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The story I did for the “JOURNAL” recently on the town of Topaz in Mono California reminded me how much I like small towns. Nevada has a lot of small places that are just as poignant as they were back in the days of the pioneers. Towns like Manhattan, and Belmont nearly became ghost towns at one time. They survived because some people found those places just too darn pretty and peaceful to abandon. Belmont came the closest to giving up the ghost. At one time it had a population of one. But when others saw this old mining town overlooking the Monitor Valley, you can guess what happened. The ghosts had to pack their bags and move out because people began moving back in. There is now a great bed and breakfast there now. Manhattan is another old mining camp just a stone’s throw from Belmont. It never did become a ghost town. There are about 15 people living there now. At least there was when I last saw the place a couple of years ago. I understand the place is so quiet the dogs don’t bother to look both ways before crossing the street. I am often asked what my favorite town is in Nevada. There are several, because I don’t judge a town on its architecture, but by its people. That would put towns like Tonopah and Goldfield at the top of the list, along with Fallon and Lovelock. But there are others too that qualify. Gold point and Silver Peak are towns that should have ended up as Ghost Towns, but because of mining and other ventures they too have survived the test of time. These small places, like Topaz, Lee Vining, and Bishop in California, not to mention Susanville, are unique because they reflect an indelible pioneering spirit that originated with the first settlers that came to this far western land in wagon trains. The early pioneers handed down the ethics and traditions that are just as credible today as they were back then. I marvel at some of the places I find in the outback of Nevada and Northern California. Benton, California, and Midas, Nevada are two towns that are about as isolate as they get. But even though the people who live there are pretty much on their own, they are not uninformed or secluded from the rest of the world. They are genuine and gracious. They like the way they live away from the hustling crowds. Some years back I had occasion to do a story about the small hamlet of Currie in Southern Elko County. It got its first telephone in 1987. Hard to believe in this day and time that a town could go that long without a phone. Why didn’t they get one sooner? The answer I heard was, ….”Didn’t need one..” Good answer. There are still places in Nevada where a man’s worth where a man’s worth is based on his ability to train a cow horse and use a rope, and where family values is taken as a matter of course instead of something someone says to be politically correct. Small towns are nice towns. I should know, I live in one. Be seein’ you.. |
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