As long ago as 12,000BCE, small family clans of hunter -gatherers
inhabited the Sandy Valley. The valley was then a lush and fertile
zone at the southern edge of the prehistoric Lake Lahotian, an ancient
freshwater sea that covered much of what is today Nevada and Utah.
Just over the ridges to the west of the Ranch was Lake Manly, which
covered much of what is now Death Valley. These lakes, and other
smaller lakes and rivers in the area, provided abundant fish; and
the region was rich in woolly mammoth, giant bison and equally giant
ground sloths, and other now extinct ice age game animals.
These first settlers left behind few clues as to their lives.
We are fortunate, however, to have numerous petroglyphs ("rock etchings")
in the area. Some of the best of these are found the Valley of Fire
State Park just outside of Las Vegas. And projectile points
("arrowheads") are relatively common in the Sandy Valley. When
you visit you might well find a few. Do take a look and consider
the remarkable skill many reveal. But do please leave
them "in-situ" -- which is to say exactly where you found them.
For we at the ranch cherish our history, and work hard to see that
any historical relics are available unscathed to the many archaeologists
and other researchers who come to the Ranch and the valley for their
studies.
On that note, those new to aboriginal archaeology are often surprised
to learn that while most of us associate improvements in technology
and craftsmanship with more recent works, the most technically advanced
and skillfully crafted (as well as beautiful) projectile points in
the American West usually prove to be the most ancient The reason
is interesting: Paleolithic hunters had not yet developed the
bow and arrow or the atlatl (pronounced ‘at-ah-lyle’ -- a stick used
to propel a small spear) but still had to contend with some very large
and very dangerous prey. As such they needed large points for
their spears, ones that were large enough to mortally wound, say,
a woolly mammoth, sharp enough to pierce their extremely thick hide
and hair, and durable enough not to shatter while doing so.
After the ice age, and with it the extinction of such huge creatures
as the saber-toothed tiger, giant ground sloth, and mastodon, aboriginal
peoples survived by hunting the same game animals seen in the Sandy
Valley today -- animals such as Blacktail and Mule Deer, Pronghorn
Antelope, and Desert Bighorn Sheep. These species are both smaller
and faster then the mammoths, mastodons, and giant sloths hunted before
and during the ice age, and the tribal people of the area quickly
and successfully adapted to hunting them. First, around 8000
BCE, they developed the atlatl -- essentially a three or four
foot stick carved like a large crochet needle that enabled a hunter
to place a small spear in the hook at the far end and then throw the
spear with the markedly increased speed gained by the lever action
of this device. Later still, at around 6000 BCE, these tribal
people developed the bow, which allowed them the launch and even smaller
spear (i.e., an arrow) at still greater speeds and over greater distances.
So while hunting mammoths and the like required spears of enormous
strength (likely the size of 2x4" boards) with very large, very sharp,
and very strong stone points, later hunting of game animals like those
we see today required smaller spears or arrows thrown at greater distances.
As such atlatl spear points are smaller and, as modern prey required,
less robust and sharp. And the enormous increase in projectile
velocity offered by the bow required still less of the projectile
point. For this reason, arrowheads are the smallest and least
crafted aboriginal projectile point found in the Great Basin of the
American west. All that is required of an arrowhead is that
it keep the wooden shaft of the arrow from splitting.
And the tribal people of North America are nothing if not efficient,
for their very existence depends on it. They don't waste time
crafting "artistic" projectile points when any-ole' sharp rock will
do. You'd be surprised how many arrowheads "airheads" often
scoop out of the way as they root for "arrowheads".
We hope you will enjoy considering this, as we do, when you come upon
projectile points here on the Ranch; and in that better appreciate
and enjoy any you might see. And, we hope, better recognize
the importance of leaving these remarkable artifacts where you find
them and in the condition you find them.
The Modern Native American Tribes
With the end of the last ice age, about 8500 years ago, the land of
the Great Basin became drier -- drastically so. Over thousands
of years the water level of the Lake Lahotian dropped dramatically
as weather patterns changed and little rain or snow fell to replenish
it. Over time the once enormous Lake Lahotian essentially
just evaporated -- leaving behind large flats of silt and salt carried
centuries before when rain and snow melt scoured the surrounding granite
ranges of the Sierras Nevadas to the west and the Rocky Mountains
to the east. That, and a handful of far smaller lakes.
