Forty Mile Desert

Forty Mile Desert (HM19UN)

Location: Youngstown, NV 14174 Churchill County
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Country: United States of America
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N 39° 56.441', W 118° 45.01'

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Inscription
The 40 Mile Desert, beginning here, is a barren stretch of waterless alkali wasteland. It was the most dreaded section of the California Emigrant Trail. If possible, it was traveled by night because of the great heat.

The route was first traveled by the Walker-Chiles Party in 1843, with the first wagon train, regardless of its horrors, it became the accepted route, as it split five miles southwest of here into the two main trails to California—the Carson River and Truckee River routes.

Starvation for men and animals stalked every mile. A survey made in 1850 showed these appalling statistics—-1,061 dead mules, almost 5,000 horses, 3,750 cattle, and 953 graves. The then value of personal property loss was set at $1,000,000.

The heaviest traffic came from 1849 to 1869. It was still used after completion of the Central Pacific Railroad in 1869.
Details
HM NumberHM19UN
Series This marker is part of the California Trail series
Tags
Marker Number26
Year Placed1970
Placed ByNevada State Park System and Churchill County Museum Committee
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Tuesday, September 16th, 2014 at 9:31am PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)11S E 350472 N 4422640
Decimal Degrees39.94068333, -118.75016667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 39° 56.441', W 118° 45.01'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds39° 56' 26.46" N, 118° 45' 0.60" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)716
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 325 Veterans Memorial Hwy, Youngstown NV 14174, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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