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Our Winnemucca Nevada Ghost Town Expeditions - March 11 -13th 2016

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AngelOfThyCosmos:
Our Winnemucca Nevada Ghost Town Expeditions - March 11 -13th 2016

  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.

Jumbo Nevada

Prior to entering the canyon we had to go through herds of cattle its not uncommon you just share these dirt roads with them. The past couple months I been photographing cattle with the snow capped peaks in the background. Both kind of go hand in hand together  The further we went towards the canyon the more lush it had gotten but also some of the road was washed out. When I was driving this road parts of it were so bad that I had to drive off in the desert and that gets allot harder to leave the road once your in the narrow canyon itself.

The road had deep gashes where floods may have washed it out and trust me if you get stuck in one you could end up tipping the entire jeep. I had to be careful trying to maneuver around them at times the dips were so deep I was looking almost straight at the ground. Its not a bad canyon road to take but with rock slides, flash floods, seasonal creeks etc it could pose some risk if you do not know how to handle it.

The road continues to climb up along the walls of Jumbo Canyon eventually to the top of the Slumbering Hills. There are literally some areas you could just pull off on and enjoy the scenery from up here. Hell from on top of here you could see the mountains off to the north in Oregon and the entire snow capped Santa Rosa Range. The views are top notch so one can imagine what the pioneers thought when taking this exact same road up to Jumbo.

There are cliffs and the road is very narrow along with some larger rocks from slides. So at times when your climbing over rocks you are on the edge of the cliff of the canyon itself. When you get to the top of the Slumbering Hills then there are roads all over the top of them you can take most of them however loop back around. Its no the most difficult offroading I have done but its easy to miss the town and mill site since its nestled in the hills towards the top of the canyon. Problem is that you cannot see it from afar you have to really pull up on it otherwise the hills surrounding it kind of hide this place.

Not only does the road switchback to the top of the range above the canyon but it also goes off in other directions once you reach the top giving off views of multiple mountain ranges and expanses. In my journeys I found that Jumbo is one of these more scenic ghost towns that is because it sits so high above the region. The Slumbering Hills are not very wide or long of a range therefore you literally from the top can see a few valleys surrounding by mountains at every angle.

The first site I came up on was a giant wooden head frame. Below it there was a deep mine shaft I did not get to close the whole thing is collapsing and if you fall down there its over without a doubt. But at one time the ore kegs were being lowered down and hauling out tons of rock everyday from this frame. If you go over the hill because the road splits a couple different ways you can look down into another canyon and there is what might be a mill. I looked at my videos and photos it has a slanted aluminum roof with some kind of ore cart tracks leading from the side of it. There were only three mills in the area one was based in Davey's Town in the valley below. another is found right below the Jumbo town site and the final mill was this one I located while journeying at the top of the range. I did not check out the mill in the other canyon simply because the weather was about to get really treacherous here.

Literally the winds were whipping, fog was rolling in, temperatures dropped and it begin to sleet a little. If it begin to snow we would have been in trouble the descent anywhere off this range is treacherous and with ice on it that spelled danger or being stranded here possibly. I was pressed for time the storm was right over us and here we are at the top of the Jumbo Canyon. Seeing snow on other peaks is a shear sign that things can get ugly up here and that the miners must had lived a rugged life due to the towns locations. Rather then try to journey a few miles down into another canyon I really had to make a choice and that would be to take on Jumbo itself.

I came down over this hill then off in the distance on the side of a hill at the top of the canyon was a bunch of miners cabins, debris, rusty water tanks and structures. Below the miner cabins was the mill and a massive mixer. On the hill going into the town is a massive steam boiler looking like its about to fall onto the road. From afar the place just looks creepy and it did not help with the storm over us either. You could tell on some peaks in the distance it was snowing while the vast expanses were filling with fog. Were in the thick of things for sure how do you try to beat a storm when your caught up in it thousands of feet above sea level?

I made my way to the town parked right by the massive water tank which probably provided miners with water back in the day. Collapsed mines and shafts kind of line the hills behind the miner cabins. More then likely the men lived in the cabins while working in the mill below or the mines above. Either way if you lived here you were more then likely a miner period. The view these miners seen out there cabin windows was very amazing so I am sure with that in mind it was much easier to live and work here.