The Bonneville Flats just west of Salt Lake City and the Black Rock
Playa in north-western Nevada are the largest of these salt flats.
Pyramid and Walker lakes in Nevada, and the Great Salt Lake in Utah
are the largest and best known of these Lake Lahotian relics.
As Lake Lahotian essentially evaporated, all of the salts and minerals
in what had been a freshwater lake concentrated dramatically.
As a result, the relic lakes of the Great Basin region once covered
by Lake Lahotian have extremely high levels of salt and minerals --
the Great Salt Lake is saltier than ocean water. And while Utah's
Great Salt Lake has no extent fish, the less saline Walker and Pyramid
lakes, along with a few scattered smaller lakes, are inhabited by
a hardy and beautiful species of trout known as Lahotian Cutthroats.
These extremely specialized trout have adapted to live in the highly
alkaline (‘salty’) broth left behind as Lake Lahotian evaporated into
memory, and have rightly been named the Nevada state fish.
In order to best adapt to the changing environment, the hunter gatherer
clans collected into larger groups after the close of the last ice
age, forming the basis of what are today's Native American tribal
groups. The larger Las Vegas valley was the home
of the Paiute (pronounced ‘pie-hute’) tribal group. The Sandy
Valley area to the west of the Las Vegas valley is especially interesting
as it formed a common border area between the Paiutes who became skilled
specialists at surviving in the desert environment, and the Shoshone
(pronounced ‘show-show-nee’) tribe, a tribe that became specialized
in the demands of living in foothills of the high alpine mountains
to the west and north. Many tribal people, especially Paiutes,
still reside in and near the Sandy Valley.
The Spanish Conquistadors
The earliest europeans in the Americas, the Spanish Conquistadors,
traveled near if not through the Sandy and Las Vegas valleys as they
followed the Colorado River north from Mexico.
The Las Vegas valley, meaning "The Meadows" in Spanish, was first
named in December of 1829 by Rafael Rivera, an eighteen year old Mexican
scout associated with the Antonio Armijo Trading Caravan out of Abiquiu,
New Mexico. The Armijo party was attempting to discover a new trade
route from Santa Fe to Los Angeles. Rivera's discovery resulted
in the "missing link" in what came to be known as the "Old Spanish
Trail" which was used quite extensively as a trade route until 1850.
At the time of Rivera's discovery, the territory of Nevada was still
a part of Mexico. On February 2, 1848, as a result of the Treaty of
Guadeloupe Hidalgo, Mexico ceded to the United States present day
Nevada, Utah, California, Arizona, western Colorado and New Mexico
for the sum of $15 Million. Quite a deal.
Members of the Church of Latter Day Saints ("Mormons"), head-quartered
in Salt Lake City, played a central role in the history of the Sandy
and Las Vegas valleys. They first settled in the area in 1855,
building a large adobe structure later called the "Mormon Fort" in
a spot that is now mid town Las Vegas. Though abandoned in 1858,
a portion of this structure can still be visited near the intersection
of Las Vegas Boulevard North and Washington Avenue.
A Paiute Vaquero
Buckaroos, Vaqueros, and Cowpunchers
In the Great Basin range cattle industry, the Spanish and Mexican
"vaqueros" came first. In the Spanish colonial days, most vaqueros
worked for hide and tallow companies in California. Later, as
anglo ranches and herds were being built up, the european and american
pioneers employed vaqueros, and largely adopted the vaquero traditions
of horsemanship, equipment, and language. The legacy of expertise
imparted by the old-time vaqueros lives on in the Sandy Valley, in
the riatas and horse gear made by traditional "rawhiders" and the
hispanic style center fired saddles with "taps" covering the stirrups
that are still used by some local ranch hands.
By the time of Nevada's statehood in 1864, the cattle industry was
just starting up. The 1864 state seal showed hard rock mining,
and later added a steam locomotive and a railroad trestle. But
with the gold rush in California and the silver rush (the Comstock
Lode) in Northern Nevada, many a frustrated miner saw that there might
be a better and more permanent life to be had in selling cattle to
miners than in being a miner. Nearby mining ghost towns -- like
those at Goodsprings and Potosi just a few miles north of us on Hwy
160 suggest that these folk got it right.
