The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1888-04-14
NEVADA aAKss.
The Desert Regien was @nce Largely
Covered with Water FLOWING
Tn.ouuh MeatA Valley,

Some of the Nevada newspapers are
puzzling themselves about change which
they say is in progress at
PYRAMID LAKE AND ITS TWIN,
Mud Lake. 1t is said that while the for
msr is fast drying up, the latter Is rapid
" increasing in size and depth. 1t Is fur
Their said that, owing to sone mysterious
cause, 'such change takes place once in
about twenty-five years"-that 1.-THE
water 10 Mud lake rises to certain lin.
it and then lowers, while the water in
Pyramid rises, and vice versa.
There is reall y nothing mysterious about
the changes that take place in these two
lakes. Mud lake, or Winnemucca lake,
as it was one time called in honor OF the
old chief of all the Pintes, lies on the east
side of Pyramid lake, with which it runs
parallel, and from which it is separated
by but single mouutain ridge OF whitlsh
rock and sand. 1t is nearly twenty miles
long and FIVE or six miles wide. On the
east side of the lake stands mountain
ridge similar to that which separates it
from Pyramid lake, but much higher.
The lake therefore rests 10 a sort of trough
between two ranges of hills. The surface
| of the water IN Mud lake is nearly forty
feet lower than in Pyramid, though the
| turn lakea lie On near taDefher
At some PERIOD in past ages Mud lake
was much larger than at present. This
is TO be seen by the old water lines worn
deep into the slopes OF the two hills be-
tween which it lies. The Indians say
that less than . generation ago the lake
/ was more chan twice az long and much
wider and deeper than at present. There
| can be no doubt that there was time
| when the water in the two lakes stood at
the same level, but RATS OF timber drift
| wood frcm the Sisrra) lodged in that
| branch of the mouth of the Truckee river
by which Mud lake was fed, and damned
the stream, thus turning the main flow Of
| the river into the shorter branch, which
| empties into Pyramid. These old RATS
| are still to be seen IN several places in
| that branch of the TrucEee which emptiea
into Mud lake. They reach frosa bank
to bank, and the tops of them stand high
and dry above water. The drifting sand
hsa sNE s%S
them. Across these lead Indian pony
| trails, and all the old drifts serve as
bridges <or footmen.
A few years ago raft formed 10 that
branch of the Truckee which feeds Pyra-
| mid lake. This raft damned the river
for a long distance above. The pressure
was so great Oh the RATS In the Mud lake
branch that they were lifted from their
| ancient beds and the water found way
under them, where il still runs. though
tho raft in the Pyramid branch was long
| since removed by the Indians. and the
/ great body OF water again turned into
Pyramid lake. Though the driftwo0d III
the PYRAMID branch was removed. the
drifts or RATS in the other branch did nat
settle back into their old beds fhe
water still runs under them, and doubt.
less with a gradually increasing channel
Mud lake is now about eight miles longer
than formerly and proportionately broad
| or. Were the RATS wholly removed, Mud
Lake would undoubtedly fill Up to the
level OF Pyramid, or some forty feet high.
or than now. Mud lake is a misnomer.
The waters Of the lake are clear and
bright. 1t was called Mud lake on &C.
coant of its fiat and miry shores, years
| $50 when there was much less water in it
than at present. The greater part of the
old muddy beach is now covered with
water to depth of several feet.
DUCK LAKE
Near the lakes named is a smaller BODY
| of water called Duck lake. 1t lies on the
north side of the Pyramid branch of the
Truckee river. aud west of the upper por.
ton or head OF Pyramid lake. 1t is only
separated from Pyramid by a low ridge
or hill of sand Duck lake is circular In
form, and has neither inlet nor outlet.
1T Is place OF refuge tor ducks, geese