I have to say Jumbo is a bit creepy something does not feel right about this place. I been doing this type of work for years and most ghost towns do not have the dismal vibe Jumbo has. Most of the miner shacks are standing however they are merely shells. There is probably about seven wood cabins still standing.

Behind the cabins are the foundations of the old dance hall and saloon.At least that is what I was told to me it just looked like a couple small foundations with a pile of wood and stones. Jumbo is a bit in peril although I have talked to others who use to chill here thirty years ago so it has over the years been home to many explorers like myself.

Some of the cabins are about to fall of the edges of the hillsides due to erosion. You have to understand that the town was built on a steep hillside of Jumbo Canyon in this bowl like area that overlooks the valley below. In a few years they wont be standing some of the cabins have to be entered from other doorways because of them siting on the edge of the hill. One good rain or flood its all over here sad to say so Jumbo for me was important to document every single location we could find at the town site. I just am not sure how long its all going to last but the town site is clinging to the edge for now.

A couple of the cabins were actually duplexes which is something I never seen in any mining town out west. But those cabins were divided equally into two rooms with a shared chimney. Each miners who lived in the duplex would have his own little wood stove, kitchenette area and what appeared to be a closet maybe a stand up shower. The windows in each cabin overlooked the massive valley and canyon below. The mines were practically just a few feet away most miners could suit up and be to work in minutes.

There are two cabins or homesteads found within the town that are much larger. Such residences may have served the superintendent and his family or some other prominent resident. One of the homesteads had a desk, bookshelves, bed springs and even a passage that led into the hill for cold storage. It also had shutters on the windows and was held up in the living quarters area with a bent wooden beam.

I think I even seen a couple fridges and old hot water tanks . The town was not state of the art but it had electricity therefore early appliances were used here while it remained a mining camp. In some of the cabins you could even see some of the old wallpaper. I mean these cabins did not always look deplorable at one time they all had glass in the windows, doors that closed and the town probably looked allot nicer in its hey day.

Everything is riddled with bullet holes some cabins have allot of rat droppings. There is this giant workshop also found in town not to far from the water tank. There are piles of stones, ruins, wood and debris all over the hillside spread out behind the miner cabins. Allot of milling and mining was done surrounding the entire town site.

The storm made our expedition a bit more difficult as most of you know I can film but when the winds rip through here it basically sours the video. I did as much filming as I could even took some readings as well as EVP's in some of the creepy cabins. I could not stay long and had to stay an extra half hour because for some reason the recorder just kept shutting off.

Below the residential part of town is a giant mine there is a head frame protruding out the top but you can tell its all now collapsed and there is no shaft. Not to far from the dump pile is the mill at least foundations left of one nothing more. You can see where the mill once sat on today they are just massive concrete foundations with rebar protruding from the top. Nearby is another water tank but its all mangled and crushed as it sits on the hillside. There is also a similar water tank up by the mines laying on its side as well. You had to have water for the miners to shower, drink and the mill to operate.

There is also this chute and what appears to be some kind of smelter I found on the hillside. I found a smaller rusty water tank also on the hill above the mill. I did not see it till I physically went to the mill site itself looking up at the town itself. There was also a pile of bean cans, rusty frame from an old car, piles of wood, twisted pieces of mangled metal, broken glass, piles of foundations and aluminum everywhere. All remnants of the town nothing abnormal unless you count all the graffiti written on the water tank.

 There was an office building which was also a workshop which appeared to have stored tools and have equipment for the miners to use. You could see over twenty little cubby holes that the miners could utilize to store there work boots and hard hats perhaps even a packed lunch. I am sure they had to check in here first before going down into the mines just a few feet away! Below the office where miners checked in was this massive giant mixer. I have never seen one this size for ore processing its a must see and at one time the mill was probably built over it. More then likely such massive machinery was used in cyanide gold processing.

By this time the weather was really getting bad I drank a beer and toked one. I had a challenge on my hands and that was getting us off the Slumbering Hills back down to a lower elevation. Even as I stood on top of the hills I seen a few roads go off into various expanses that looked eternal. Hell some of those roads looked straight down. When I sat back looking at the road I had to take to get out of here there was a real dismal foreboding feeling. You could see the road meandering along cliffs for miles above and through the canyon. Looks can be deceiving as the road almost looked like it went straight down and yeah some of parts of it were very steep so you definitely do not want to be caught in a storm one mishap its over.

