It was nicknamed the Loneliest Road in America by Life Magazine in 1986.
A roughly 410 mile stretch of U.S. Route 50 that traverses central Nevada's barren desert
valleys from Baker in the east to Lake Tahoe in the west.
But despite its dreary nickname, the route actually plays a pivotal role in the history
of Westward Expansion in the United States.
To understand why, we'll need to wind the clock back over two centuries ago.
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The year was 1803 and the United States was still in its infancy as a collection of 16
states and 3 territories.
Napoleon was not quite officially the Emperor of France yet, but rather the "First Consul
of the French Republic."
Faced with economic challenges from a slave revolution in Haiti and an impending war with
Great Britain, Napoleon decided to sell the Louisiana Territory to the United States at
a total cost of $15,000,000 to bolster his coffers - a whopping 3 cents per acre.
By May of 1803, the U.S. had added 13 states worth of territories, which is considered
the largest land acquisition in its history to date.
Soon enough, westward-bound settlers fueled by a belief in "manifest destiny" and a Gold
Rush began pouring into the new American West.
As the new western territories began to experience rapid population booms during the course of
the 19th century, the need arose for a speedy mail route to the Pacific coast.
The Central Overland California and Pikes Peak Express Company, or the "Pony Express"
as it was colloquially referred to, was a rapid mail service that operated from April
1860 to October 1861.
Despite its brief 1-year existence it still managed to solidify its place in history as
an icon of Westward Expansion, thanks in part to one of its famous 15-year-old riders; William
"Buffalo Bill" Cody.
The 1,900-mile Pony Express route which stretched from St. Joseph, Missouri to its western terminus
in Sacramento, California included 186 outposts that were roughly 10 miles apart.
Expert horseback riders under 18 years of age, equipped with just a small mail pouch,
would ride to a station, change to a fresh horse, and then continue on to the next station.
This endeavor earned riders $100 per month in pay - nearly triple what an unskilled laborer
made during the same time.
There were 34 stations along the Nevada portion of the route, all of which closely parallel
U.S. Route 50 today.
The Pony Express officially ceased operations on October 26, 1861 following the completion
of the transcontinental telegraph just two days prior.
What once took upwards of 14 days now took only a matter of minutes to send messages
from coast to coast.
When I took a drive on Route 50, I imagined that much of the surrounding landscape looked
quite the same as it did to the Pony Express riders of a century and a half ago.
Long empty stretches of flat desert road were occasionally broken up by winding mountain
passes that must have been challenging for those young horseback riders in the snowy
winter months.
Our first stop along the route was roughly 40 miles east of Carson City at Fort Churchill
State Historic Park.
Up until 1869, Fort Churchill served as a United States Army fort and Pony Express waystation.
It was considered a luxurious post among soldiers and served as an important supply station
for the Union Army during the Civil War until it was abandoned in 1869.
Today, the remains of Fort Churchill are preserved by the Nevada Division of State Parks.
Our second stop brought us to the remains of Sand Springs Station; roughly 27 miles
east of the city of Fallon.
Located in one of the more desolate sections of the Pony Express route, Sand Springs offered
a much-needed respite for weary riders.
On top of its volcanic rock foundation sat a stable, storage shed, kitchen, corral and
small living room.
English explorer Sir Richard Burton had some colorful words to say about the conditions
of Sand Springs when he visited, noting that, "the water near this vile hole was thick and
stale with sulphury salts...filthy and squalid."
Between the cities of Fallon and Austin sat our third stop - Cold Springs Station.
A small wooden structure offering information about the station stands in a small parking
lot directly off of the highway, but the remains of Cold Springs Station are situated two miles
east in Cold Springs Canyon and are only accessible by hiking trail.
Due to its remote location, it is considered one of the best-preserved Pony Express Stations.
Its thick, 4 to 6 feet tall rock walls were equipped with gun ports which helped fortify
the station against Indian attacks.
While driving through the small town of Austin, Nevada, I noticed what appeared to be a castle
up in the mountains.
We took a drive up a narrow snow-covered road which sure enough lead to the remains of Stokes
Castle.
Built by wealthy mine developer and railroad magnate Anson Phelps Stokes in 1897, the castle
served as summer home for the Stokes family.
Today the castle is maintained by the Austin Historical Society.
Once we reached the town of Ely, Nevada, we took an hour drive east to the beautiful Great
Basin National Park.
On the eastern side of the park, you will find the Lehaman Caves Visitor Center which
offer daily tours of a well preserved and maintained network of caves.
Discovered by Absalom Lehman in 1885, the Lehman caves feature numerous caverns of limestone
stalactites and stalagmites that began forming nearly 550 million years ago.
In the Inscription Room, you will find graffiti dating back to the late 1800s.
During this time, daring adventurists would burn their names or initials onto the cave
ceiling using the candles that lit their way through the tunnels.
At the height of the Cold War in 1965, the Hudson Institute produced a report for the
Office of Civil Defense titled "An Evaluation of the Shelter Potential in Mines, Caves,
And Tunnels."
The report identified the Lehman Caves as a potential natural nuclear fall-out shelter
capable of housing up to 3,329 people.
Its fortunate they never had to be used for this purpose as modern geology has shown that
it would have been a terrible idea.
The natural structure of the cave would have biomagnified the effects of radiation and,
with only one way in and one way out, the caves would have surely been a death trap
for over 3,000 poor souls.
While intended as a pejorative term by Life Magazine, the Loneliest Road in America is
actually one of the more scenic highways I've traveled on.
Starting out in Carson City, I traveled eastward through Central Nevada, taking in all the
beautiful sights from the desert valleys to the snow-tipped mountains.
Along the way, I learned that the highway holds the key to unlocking a story of America's
not-too-distant past.
Before you go, I'd love to hear from you.
Let me know some of your favorite scenic drives in the U.S in the comments down below.
Thanks for tuning in and remember to Never Stop Exploring!