Subject: Our Winnemucca Nevada Ghost Town Expeditions - March 11 -13th 2016
Date: 4/8/2016 3:38:28 PM Pacific Standard Time
From: LordOfThyNight@aol.com
To: ParanormalBuffalo@yahoogroups.com, ParanormalGhostSociety@googlegroups.com, paranormalghostsociety@yahoogroups.com, ParanormalGhostSocietyConnections@yahoogroups.com, TheParanormalGhostSociety@yahoogroups.com, SupernaturalFlorida@yahoogroups.com, ParanormalCalifornia@yahoogroups.com, ParanormalNevada@yahoogroups.com, Paranormalflorida@yahoogroups.com, sierraparanormal@yahoogroups.com, PGSPhantoms@yahoogroups.com

  The Winnemucca area of northern Nevada is not a region we have worked much with but after enough research I was actually excited to find out many ghost towns exist here. The last time I spent the night in Winnemucca I had two flat tires one of them blew up three inches in front of my face when I was trying to remove it and I was drinking ales in the cemetery because I was stranded. 

Winnemucca is one of the larger towns in Northern Nevada and also extremely remote. Their are very few towns in between as this region serves as a gateway into the Black Rock Desert or you can head north right up into Oregon. During my time spent out here people have been very kind to me. Which makes my visits here worthwhile because I like to enjoy the culture when I take these paranormal trips. I like to try out the ale, eat a nice meal, flirt with the ladies and go adventuring why lie? Its nice to just grab a late and drive into a scenic sunrise wherever the road may take us.
 
I enjoy packing up all the gear, cooler, guns, paranormal equipment and food just hit the road. The ride here can be rather scenic through the great basin. I had gotten some coffees smoked my pipe and hit the high road. This was unknown country for me every single mountain range we journey through is a world of its own. You never know what you might see or what you may encounter in this case the storms that hit the area did not stop us but made our trek more difficult.
 
When I arrived in Winnemucca Tammy and I went to a gun show as most of you are aware gun collecting is quite popular up here. You will find that someone's grandmother owns a rifle collection. People like to hunt for deer, elk and antelope since they are abundant up here. At the show a man who was showing me some wild western revolvers told me all the snow I seen on the mountains south of town was from it storming the night before. So when I came into town it was very scenic snow on all the mountains and we had a hotel waiting.
 
The gun show was alright I think that some gun salesman have a hard time parting with certain firearms so they jack up the prices more then what they are worth. But I was on the look out for a new pistol I am slowly trying to build a collection of guns while others I hope will aid me in hunting if things get bad in the future. I did not find any but I did enter a raffle for a gun cabinet and two rifles. I bought Tammy a stun gun also its a flashlight so you can blind your attacker then stun them with 4 million volts. I had bought myself a new hunting 16" knife with a holster, nicely polished wooden hand and serrated edges on both sides.
 
They have this log outside the convention center which was the largest piece of driftwood ever found from a flood that took place carrying it to Crescent City. The tree was almost 1500 years old and was a redwood. Apparently it was presented as a gift to the town to represent the beginning of the Winnemucca to Sea highway. It gets very exciting for me because I know that I can easily start going up to Oregon or even  Idaho to do future projects. Also Winnemucca is the gateway which takes you up to the ghost town of Tuscarora and yes it is on our list of ghost towns to adventure at in the future!
 
We would grab some hot food and more coffee in the morning then I began our journey north cruising between the monolithic Santa Rosa Mountains the Bloody Run Hills to our left. If you have not driven between the two you should then you will understand how small we are compared to this region. These ghost towns all exist up in these mountains with them covered in snow we knew some of them may not be accessible this time of year. Before I left to the wilderness I tried to stop at a shop called Area 420 strangely I walked in nobody was there but they had pipes, bongs, marijuana candy, treats, ointments, oils and goodies. I decided id come back the next day the question is would I make it in time?
 