So I tried to chill out and had noticed we had a few flurries but it was not substantial enough but I would not wait around to find out. The night before this area was hit with snow hardcore local peaks signified that. This time we had more bands coming through the area which was hard to believe since Davey's Town was so sunny just a couple hours prior to all of this.

There is also a mining camp its more of a suburb of Jumbo called Awaken. I never did find it maybe the mill below the range was part of it hard telling. However I did get to enjoy the luxury of Awaken Peak we were at the highest point within the range really which is the Jumbo area. Not much remains of Awaken I just did not have time to work with it although from what others told me all that remains are piles of cans. I also was told that Jumbo may be haunted. I did not get to go into any mines the ones on the hillside were all collapsed or simply shafts into the darkness below.

This is a fine ghost town though the best part of it are the views and the miners cabins which although deplorable today still stand. We were happy to find this place not allot is known about it but I know that a couple American presidents took an interest in the mines here. I hears they even stayed in Jumbo along with quite a few other prominent people during its hey day. Its not an easy place to get to your talking offroading high up on old mining roads. If you stare across the top of the hills you can see above the snow lines of the Santa Rosa Range from afar.

The town begin in 1910 and it remained somewhat active till almost 1960. It was a very quiet place but you always feel as if something is watching you or hiding here. I was just relieved to get out of the Slumbering Hills and off of Awaken Peak. It was a treacherous trek down the canyon and I had to make sure to avoid all the washed out sections of the road. There was some areas nearly voids 6' deep you drive into a hole that deep your not getting out. I was never so relieved to leave the canyon and pass by herds of cattle grazing.

We went back into Winnemucca to bunk up for the evening and have dinner. It was a great day but the jeep did not think so as it went from a red to a muddy brown. We were so lucky to never get stuck there was a few times up in Jumbo and Davey's Town exploring that we almost did not make it. Nobody wants to get stuck on some no name pioneer road in the middle of nowhere. There are roads back here that nobody takes for months at a time its just not safe. I could not wait to get into town to relax at the hotel and have dinner. We went to the Winnemucca Inn Restaurant which has surprisingly some good food. I had a hot turkey sandwich with gravy, cranberries, sierra beer, appetizers such as chicken wings, jalapeno poppers, mozzarella sticks and a few other morsels of wholesome goodness.

As most of you are aware having beers and good food after a day of ghost towning is a long standing tradition. To sit down break bread talk about all the crazy things you experienced all day long. Sometimes its just good to know you succeeded that you had no issues getting stuck or dealing with some hills have eyes idiots. I was pretty hungry it was a long day that includes four hours of driving, hiking, two ghost towns, gun show and offroading all day long. I could not wait to crash at the room luckily for us we had the opportunity to do it all over again the next day as we would take on two more great ghost towns known as Paradise Valley and National Nevada!

Paradise Valley Nevada

I woke up before the sunrise it was dark out almost forgot we had to switch the clocks on over and Spring ahead. It was very foggy out some level of rain as well you could tell that the storm just passed through the area therefore I figured it may have snowed and we might have limited access to ghost towns in the area such as Buckskin which is above this valley.

Paradise Valley at one time was called Scottsdale eventually changed to Paradise City then it took its final name currently which is named after the valley due to its heavy ranching. I love this semi ghost town its this little ranching community most of downtown however is abandoned despite that in the 1800's this place was bustling and could have become a major city in Nevada.

This is really a true ghost town it has everything you could ever want a river that flows through the town, old creepy abandoned buildings, town cemetery, artifacts everywhere from the past, tales of Indian Raids and even a fort which now resides on a historic ranches property. One of the first Europeans came through here in the earlier 1800's setting on eyes on this valley long before it was settled therefore yes its very very old here.

Think of something like Smallville perhaps from Superman ranches have windmills and its very quaint. People who live here live in a valley created by the beautiful snow capped Santa Rosa and Snowstorm Mountains. Its a part of Nevada not many know about and few ever get to see unless your willing to take that lonely road deep into the heart of this valley. You wont find any websites about the place and its not talked about allot so its a good addition to our site to get people exploring this place with their friends and family.

