground dwellings that were carved into the caliche clay embankment by miners in the 1920s. (For more information on Dublin Gulch, see RonnieAdventure #0035, January 5, 2013.)
China Ranch is not too distant and a nice place to spend the afternoon hiking and drinking date shakes. After about an hour's hike up to a different canyon that I had never visited before, it was time to head for home! (For more information on China Ranch, see RonnieAdventure #0036, January 10, 2013.)
I want to be your relative so I can go on a Ronnie adventure
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