The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1919-02-27
SINGULAR RIVERS,
DECEPTIVE LAKES
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yabee range of mountains; it is a bold
stream for 100 miles, after which 1t
dwindles to a feeble rivulet, and 40
miles further on vanishes entirely in a
tule marsh. Rising as it does near
the center of the State, this river. like
the bitter Amargosa. has a singular
habit of first flowing underground and
then on the surface, and finally emp
ties nowhere in particular"
II the stream chose to follow up its
natural channel it would be led into
the Humboldt, but after generously
dispensing moisture to the numerous
valley ranches along its course and
diving down and bobbing up at certain
intervals, its volume becomes so weak
and sluggish that it finally spreads
out into a mud fat, or dry sink" and
is gone.
The Rio Virgin is a river SO named
by the Spanish explorers who were
first to discover its pure, sparkling.
cold water. in striking contrast to the
dreary desert region through which
ii flows.
After wandering about for miles
wei the southern plains. what is left
of il fnds it way into Colorado river,
which stream forms a part of the
southern boundary OF Nevada. Quinn
river rises in the northern part of the
State and flows for eighty miles south
ward through the fertile Quinn valley.
Here its waters transform an i'm
mense area of valley lands into rich
grazing meadows. when suddenly
wheeling westward, the river loses
itself completely in a mud sinh" ON
BLACK Rock Desert"
Much of Nevada's surface is COM
monty called desert waste land" yet
when these arid s1gebrust plains are
touched by the life-giviug water, the
result is beautiful ranches that pro-
duce bountiful crops Water is such
a valuable commodity in Nevada that
her numerous streams remain at
home. where their contents are most
neded-all save one.
The Owyhee is the only Nevada
river that appears to possess a NIL
gratory tendency. for it is the n
stream in the entire big State whose
waters find their way to the ocean.
Rising in the northeastern corner of
the State, it flows north into Idaho,
where it becomes a tributary of the
Snake river. By that route its waters
soon mingle with those of the Column
bia, and together they roll serenely
on to the great Pacific ocean.
Among her o or more OF
only two in Nevada are ~navigable,
Pyramid and Walker. Most of the
others are only large and shallow
marshes. These deceptive lakes, scat
tered about over the State. are the
goal for numerous rivers and creeks,
and are high or low. just as the
| streams are at different seasons
their depths being determined by the
quantity of now that has fallen on
the mountains and melted.
And, strange to relate. while there
are so many rills and rivulets leading
into each of these cavities in the earth
not one of the lakes in Nevada has a
single visible outlet. and there APP
pears to be no possible way for the
water to escape save through evapo-
ration and absorption. Into a few
of the larger lakes water is constantly
flowing; none is ever seen to flow out
of them. and yet they remain always
level full, never receding nor over
flowing. Just what disposition they
make of their surplus is a question
yet unsolved.
Lake Tahoe is only partially in Ne
vada; during the summer season the
towns that skirt its shores are always
thronged with visitors.
Pyramid lake. the largest lake
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