At one time their was some kind of stage station before you entered town to water down your horses and bunk up for the night but it no longer exist. However downtown Paradise their is an old horse carriage which was in use when a station existed here. Every site within this valley has so much history. It might be a carriage, mine cart, ranch, house or just remnants of the fort. I learned allot about this town such as that it has some underground areas to explore but also that without it perhaps the other wealthy boom towns in the area may not have existed.

I love working with ghost towns because I get a bit of everything offroading, adventure, scenery, wildlife, history etc. This one here is perhaps a best kept secret therefore I would see some things here that you normally would not see in other boom towns. I will say though the weather was not that great there was fog all over, dark skies, very chilly etc. We were just a couple days away from St. Patties so I was wearing my green top hat for this one which is okay at times I thought I was in Ireland hiking under the towns large trees near the Humboldt River.

If you look out into the valley any areas huge patches of Cottonwoods grow are often the site of old large historic ranches. Some of them country homes are gorgeous you kind of wish you lived in one. I mean this is a part of the wild west most people do not know about and so when you see such big country mansions from the 1800's you tend to realize that they were around when the Titanic Sank or when the natives waged war on these mining towns.

Along the way which is just a single road in and out you can clearly see many smaller creeks and plenty of cattle/horses. This is a very wet valley during the Spring its green and full of flowers. Of course being it was still winter when I was here not so much. But while driving down the road I seen many birds whether they were nerve wrecked about the storm coming in could have played a factor afterall it was snow flurrying all day here.

I parked downtown which at one time was full of stores, hotels, saloons and other businesses. Today not so much many of the old buildings are gone along the river. But some of them still remain and quite a few are abandoned but were boarded up due to vandals. Like I said people ruin things for everyone here as opposed to me going in buildings to film or take photos others go in just to trash the place.

I parked at this old adobe homestead and between a old white mansion with a porch. Both homes were nice very large and what it told me is you have a few different eras when the town was built. As a matter in fact you had homes that were Victorian just as you had ones built of wood, adobe, brick and stone. It just varied depending on where you were at down town.

I have to say the cottonwoods from the old time pictures were much smaller back in the 1800's then they are now. Some of the trees that grow downtown are the largest I seen in Nevada. Trust me when it takes five or eight folks to hold hands just to surround an entire tree your dealing with trees that grew when the constitution was written and growing when the Revolutionary war transpired. The town has gorgeous trees not always typical of remote Nevada but here they grow all along the river nearby.

Their is an old fire station with a rig parked in front of it nearby also a barn near the river which goes under Main Street. The stonework downtown is amazing all the way from the walls along the river to some of the stairwells and foundations downtown. You can see the Masons had quite a presence here such walls were built in the 1800's and are still holding up.

Downtown has a couple smaller cabins one is abandoned the other is being used by some ranch. One can imagine that not everyone who lived here had a mansion. Most folks here were ranchers others owned businesses while some may have had stakes in local mining found in the mountains.

There was this giant concrete building downtown it had three stories if you include the attic and a basement. Were not sure if it was an old hotel or what but I looked through a hole and seen allot of historical vintage type of items inside as if someone was using the lower floor for storage. The buildings are all boarded so its hard to know what each one was or what was inside but I can speculate based on writing above the doors such as one structure you could make out the words saloon.

Their was quite a few pigeons on the roofs especially on this older wooden building I found at the end of an alley that looked more like a watch tower. There is also these three buildings all connected to one another which appear to be a store, hotel and saloon but all with separate entrances.

It was a brisk morning so Tammy decided to go rest in the Jeep meanwhile I decided to set out to do what I was meant to do which is explore some of the older buildings downtown in alleys or behind the back side which are areas so very few get to see. But these old structures downtown are the oldest in existence as they reside right on the river. You can still see the old walkways downtown and everything is more spread out because this valley was not confined like some of these towns built in smaller canyons.

