Lovelock tribune. (Lovelock, Nev.) 1898-1912, 1911-05-25
HAPPENINGS IN DAYS
OF EnIdRAN1
WAGONS

The Tribune, In Its Irrigation Ed
ition', ommitted an interesting BIZ
Of early history. In 1859 Marion
Howell and his father, Jesse Howell
came out from Wisconsin to Cali
forniaon the old emigrant road. thal
grant roud that had been establish
ed down the Humoldt river ten year
before
For two years the Howells freigh
Ted from Sacramento into Virgins
City. They drove the first bull
team over the six-mile canyon road
into Virginia City. They received
fifteen cents pound for freight
One of the wheelers of their team
weighed 200 pounds more than
ton and the other 21O. They were
worth $4,000.
But 1t was the return OF the Bad
ger men to the Big Meadows cOun-
try with which we, are most interes-
ted. Marion Howell was at one
time. the heaviest tax payer in Hum
boldt county. Marion Is now 73
and was 81 when he crossed the
plains. His father died at the old
Wisconsin home about 15 years ago.
Jesse Howell patented the first
ranch In Humboldt county. the prop
erty at Rye Patch, now owned by
John G. Taylor.
The Howells spent the winter OF
lS61-62 in Humboldt city. At that
time the, stage line into UniOnville
mad not been established. A man
came out on foot from Virginia city
with the mail from around the horn
and charged fifty cents letter. He
made the trip every six weeks. 'Hor
ses were scarce In those days and
feed was even more rare.
1t was In the summer of 1862
that the stage line from Virginia
City to I'ni0Hville was established.
There were three stations in the
LOveluck valley on this line. The
upper one was called Oasis" and
was situated n. ar the present Irish
American dan. where there was a
ford to the river. Emigrant trains
sometimes switched to the west
side of the lake at this point. But
the stage road kept on the east
side all the way down.
The middle station was called
Stone House. The walls show
ing the ruins of three-room struc-
ture still stand just south of the
road to Coppereid, three miles be-
low the Big Five reservoir.
The lower station situated about
where the old quartz mill stands at
the outlet of the lake was named
Murphy" The stages in those
days made seven miles an hour and
stations were close tOgather.
The first station in the valley was
not kept by Blake, the one time
blacksmith on the present townsite
OF Lovelock, but it was located at
Oasis, and was run by Cheeter
Smith and his brother Frank. Chez
ter was the telegraph operator and
name was given him by the indians
because he was such small man.
He sent the first telegraph message
out of Virginia city.
The telegraph line from Vir
einia city to. Unionyille, following
the stage road was built that sum
mer of 1862. Some of those old
poles are still standing along the
road to Spring valley. Cheeheter 5
smith was the operator at Oasis.
After wintering In Humboldt city
the Howells moved down to the
lower crossing OF the Truckee,
Wadsworth was then called, and
started ranch. One fall the
took load of cabbage into Aus
tin. Nevada and sold it for sixteen
hundred dollars. getting forty cents
a pound for the vegetable.
They also cut blue joint hay OF
the Big Meadows and sold 1t ir
Ragtown on the Carson where emi'
grants got their first wash aftel
crossing the 40-mile rdesert. The,
received $4,000 ton for the hay
For many years the Howelis con
Quoted their ranch at Rye Pate
The old Rye Patch mine was then
its prime. Back in the SOS, An
dy westfall hauled down ten tons o
ore that netted in Swansea. Vale :
twenty-five thousand dollars. Thi
was the the discovery In the mine
made by John Portland, father OF tn
Rorland boys This was about thu
time of the coming of the railroad
and 1t cost $3.50 for the car to tak'
that ten tons OF ore to San Francisc