Waterfall Canyon is located in the Spring Mountains Rainbow Mountain Wilderness area west of Las Vegas. There are a number of hiking trails in this area and since we had never been up the Waterfall Canyon trail we decided this would be a great hike because there would not be too many people on the trail.
There are two trailheads for the hike, depending on the type of vehicle you are driving. For two-wheel drive vehicles the trailhead starts from Willow Springs Picnic Area in Red Rock Canyon NCA. For hikers driving a high clearance four-wheel drive vehicle it is possible to follow the old unmaintained Rocky Gap Road up to an area where the commercial Pink Jeep Tour operators take tourist on 4-wheel drive trips. We decided to drive up Rocky Gap Road.
There are no signs marking the entrance to Waterfall Canyon and there are no improved hiking trails in the canyon. Visitors just have to climb over rocks and make their own trail around trees and brush as they follow the stream up the canyon to the waterfalls. On the way up the canyon to the largest waterfall the stream cascades over the rocks in the bottom of the canyon forming several smaller waterfalls.
Below the largest waterfall grass in the creek bottom has formed a circular pattern with a hole in the center of the pattern that was apparently formed by water rushing down the canyon during periods of heavy rains or snow melt. This probably would have been a nicer hike a little later in the spring when there was more snow melt from the Spring Mountains and the grass was greener.
There are a variety of birds found in the area, which apparently includes Rockpeckers that peck holes in solid rock.
BONUS HISTORICAL PICTURES
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| Wileta, Jerry, Eldon |
In 1940 Eldon and Wileta moved the Imo Oil Company lease house from the Sperling property into Newton (Kansas) and placed the house on a vacant West 5th Street lot.
Writing on the back of the picture states that the house was originally located just west and a little south of the west corner of the farm that Eldon's father [Jepson] owned. After the move, the house was fixed up and Eldon, Wileta, and Jerry lived in the house until they moved to South Dakota in March of 1943.
Eldon and Wileta both came from large families. Wileta always said that she had three and a half dozen brothers and each brother had two sisters. Eldon just had 2 brothers and five sisters.
I have been going through old family pictures and found some pictures of Eldon's family. Although the pictures are not in the greatest condition, in order of birth the eight children were: Milo, Erma, Flora ("Pete"), Eldon, Velma, Ormel ("Fat"). Verda. and Dorothea ("Tody"). I don't know why, but they always called Flora "Pete," and Dorothea went by "Tody." Ormel was known as "Fat."
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| Velma, Erma, Milo, Flora, Eldon |
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| Eldon is second from left |
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| Eldon is on the far right |
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| Eldon is in middle of the picture |
I also found three individual pictures for Milo, Eldon, and Ormel. Ormel did not ever get married. Milo's first wife died and he remarried, but he did not ever have any children.
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| Milo |
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| Eldon |
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| Ormel |
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| Milo, Jepson, Eldon, Ormel |
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| Eldon |
Attached are pictures of Eldon's sisters and their families that were taken at various times after the War. After the pictures were taken, Velma, Verda and "Tody" had additional children.
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| Erma Ferguson Family (Francis Earl not pictured) |
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| Flora ("Pete") Dillman Family |
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| Velma Moseley Family |
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| Verda Lloyd Family |
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| Dorothea ("Tody") Moore Family |
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