The mining ghost town at Goodsprings
Starting in the late 1870s, such "enlightened" prospectors began to
establish the first ranches in the Sandy and surrounding valleys.
Alongside these largely european and african-american cattleman (buckaroos)
and an almost equal number of hispanic cattle and sheep herders (vaqueros),
some local mining and, later, railroad companies brought in Basque
sheepherders, famous for their skill in maintaining flocks in harsh
mountainous country, to both feed their employees and add income from
their often enormous holdings of open land. Later the ever growing
mixing pot of the Sandy and other nearby valleys came to include Paiute
and Shoshone tribal men and women who worked on ranches as buckaroos,
hands, and cooks. The resultant linguistic mix is said to have
been "quite puzzling and often hilarious" by the eldest among the
local settler families.
The three terms -- vaquero, buckaroo, and cowboy -- all mean the same
thing. The term of preference in the early days in Nevada was vaquero,
and the preferred word today is usually buckaroo. Most locals believe
that the term buckaroo derives from a rough mispronunciation of the
spanish word vaquero.
The Spanish style and custom of working cattle spread into Nevada,
and can still be seen in the local traditions. This style involved
letting cattle range largely wild and untended over large areas of
open range, then sending out crews to "round 'em up" in the fall.
The roundup crew typically was followed by a "chuck wagon" drawn by
up to eight horses, which would feed the men and carry their small
bundles of personal gear as they ranged over hundreds of miles gathering
the herds.
Las Vegas Finally Gets On The Map
During his second long exploration of 1842-43, John Fremont led his
famous government mapping expedition into the Las Vegas valley and
camped at the Las Vegas Springs just north of what is now the city
of Las Vegas. Fremont called the massive continental trough
spreading from the Rockies to the Sierras "the Great Basin," its most
common name today. And Fremont's name can still be seen throughout
present day Las Vegas, as on the Fremont Hotel-Casino and Fremont
Street.
A dozen years passed before anyone other than the indigenous tribal
peoples settled for more than a night or two in the Las Vegas valley.
But then in 1885 a group of Mormons settlers building a large adobe
building close to what is now the famous Las Vegas "Strip".
Though they abandoned this structure in 1858, a portion of their "Mormon
Fort" can still be visited near the intersection of Las Vegas Boulevard
North and Washington Avenue. Members of the Mormon (or more properly,
Church of Latter Day Saints) played a central role in the development
of early Las Vegas, and still compose 12 percent of the southern Nevada
population.
The Las Vegas valley remained sparsely settled, until work on the
first railroad route through the southern part of Nevada began in
1904. The tiny settlement at Las Vegas was used as a staging
area and depot for work on the railroad. At first it was little
more then a cluster of tents and heaps of materials, but with the
arrival of the construction crews head-quartered there saloons, stores
and hotels (likely in that order) quickly sprang up. Soon thereafter,
on May 15, 1905, the city of Las Vegas was officially founded;
and The Union Pacific Railroad auctioned off 1,200 lots in the area
which is today called "Glitter Gulch", in central Las Vegas.
Beginning in October of 1910, gambling was declared illegal in Nevada
and throughout the western United States. But given the history
of cowboys risking their monthly stake "to shoot for the moon" underground
games quickly appeared in bars and clubs throughout rural Nevada,
and while illegal they were largely ignored by local authorities.
In 1930 a local rancher by the name of Phil Tobin fought the battle
to legalize gambling in Nevada in order to raise money for public
schools, which were hard hit by the Depression years. And Phil
won. The Nevada legislature passed Assembly Bill 98, which came
to be commonly known as the "Wide Open Gambling Bill." Today,
more than 43 percent of the state general fund is fed by tax revenue.
But Las Vegas still remained largely a small, sleepy cattle town.
In 1931 construction of the nearby Hoover Dam began on the Colorado
River. This brought more than 5,000 jobs and supporting a boom
that enabled the young town of Las Vegas to survive the Depression.
Then during World War II, the sprawling Nellis Air Force Base was
established nearby. And in response to the influx of military
personal the first major resort, the El Rancho Vegas-Hotel Casino,
was built 1941 on the two-lane highway that ran through Las Vegas.
This stretch of road evolved into the famous Las Vegas Strip.