Generally during the cooler months I spend our adventures up in northern Nevada while in the warmer months its the Californian sierras. But I had forgotten that this winter was not as mild therefore almost every range in Nevada is covered in snow which includes the canyons and many areas these ghost towns exist. When you visit such ghost towns you tend to understand why eventually they were vacated. Life was harsh in these places most of the time the natives and pioneers were at war. When you traverse a region like this you tend to understand what nothingness feels like. If you get stuck your screwed or if you make the wrong decision you may not live to see another day TRUTH!
 
I never feel so home then when I am in the mountains. These mountains of Nevada have become more or less a home for me. I never see any people and its always very peaceful. The more you explore the more you find. Most folks go to ghost towns and they pass through them. But to really see all such sites offer you have to get out explore and look around. This has been a great year so far for that we have done so many major ghost towns and every one of them on our site will be gorgeous.Its hard to believe that when you visit such town sites that people actually once lived and thrived in these places. I mean you had hotels, saloons, stores, mills working around the clock and operable mines. Today not so much many of these places are barely standing so we must do what we can do to bring them to our viewers.
 
In this case we would be making trips up to Davey's Town, Jumbo, Paradise Valley and Finally National. Some places are more well known then others while others are offbeat which is what I like. The problem is that many of these ghost towns exist up in valleys and canyons. This time of year things get really wet so I was a bit concerned about possibly getting stuck on this trip. Thankfully my jeep keeps me from that which is why I enjoy showing it off in these scenic locations. I heard allot of good things about Paradise Valley places like this are hidden gems you wont see much on the Internet about them let alone pictures or movies the way ill portray these location.
 
Our Journey would begin up in Davey's Town up between the Bloody Run Mountains and the quiet Slumbering Hills not to far from Oregon. It appears that all the mountains have very dismal names in this region not sure why but they do. Which may deter some from offroading up here if they are superstitious. Personally myself any chance I can get a moment of serenity in such a beautiful place is time well spent. However no less we would be heading into unknown country who knows where we would go or what we would see. There are so many dirt roads its easy to take a wrong turn and end up somewhere other then that given ghost towns. Davey's Town is not even visible unless your a mile away!
 
Davey's Town
 
Davey's town was a shortlived mining town or camp that had two mines a mill and was a hub for ore processing in between some other boom towns in the region. Famous ghost towns like Jumbo, National and Buckskin probably had ore from there mines processed here. The town site literally exist in the dead center of the expanse on a hill or bluff with mountains 360 degrees around it. You cannot see it from miles away when you look out into the expanse you just see an eternal green meadow where today cattle graze.
 
Technically you drive between the Bloody Run and Santa Rosa Mountains. I could not believe how much snow was on the Santa Rosa's because I knew that I had a couple ghost towns in that range one near the peak which may be impossible to get to unless you own a helicopter lol. One you get to the end of the Bloody Run Mountains you very around then to reach this valley which is overshadowed by the Slumbering Hills. There are a couple ranches in the area more then likely some of them date back to the mid 1800's therefore they are very old and hell may even be haunted for all we know.
 
There was a massive herd of cattle perhaps a few hundred by the main highway and our road we turned off at. Not to far away we found an old homestead but I could not explore it because it sat a few hundred feet from the newer ranch house and I do not want to get shot. However the old rusty water tank on the hill and wooden homestead signifies that this valley has been inhabited for awhile even if its so very few humans. At one time this ranch may have provided some of the mining camps with some livestock or food.
 
We also found a creek that went through here and a old wooden bridge. I did not drive on the bridge it was in bad shape besides the fact that the jeep is extremely heavy therefore its a hazard to even try. I moved to the south heading right along the Bloody Run Mountains trying to find Davey's Town. There are so many roads in this valley some of them are in bad shape because the snow is melting off the mountains you have seasonal creeks everywhere and its also very marshy. I drove through some deep pools of water at times the muddy water would splash on my windshield and I could not see anything so I had to just estimate the curvature of the dirt road because if I stopped I would have gotten stuck for sure!
 