I went down an alley way to the back of the four to five historic structures downtown. I have to say the back side looks allot different that is because it sits on a hill. Therefore on the back side you can look into the basements which all have bars on them. I even found an old outhouse leaning on its side right by the river which curves to the southeast as you can see ranches and homes along it. Its very serene to say the least and across the river is a house that has a snowmobile up in a tree which is strange in itself.

There are giant windows without boards on the backside as a matter in fact wood siding looks original compared to the front of downtown's buildings. I spent a good deal of time near the river where I found this small hole that went underground maybe a tunnel system here? It was just odd I could not fit down into it. You can also stand below the walls to the cellars on the backside of these buildings. I just did not realize at first I could ever locate a way inside of them but guess what? I did! I always tell others I do far better work in my field if I am alone believe me then have others tag along and inhibit my ability to explore or find a few secrets.

I found this big iron door in an alley on the hillside which I had opened up and it ran under the hill. It was a giant arched room made of stone very cold, dark and spider webs. I thought man if it closes behind me it may not end well because at first I did not know where this might lead or what it was. I seen an old wood bench or table with a beer bottle on top. I have no idea if this was cold storage or if they smoked meat down here. The flooring had dirt while the rest of the room was stone.

In the alley I found two entrance which led to the cellars of these three big structures downtown. They ran under the saloon, hotel and store. Actually both basements ran parallel to eachother but when go inside you begin to seen areas that were sealed off. Its obvious this was all one cellar then as businesses may have later been bought up separately therefore the basements could have been renovated or sealed off to divide them for privacy.

The first cellars I entered ran under all three structures but only 50 percent of them did. The first room had what appeared to be some brick oven or old furnace. I have no idea why an oven or stove would be in the basement maybe they had a broiler or something down here then redirected the heat upstairs. The second room was just a big empty stone room but there was a wall with newer concrete that had been sealed with two small windows with iron bars. I looked in the window and it looked like there was a small room on the other side with a set of old very dusty wood stairs.

The third room in the back was the darkest it did not have any windows with bars so that the morning light could get in. This room had some weird chute also in it but the chute was filled with dirt, rock, mud etc. I was in the cellars for a long time did feel a few cold spots and watched the entire time. I been doing this a long time and something is in this basement. I always felt while taking photos and footage down here something was lurking in the darkest part of the cellar just watching me. Sometimes your mind plays tricks you look all the way down the corridor to the last room and swear you seen something standing in the doorway.

The cellars I was in had only one way out a few times I looked out a window putting my hands around the bars just imagining how lucky I am. Not everyone gets to go underground in a ghost town its very rare trust me. Then again not many ghost towns have old saloons and hotels with basements you can explore. So this was a treat I toked up a bowl of Girl Scout Cookies bud and I savored this ghosthunt.

 If you ever were to get creeped out this would be the place. Their was some holes in the wood floor above where sunlight peered in. I could not see the upstairs to well but what I seen appeared to be an old stove which means these structures may house some historical remnants of the past left behind when the town went kind of bust!

I left the alley deciding to enter into another door which led me into the second half of the basement below the three connected buildings. You could see fresh brick was laid but it did not go to the top it actually surrounded this small room behind the oven found in another part of the cellars. Inside this room their was a stairwell it was very steep and led me to a door. I thought hey this is it ill be able to explore the two stories above me however it was locked.

Above the door was a small wood frame which looked into the halls and I heard something move. Now keep in mind nobody is here the structures are all boarded up. But it sounded like something or someone stepped on broken glass on the wooden floor on the other side of this door. No less it was a bit strange and I wish I could have explored more but between sealed cellars and boarded buildings it put a damper on my access. Based on my exploration there are two other hidden rooms in the cellars I believe the only access to them would be from the buildings above me as one of those hidden rooms had stairs going to the first floor.

It felt good to get some fresh air I was in those cellars far to long. When I came out I seen on the building which has the most accessible cellars the word saloon written in red paint. If you go around to the front it says Micca Saloon then newer paint is on top of it saying Korral Bar. So it has changed hands a few times and in my opinion its a pretty spooky place especially under the town. The stone work is all original very old and well in my opinion this was a rare opportunity to see something really unique for our group to experience.