It was during this period of infancy that Tom Mix, a famous movie
cowboy of the day, prophesied that Las Vegas would one day become
the "Entertainment Capital of the World."
Soon after, the colorful Bugsy Seigel inspired his, uh, friends to
build the Flamingo Hotel. Other casinos followed quickly during
the boom of the 1940s and 1950s, including now famous resorts like
the Desert Inn, Sands, Riviera, Tropicana and Stardust. Entertainers
were booked to entertain the growing crowds in casino showrooms.
Later, stage spectaculars became popular, beginning with the Lido
de Paris at the Stardust and Minsky's Follies. In 1957, the
first topless dancers were introduced on the strip. In the 1960s,
slot machines were first used in Las Vegas, beginning with penny and
nickel slots and eventually evolving into the multiple token slot
machines used today. The popular video poker machines were introduced
in the '70s.
The latest trend in Las Vegas is the mega-resort, beginning in 1989
with construction of the $600 million dollar Mirage Hotel-Casino.
In 1990, The Excalibur was built, featuring over 4,000 rooms and a
medieval theme. Nearby Excalibur is the pyramid shaped Luxor
which was built at a cost of over $350 million dollars. The
MGM Grand Hotel & Theme Park opened in December of 1993 and boasted
over 5,000 rooms and a $1 billion dollar price tag. Even this
behemoth was soon challenged by other mega-resorts including the Monte
Carlo (3,000 rooms), the 1,142 foot high Stratosphere Tower (2,500
rooms) New York, New York (2,159 rooms) and Bellagio (3,000 rooms)
which is touted as the most luxurious hotel ever built in the world.
Today Las Vegas is home to all 10 of the 10 largest hotels in the
U.S. and 14 of the 20 largest resort hotels in the world. As
a result, the range of options available to visitors is simply staggering.
Ah, but fear not. There is still plenty of wild and open range
for you to ride and roam free in. For federal agencies still
own and manage 87 percent of all the land in Nevada.
Resources For Further Investigation:
The First 100: Portraits of Men and Women who
shaped Las Vegas, A.D. Hopkins, 2000. The Boss Lady's parents, Maxwell
and Laura Belle Kelch, are profiled, so you know that Sandy Valley
Ranch has deep roots in this area. Other notables from Howard Hughes
and Bennie "Bugsy" Seagal to the more recent Steve Wynn and Kirk Kerkorian
are also included in the top 100.
History of Nevada, Russell Elliott, 1987. Information
on the landscape, prehistoric inhabitants, native Americans,
explorers, and settlers.
Nevada: Ghost Towns and Mining Camps, Stanley Paher, 1993. Descriptions
and histories of nearly 600 ghost towns, many nearby.
Comstock Women: The Making of a Mining Community,
ed. James & Raymond, 1997: An excellent collection of essays
and stories about the essential roles of women in the settlement of
southwestern Nevada.
The Cowboy Life: A Saddlebag Guide for Dudes, Tenderfeet, and Cow
Punchers Everywhere, Michele Morris, 1993. Certainly not required
reading for our ranch guests (hey, that's why we're here!), but nonetheless
an entertaining introduction for those new to ranch life. Includes
some basic ranch cookin' recipes (ask Big Tony for some real winners)
and peppered with useful tips like "don't squat with your spurs
on" -- some quality thinking there.
Cadillac Desert : The American West and the Politics of Water, Mark
Reisner, 1993:
Reisner is an outstanding researcher and an even better writer, and
in this Pulitzer Prize winner he comes at the history of the southwest
via its precious water. A delicious bed side read as it is broken
into short histories that stand alone well yet in weave together into
a profound understanding of why we grew as we did. Not specifically
about the Sandy Valley area per-se, but boy do its tales surround
us -- from Powell's harrowing float down the then unexplored Colorado
River just to the east of us to the hijunks of that cabal of Los Angeles
land barons who harnessed a crazy irishman named Mulholland
(the great-great uncle of one of our staff, in fact) to move all the
water from the the Owens River Valley just north-east of us to Los
Angeles to the west. Net result, the Owens Valley that was once
such a verdant oasis that plum trees grew everywhere and the local
Piute people called it "Paradise" was turned into dust, and the dust
that was once the Los Angeles basin became, well...