I drove about five miles nonstop pushing through mud I could not even stop the entire road was a mess but I seen something miles away I just had to check on out. The valley was very green as Spring was getting ready to take a foot hold of the area. I had drive through some flooded areas the truck was quite muddy within minutes but my first site of interest captured us. I found this old corral with two twisted and mangled water tanks. I also seen this stone building but it was in ruins more or less it probably was an old homestead or served as stables for whatever livestock they kept within the corral. Everywhere I walked was soft my shoes were sinking in the mud in and outside the corral.
 
It was not easy to get back here and I ended up taking another road out of here but as I made my way further away from the mountains the roads became more solid. I did allot of filming back here so when you watch them you will see mud being slung up on the windshield its crazy. Most folks think of Nevada as some arid desert but its not this valley has a very lush water table believe me and if anyone else was driving they probably would have gotten stuck. It tested me to get to a drier part of the valley where Davey's Town is located. I was lucky to not get stuck everything was soft around here it was almost nonstop because of all the sand, mud and pools. I literally was fishtailing and sliding all over the place although it was fun I did need to get onto some more solid earth.
 
Along the way I pass an old windmill and what appears to be another corral and to the west is Jumbo Canyon where another ghost town resides that we would visit after exploring this mining camp. Eventually after awhile driving in the middle of the valley you come up on this hill which at the top of it you can see water tank and a bunch of debris. Most mining camps and old ranches had water tanks to store fresh water in. The water was for drinking and the livestock but also may have been used in the ore processing as well.
 
The mill and its mines were built right into the side of this small hill. I actually found both claims below the hill and they are collapsed therefore inaccessible. The one mine is barely big enough to crawl in and was flooded. I heard something in that mine maybe an animal or even ghostly voice but an odd sound came from it and I tried to shine my light did not see anything back here. The other mine was more like a glory hole and you could tell it collapsed in on itself.
 
The town resides in an area where many dirt roads intersect with one another. If you stand near the water tank you get to see the Bloody Run Mountains which are not as high in elevation as the Santa Rosa range covered in snow behind it. Then if you look to the west you get an entire panorama of the Slumbering Hills. The town site is very scattered allot of rusted metal, piles of wood, foundations, collapsed homesteads or wooden walls laying on the valley floor. Their are fence post everywhere but no fence and even areas you can see below the town which look platted or as something once stood there. Only one homestead stands and really its in peril so I hope others can help me preserve it by treating it with some dignity.
 
The ore chutes above the mill are collapsed and bins. I found a pile of bricks at the site and quite a few large wood beams. There is only really a couple foundations left behind from where the mill stood and I climbed them to get my picture with the snowy mountains in the background. It was gearing up to be a nice day id say high 60's but the winds were whipping. I hate when I hit high winds because it makes it hard to produce film for you guys. I cant really talk because you cant hear me either so it kind of defeats the purpose. I did manage to film the entire town it just was a huge obstacle I had to overcome.
 
You can tell the town existed along the cross roads that intersect in the center of the valley. Davey's Town was a focal point within this vast expanse and it appeared all the gold extracted here was done so on this bluff which the town was built upon. Which is very strange because most mining towns are built within some canyons walls or on the side of a mountain. But this hill is a mere twenty feet high and it appeared the mine went right into the bottom of it at one time. You could also see where an ore cart ran from the mine dumping the ore below. There was a few ore piles I did try to search for some gold myself but they really depleted everything here and today all that remains of any sort of mining here is those piles of ore.
 
The other thing here you will notice is there is not a single tree that exist here like other ghost towns I been to are often build under old cottonwoods. So the summers here had to be brutal with absolutely no shade whatsoever. It was very quiet here when the wind stopped it kind of was eerie and believe me when I say it we were the only humans in many miles in this vast expanse. I found some metal remnants also one of them looked like it came from a wood stove of sorts. Nothing really was in tact it reminded me of what a tornado does when it hits a neighborhood. You could see remnants of roofing around and pieces of sheet metal.
 