If you had down Main street there is also a old house it has some old red two story tower its a bit strange but this is the second tower looking structure I seen. Downtown is split into two different sections I was working on the second one when I found this structure. The second part of downtown contains the Post Office, Old estates and even a place called the Paradise Mercantile which today is a saloon all made out of stone originally. The Post Office has a burn barrel with a grate over it so that they can grill lol. You  kind of see things like this in these old school towns. Hell downtown had one of those old phone booths you can go in and make a call. Behind the post office is one of the largest cottonwood trees I have ever seen and even a small windmill so definitely Paradise lives up to its name!

There is a plaque downtown which covers some of the history but also an old fire wagon, bicycle, wagons, ore carts etc. You have to get out on foot walk around and then you will have a chance to see some of the history downtown. Nobody was really outside we seen a lady on a small four wheeler driving around patrolling the streets. There are no cops here you are the law so you have to follow the simple rules of the wild west. Life is simple here people enjoy the serenity and I did too. The saloon was not open yet for beers plus it was to early.

I also seen a school its not that old but its old school in the sense that the building is a bit dreary looking back then when schools looked more like prisons. The basketball hoops were a bit old rusting in the elements but it was a cute little place for kids to play with big trees and a playground. The old schoolhouse is gone but back in the 1800's allot of young children lived in this valley. Its easy to take a breather and try to understand that the view they once seen I now was looking at. Not much has changed except that this is no longer a bustling big town like during its hey day.

I had the chance to sit back for a half hour eagle watching for some reason there was at least four different eagles at one time up in a tree how cool is that? If you look for nature you will find it so I always look up as well because Nevada has allot of unique bird life. The eagles were up in the tree swooping down at small prey below in a field. It was fascinating to watch and a great part of the morning to take a break.

If you also drive around there are many historic ranches and barns. I seen allot of old farm equipment and rusty cars as I made my way to the town cemetery. Its out near some ranches so the cattle and horses can come right up to it really. The cemetery was just a couple acres in size not very large while all the older historic interments were in the back newer burials were to the front.

They had a few really pretty angel statues but the flag was so frilled and ripped that it was pitiful and needs to be replaced. There is a shady section towards the upper left portion of the cemetery where the oldest stones are found from the pioneer days. Many of the stones are beautifully carved some are on the ground others are against are tree. Some stones did suffer from vandalism or were broken in half. In the center of the cemetery was a few tall stone monuments.

Its a quaint little place I could hear the cows mooing off the distance. Many of the burials found here are that of ranchers. You can find more then often plenty of family plots. With the beautiful Santa Rosa Mountains backdropping it covered in snow this was a great little exploration. Visiting these ghost town cemeteries is bigger then almost seeing the town. You get to visit with some of the earliest pioneers who first set eyes on these gorgeous remote places.

It was getting cold it was more or less a very dry storm coming through bringing cold brisk weather with hardly any precipitation. Well it was snowing hardcore on the peaks you could see it halfway down the range but the valley for the most part was just dry. I did see a few snow flakes time to time and thought man here we go again. I swear these past few months we have had some crazy snowy adventures in ghost towns like Belmont. Despite that factor I seen some ducks in a pond nearby downtown and allot of other bird life. I bet in weeks to come it flourishes with the warming weather coming.

I did drive around the town seen if their was anything I missed and sure enough I found this old adobe building with wooden cargo doors on it. This probably was an old mill which was surrounded by marshland and giant trees. Something caught my eye when I pulled up to the mill and it turned out there was a nice group of deer grazing behind it. I actually had gotten out and they let me get close to them. They were all younger deer so they were curious as I was. Some of them did go into the brush to dine on some lunch then two horses joined them to check me out. The deer and the horses back here were friendly perhaps because back here there are so very few threats to them therefore they kind of are curious about humans. I do not think the horses were wild but the one seemed to be talking to me lol.

I sought off to conduct a little journey through the valley first place I would look for was Fort Winfield Scott. Many of the old buildings the army built here in the 1860's still stands some stone some wood. Problem is that it resides on private property. You may be able to see it from the road I do not know because the directions and information I had was wrong. Its listed in both my ghost town guides pictures and even history. But after driving past a few private roads past some ranches any of those old structures could have been it. The fort was built to protect the ranchers who came to this valley to raise food for the miners in the mining camps in the Santa Rosa Range.

