Beautiful October and a Cool Link

This has been a wonderful October in Snake Valley, with lots of warm weather. Although many of the high elevation leaves had their colors shortened by an early October snowstorm, the lower elevations turned brilliant and stayed that way a long time

One of the things I learned in October is about the Utah Digital Newspapers Library. You can search through newspapers for over a century. I typed in "Snake Valley", clicked Exact Phrase, clicked Go, and found several interesting entries. I will try posting some in the future, as they give a very interesting view of our valley.

Ranching Exhibit Metalwork

 The other day, as we were coming down the mountain, my son wanted to stop at the Ranching Exhibit. We hadn't stopped there for at least a year and had some extra time, so I was happy to oblige. I quickly remembered why I like stopping there. The views are fantastic, and worth taking a few extra minutes to enjoy. And then there's the exquisite metalwork, designed and made by Kathy and Bill Rountree.

The amount of detail is fantastic! Just take a look at that lasso. Or the reins. Or the spokes on the wagon wheels. There are three scenes--a barn and farm animals, the one above of moving cattle, and a third of sheep herding. I don't want to show them all here right now in too much detail. Instead, take the time to check them out yourselves! And the best part, the Ranching Exhibit is open 365 days of the year, 24 hours a day. Of course you might be able to see better in the daylight!

First Snow

The first major snow of the season has arrived, depositing many inches of snow on the mountain peaks. We drove up the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive on Saturday and found a couple inches of snow at Mather Overlook, with the road beyond closed. The forecasters say that this year may be shaping up to be another La Nina, which could mean we could get a lot of snow again. On the other hand, we know how accurate forecasters are for this area! We'll just have to enjoy each drop of moisture we receive.

Don't forget--comments are due October 11 for the DEIS to protect the bits of moisture we have in this area. You can email them to: nvgwprojects@blm.gov. Comments to the Nevada State Engineer are due December 2 (no email comments accepted by NSE).

White Pine Public Museum

 While we were visiting Ely, we stopped at the White Pine County Public Museum. It has a large collection of Mrs. Hesselgesser's dolls from Baker (which I somehow didn't manage to get a photo of), along with a lot of other assorted exhibits.

 With mining being such an important part of the economy, it was only fitting to have a large section dedicated to rocks and ores.

 The most prized part of the collection is the Cave Bear, a Short-Faced Bear that was found in a cave in White Pine County. Since my son has decided that he wants to be a paleontologist when he grows up, he was so excited to see it!

 First Lady Pat Nixon was from Ely, so there was a section with several photos of her.

I had two kids with me, so we didn't spend too long inside the museum, but headed out to the various other attractions.

 These included a jail cell and one of Ely's wonderful murals:

 This large structure is a water well driller.

 We also found the old one-room schoolhouse from Baker, donated by Sam Smith. Do you know more about it? If so, please leave a comment!

 The inside was really small, which I guess would make it easier to heat. Somehow I have a feeling there were more than four students when it was actually used.

Also included is a model of the Baker school house that replaced the log cabin one. This school house has been torn down, but the bell still remains at the current Baker school.

The museum has lots of other exhibits, I feel like we only had a quick look at them and will need to go back again for a more thorough exploration. Admission is by donation, and the White Pine Public Museum would love to have more visitors, so go take a look!