I found this giant rock which had a rust iron bar stuck in it with a large piece of fur hanging off the end of the bar. It was a dark grayish fur I am thinking a cattle may have gotten to close to the bar protruding from the rock and it tore off some of its fur or became entangled with it. I mean as I was roaming the ghost town from the top of the hill I could see quite a few cattle in the distance just grazing. Allot of times Tammy and I will film or photograph the cattle and maybe to you that is all they are but to us we consider them a part of the history here. They give ghost towns characters when your ghost hunting some mill and a herd of cattle passes right by you.
 
The homestead was in peril all the windows and doors gone just a mere shell. The property is very overgrown with brush and most of the fencing is down. Like most abandoned miner cabins in the west this one had its fair share of rat droppings everywhere. If you stir it up and breath it in that can lead to a very quick painful death. So sometimes we wear mask but generally I am stubborn and never put mine on its just a bad habit. So I generally am careful where I tread and if I have to I can hold my breath a very long time if necessary. I guess since I am still here typing this report then its safe to say I live for now that is.
 
Their was a mattress box spring inside the cabin with a little room to the right which was a very stuffy kitchen. You could tell it was the kitchen because there were cupboards, drawers and a wooden kitchen sink. While the rest of the cabin was the living quarters most likely. The miners did not build large cabins here out west generally your living room was also the bedroom. You could tell this cabin at one time had a wood stove. Today its kind of falling apart so there is allot of wood with nails found inside and outside the property. You do have to be careful when visiting these sites just remember when I went to Tonoapah a couple months ago I had two nails go through my foot. The flooring was very rocky there was even brush growing inside the cabin.
 
I finished off my expedition going across the road which I found a few wooden cabin sites but only remnants remain. There was also this rusty steel stove maybe it was a cabinet I could not tell it was laying on its side. But though the middle of it was this hole and the rusty metal was bent in an upwards position. It as if something from the inside pushed its way out maybe a rat or small rodent? Eventually everyone will get to see it more in depth its strange we do strange even if it has some explanation. I just thought it was a bit odd is all but it was very rusty so it was not like it took much force for something to push its way through. Just as it would not take allot of force for some cattle to get there fur caught on that metal bar protruding inside of a rock near the mill.
 
Off in the distance were cattle grazing the view here is amazing and strangely the town site is in the middle of the expanse. Therefore you get awesome 360 panoramic views of the mountains. The town sits at a few crossroads which go off to various canyons more then likely other mining camps or mines are probably at the end of them. Surprisingly this is a really green valley and lush. There are no trees however anywhere within the expanse or at least near the town itself. If you look off in the distance you can see Jumbo Canyon which if you were to take it and make your way to the top you can reach the town site of Jumbo.
 
The winds were blowing like crazy you could see in the distance a storm heading our way over the Slumbering Hills. Not sure why they call them this as they are decent sized mountains but we could not remain here any longer. The town is scattered bricks, pieces of metal, glass, wood frames of cabins, debris, rusty cans etc all things typical of any boom town. I bet back in the day anyone traveling at night to town could see this candles lit in the winds of these cabins. It appeared based on observing the town is that you had the mines erected next to the mill. Then you had the town site along main street and its other cross roads. Then if you look further out beyond the town site you can see remnants of old corrals and homesteads which probably were small ranches. I even found what appeared to be an old trough I mean when the gold ran out most miners resorted to ranching instead.
 
I left this place feeling very complete it was a gorgeous day allot of offroading and had the honor to drive around with the moon roof open smoking my pipe. Its very strange at Davey's Town at least it feels that way here. I did do some gem hunting did not find one single mineral at most mine sites you generally will find gold or silver even in low traces in the quartz. But here all the rock has been crushed and processed for its worth so nothing really remains not even pyrite.
 
We would move on to our next destination driving into the storm as we hit the high road westward into Jumbo Canyon. It was a long road ahead of us water from snow melt had really torn the valley up. Some roads had some deep pools on it while other parts were washed out and you had to try to go around it.
LR

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