There is a road that goes north it gets real rugged but if veers off into the Santa Rosa Range for twenty miles through this beautiful canyon. The problem was is the road was out but if you take it the full twenty miles you can go to one of the wealthiest gold mining boom towns in Nevada known as Buckskin. I really wanted to go there its at the highest point in the range which means basically where you see it snowing is where the town is and well lets just say the snow looked very deep. Their were signs saying the road was out and well you could also hit it on the other side of the range along the way to National where we were going next I was doubtful we would ever reach this place due to the storm.

However the further you go north as the Santa Rosa Range crosses the road ahead of you there is a beautiful canyon which takes you into the heart of these mountains Not much is out here because once you start going into the mountains the ranches taper off. I spent about two hours driving all over the valley down dirt roads. I even found a sign for Chimney Reservoir. But see its not really that historic so I did not waste the twenty mile side trip. I did however drive out to some old ranches to photograph. I found this one old mansion in the remote part of the valley which had been abandoned and everything was left behind. I did not go onto the property due to time constraints and having to make it up to another ghost town. The ravens on the fence post all along this road added to the whole creepy effect I suppose.

Supposedly their is also an old flour mill in the valley its listed in my guides and on a few websites but we never found it. Strangely we have two different old B&W photos of it but both have different geological features nearby and we were not able to find either. Maybe it does not stand its an old brick mill but I did see some photos online which leads me to believe I just could not find it. It may have been up in the hills above the valley further I ended up turning around because with the storm coming in and at least another 50 mile trek to National I could not spend my entire day looking for it. I can however post the old time photos I have to our site when I add this location.

I found a few canals in the valley most traverse or meander along ranches or open meadows where cattle graze. There was these prairie dogs all along the road here that peep there heads out of the ground when you drive past. I spent over an hour trying to get one of them on film and photography. I did succeed but that was of course after I stopped looking and happened to turn a corner seeing one by the road chilling. They get startled so easy so they are not easy to photograph plus they move fast so when I finally did get my prized picture I celebrated with some bud in my bowl.Life is only good if you can reward yourself time to time.

I did go back downtown to drive around one last time and on your way heading out of the valley there is an old church which has some beautiful stained glass. As a matter in fact their are two churches near one another both with the original bells and steeples. I remember earlier when I was exploring the bells tolled at I think it was 9am. One church is made out of stone the other one is wood both are very historic. The stone one I actually found a passage that took me into a small stone room or cellar with a table. The stone one also has more articulate stained glass in the front and is a little larger of a congregation.

If you wander around both churches there is a few old remnants of the past including a couple wood wagons that are over a 100 years in age. The one wagon had a flag attached to it on a pole which was ripped and blowing in the wind. With all these torn up American Flags I am thinking that the weather in the winter here is not very kind to the people who brave it. One of the wagons I seen had a pile of deer and elk antlers in the back of it.

Across from the stone church is the Hulboldt County Ranger station for the region. The old wood cabins and series of structures found here are old. I did not walk around there are rangers who live on site but when they are open you can get information about the Humboldt National Forest which btw is found all throughout the Santa Rosa Mountains which overshadow this town and its valley. Its different country here I mean your not even far from Oregon or Idaho really so for us its all new country.

I left the valley feeling complete kind of a funny story as there is a Chevron Gas Station and mart before you enter this valley. Well I kept every few hours between ghost towns going here to get drinks or get more gas for my jeep. Its funny to walk into these remote semi ghost towns because people back here may never have seen a gothic looking guy like me with black nails, long hair etc etc. So sometimes I do get some strange looks but to get them four times each time going in there with a different hat on must had confused the hell out of them. I am a man of many hats but I had fun messing with the ladies at the gas station still the same man just wearing allot of hats.

Believe it or not the highway as lonely as it is that splits at Paradise Valley does have at least a gas station then another one just a half hour from there at another small town. But still even though they have a few out this way once you leave the highway its all dirt roads, vast expanses and deep canyons. So as a safety reminder if you decide to venture into the Santa Rosa Range or other mountain ranges like the Snowstorm Range you better fuel up. I was carrying it all shovel, new jack, fire wood, food, water, survival gear etc because you never know weather here can change in a heartbeat and storms are fierce.

