My favorite series of caches is the Traveling Naugahyde Hunters
"Forty-Mile Desert" series. I've decided to do a series following
the "other" emigrant trail across the western edge of the
Forty-Mile Desert, the Truckee River Route. As time and research
permit, I hope to place caches at or near most of the trail
markers, from Trinity Junction to Reno.
The California Trail followed the north bank of the Humboldt
River through present-day northeastern Nevada, to the Humboldt
Sink. At Humboldt Bar, the trail diverged, with the Truckee River
Route crossing the western edge of the Forty-Mile Desert to the
Truckee River at Wadsworth, roughly the same route followed by
Interstate 80 today. In all, some 250,000 people would use this
trail from the early 1840's until the introduction of the railroads
in the late 1860's.
Marker T-12 ~Act Of Mercy~
Of the entire route to California, the crossing of the
Forty-Mile Desert was the most dreaded section of the journey.
Isolated, rimmed in mountains and covering an area of about 200,000
square miles, it formed a cauldron in which white salt sands, baked
clay wastes and circling mountains reflected the sun like parabolic
mirrors. In this stark, shimmering landscape west of the Humboldt
River, a stricken sojourner was "obliged to swallow dust all day in
place of water," and summed up her experience in one flat
statement: "I have suffered more this afternoon than all my
sufferings put together".
The final eight miles of the desert crossing were particularily
difficult. The alkali flats gave way to soft, deep sand. Draft
animals, already weakened by the long journey and lack of
substantial food and water, would frequently collapse in this area.
Many pioneers would unyoke their teams and leave their wagons along
the trail to drive their stock to the Truckee River for water and
feed. Those that were unfortunate enough to lose their stock prior
to reaching this point were forced to abandon their wagons and
possessions along the trail.
Today, this area is referred to as "The Deep Sand Swales". The
volume of emigrants using the trail actually created a depression
(or "swale") in the sand that is still visible to this day. These
are the ONLY examples of deep sand swales on the entire California
Trail. This area is now protected from future development by a 130
acre historic preservation easement.
Three more trail markers are located nearby...GC11H6Q (The
Gooseneck), and GC1D3QV (Road side) to the east, and GC1GM1T
(Truckee River Route - Truckee River) to the west.
