Smoke Creek Desert: Difference between revisions
expanded the entire section with what I've found to be origins of the name, and some map references. the origin of the name needs citations, see dicsussions for the foundation of my research |
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The Railroad line on the Eastern edge was originally shown on a map of 1876[5] as being on the right of way of the Southern Pacific Railroad, though on an 1877[6] map is shown as being constructed by the Western Pacific Railroad Company. Other sources state that the railroad was originally started in 1883 as a 3 foot gauge by the Nevada, California, and Oregon Railroad which was later bought and standardized by the Western Pacific Railroad in 1917[7] |
The Railroad line on the Eastern edge was originally shown on a map of 1876[5] as being on the right of way of the Southern Pacific Railroad, though on an 1877[6] map is shown as being constructed by the Western Pacific Railroad Company. Other sources state that the railroad was originally started in 1883 as a 3 foot gauge by the Nevada, California, and Oregon Railroad which was later bought and standardized by the Western Pacific Railroad in 1917[7] |
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There is controversy as to the origin of the name "Smoke Creek". Some believe it to be named after the Smoke Creek, a creek which lies along the Western edge of the basin and flows Eastward from near the California-Nevada border into the Smoke Creek basin. It was along this route that the Lassen and Nobels Trails were explored from the Honey Lake Valley (Susanville, California area) Eastward, eventually following along the Smoke Creek to the basin now called "Smoke Creek Desert". Other history says that it was named variously for the appearance of the basin to fill in the colder months with steam from the hot springs, or show columns of 'smoke' (water vapor) from the individual hot springs as they rose into the cold clear air of the valley. Alternately it is said that the name comes from the dust and 'dust devils' which the wind would pick up during the hot summer months and make the basin appear as though it was filled with 'smoke'. |
There is controversy as to the origin of the name "Smoke Creek". Some believe it to be named after the Smoke Creek, a creek which lies along the Western edge of the basin and flows Eastward from near the California-Nevada border into the Smoke Creek basin. It was along this route that the Lassen and Nobels Trails were explored from the Honey Lake Valley (Susanville, California area) Eastward, eventually following along the Smoke Creek to the basin now called "Smoke Creek Desert". Other history says that it was named variously for the appearance of the basin to fill in the colder months with steam from the hot springs, or show columns of 'smoke' (water vapor) from the individual hot springs as they rose into the cold clear air of the valley. Alternately it is said that the name comes from the dust and 'dust devils' which the wind would pick up during the hot summer months and make the basin appear as though it was filled with 'smoke'. |
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== External links == |
== External links == |
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*[http://www.nbmg.unr.edu/geothermal/site.php?sid=smoke%20creek%20desert Smoke Creek Desert], Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, [[University of Nevada, Reno]], 2005 |
*[http://www.nbmg.unr.edu/geothermal/site.php?sid=smoke%20creek%20desert Smoke Creek Desert], Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, [[University of Nevada, Reno]], 2005 |
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*[http://www.canvocta.org/routes/route_NoblesTrail.html Nobles Trail], California-Nevada chapter of the [[Oregon-California Trails Association]] |
*[http://www.canvocta.org/routes/route_NoblesTrail.html Nobles Trail], California-Nevada chapter of the [[Oregon-California Trails Association]] |
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{{Black Rock Desert|state=}}<!--is listed in this footer--> |
{{Black Rock Desert|state=}}<!--is listed in this footer--> |
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Revision as of 00:45, 10 December 2011
Template:Geobox The Smoke Creek Desert is an arid region of northwestern Nevada, USA that lies to the north of Pyramid Lake, west of the Fox Range and east of the Smoke Creek Mountains. The southern end of the desert lies on the Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation, and a rail line lies at the eastern edge. The Smoke Creek Desert is southwest of the Black Rock Desert's South Playa and is between the Granite Range and the Fox Range.
The original Smoke Creek Desert is shown on Col. Freemont's map of the area during his 1843-44 expedition as 'Mud Flats' (and is confusing as the Black Rock Desert was originally shown as the same lake, and the Black Rock Desert has been subsequently, on various maps, shown as "Mud Lake", "Valley of Mud" or "Valley of the Mud Lakes" on maps of the 1850's and 1860's.) The Smoke Creek Desert appeared on maps as "Mud Lake" up through maps as late as the 1920's though by that time it's name had been standardized as "The Smoke Creek Desert". The other major name for the desert which has been shown on many maps starting in the early 1850's is "Alaki Lake". This is also the first found map reference on which the name "Smoke Creek Desert" appears, though Helen S. Carlson states that it has been found on a map from 1853[1]
It is interesting to note that a sister basin of the Smoke Creek area complex of basins and ranges, Winnemucca Lake (also known as Lake Winnemucca), now a dry alkali flat, is first shown on an 1850 map[3] as filled with either mud or water and continues up through maps of the 1890's[4] and by the early 1900's no longer appears as filled, but as simply another alkali basin.
The Railroad line on the Eastern edge was originally shown on a map of 1876[5] as being on the right of way of the Southern Pacific Railroad, though on an 1877[6] map is shown as being constructed by the Western Pacific Railroad Company. Other sources state that the railroad was originally started in 1883 as a 3 foot gauge by the Nevada, California, and Oregon Railroad which was later bought and standardized by the Western Pacific Railroad in 1917[7]
There is controversy as to the origin of the name "Smoke Creek". Some believe it to be named after the Smoke Creek, a creek which lies along the Western edge of the basin and flows Eastward from near the California-Nevada border into the Smoke Creek basin. It was along this route that the Lassen and Nobels Trails were explored from the Honey Lake Valley (Susanville, California area) Eastward, eventually following along the Smoke Creek to the basin now called "Smoke Creek Desert". Other history says that it was named variously for the appearance of the basin to fill in the colder months with steam from the hot springs, or show columns of 'smoke' (water vapor) from the individual hot springs as they rose into the cold clear air of the valley. Alternately it is said that the name comes from the dust and 'dust devils' which the wind would pick up during the hot summer months and make the basin appear as though it was filled with 'smoke'.
References
- ^ Carlson, Helen S., Nevada Place Names: A Geographical Dictionary, University of Nevada Press, January 1, 1974
External links
- Geophysical Investigations of the Smoke Creek Desert and their Geologic Implications, Northwest Nevada and Northeast California, USGS, 2006
- Gravity, Magnetic, and Physical Property Data in the Smoke Creek Desert Area, Northwest Nevada, USGS, 2006
- Smoke Creek Desert, Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology, University of Nevada, Reno, 2005
- Nobles Trail, California-Nevada chapter of the Oregon-California Trails Association