This is one of the prettiest valleys in Nevada you guys are in for a treat. I spent allot of money to do expeditions like this so that way you could enjoy photos and video be a part of something great. Just like any place I go you could spend years exploring it. This is a vast valley allot of mountains and historic remnants if you seek it out. I bet some of those ranches and mansions have there own ghost stories. I read that some of the structures down town are haunted just like I heard Jumbo is another town that had gotten some of its supplies from Paradise Valley.

Paradise Valley supplied towns like Davey's Town, Jumbo, National and Buckskin with supplies. Vegetables and livestock raised here were exported to these mining towns in the region. As a matter in fact one of the only roads on into Buckskin and it was a very crazy trek which crossed creeks through this lush canyon. Therefore many pioneers would stock up in Paradise before heading into the range. So we have allot of history here and its one of those ghost towns not allot of folks know about or its relevance. I try to bring our viewers these places put them on the map make them more known that way their is greater efforts to preserve them in the process of educating others.

This was a great expedition but it was the middle of the afternoon and after offroading around the valley for awhile we split. Like I said that Chevron had me as a customer a few times having to fill up and all on gas. Our next trek would take us back around the southern portion of the Santa Rosa Range then northbound on the other side of the valley to the ghost town of National.

National Nevada

I was not to hopeful of climbing up into the Santa Rosa Mountains to Buckskin as the white stuff was so thick about half way up this range I knew we would not get there. However I knew I could at least get us to National which resides a few miles below Buckskin and was its sister town. Actually National was the main mining town in the area and was along with Buckskin the region of one of Nevada's largest gold strikes. There for National had various mining districts in the range including the Buckskin area which sat above it.

Just to get to the mountains alone is quite a track as you ascend higher into the valley till you reach National Canyon which again can take you to Buckskin for those who want to brave it. Just know whenever you drive in this range during the winter most of the time roads are in accessible such as flash floods or high snow.

Before I turned off I found a firefighters monument sadly not to far from National multiple firefighters died trying to contain a forest fire. The Humboldt National Forest is found in this range as trees fill the canyons and peaks higher in the range. While the lower part of the range is more so a high desert type of wilderness. Its very scenic here in the region are also two antelope preserves or refuge areas so allot of vast wilderness.

There are many dirt roads that traverse this valley as we were heading east towards National Canyon. What really bit about this road is that there were areas that were so rugged. I drove through allot of areas that were flooded or where water crossed the road. As a matter in fact my drive was slow because there are allot of cattle that road the open expanse below National. A few times I drove with herds of cattle in front of the jeep just trotting along as I followed them for a couple miles. I had gotten some cute photos of some of the calves myswell utilize my time. It was dreary out so all we seen were cattle.

After taking this one treacherous road for many miles the road was washed out. There is a creek near National but this time of year its more like a river therefore it branches off into different parts of the valley rushing over dirt roads. I was thinking about going through it but with big rocks, rushing water and seeing how deep it was I decided it was not necessary to take this route since I had other dirt roads we could try. You do not want to get stuck 15 miles from the highway in the middle of the desert with a snowstorm barreling down towards you hitting the mountains in front of you.

I eventually found another road after I backtracked for many miles but this one was worst then the last. The road was called National I believe and it was so hilly. The problem was not the hills it was low laying water at the bottom of them. I had to drive through high water every hill I went down at times the road had so much water I had to physically leave the dirt road drive through the desert over plants and shit. Lucky there was not allow of plant life so I could kind of drive around the brush here and there. But a few times I almost had gotten stuck as the tires were slinging mud, spinning and the jeep was sinking. I had to barrel through over 50 areas with low laying water or muddy washed out parts of the road was NOT easy!

But I wanted to get back to National my thought would have been a cool way to finish our weekend up in Winnemucca and the Holdboldt National Forest. I mean this would be our fourth ghost town we did Davey's Town, Jumbo, Paradise Valley and now we were ready to see one of northern Nevada's most relevant gold rush towns. How could I not be excited? The ride ascending all the way to the base of the Santa Rosa's all covered in snow as these giant cliffs had gotten closer? Simply breathtaking! Just a very muddy intense a

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