The Wilson Creek Range
and Northern Lincoln County, Nevada

The Wilsons appear to be a relatively non-descript range reaching modest heights in northern Lincoln County, Nevada. Running in a north-south direction like most of Nevada's ranges, and not adjacent to to any sizeable communities or highways, this range is easy to overlook. However, its interior is a prime example of the "desert islands" that dot the Great Basin. Surrounded by dry basins on all sides, the Wilsons are remarkably verdant and forested. A number of tiny springs form creeks that flow off the range, mostly to the southeast, into the historic Spring Valley, Eagle Valley Recreation Area and through the community of Ursine.

View east from top of Wilson Creek Range

The higher elevations of the Wilson Creek Range are heavily forested and very green. You'd never guess you were in the middle of the desert.

Send Ryan an email and tell him to get help.

To the northeast of the Wilson Creek Range--between Burbank, Utah and Atlanta, Nevada, are a number of remnants from a once-livelier place. This spot is located at the base of the Limestone Hills.

This badger was lying in the road. We weren't certain it was dead until we rolled down the windows and took a whiff. Ryan thought it smelled like kjarn. After looking at the claws, we were glad it was dead.

As we began our ascent into the Wilsons, we drove through the town of Atlanta (a big disappointment for anyone in search of ghost towns). We stopped at Silver Park nearby and found a few interesting remains, but not a lot. This is obviously some sort of pulley motor used in mining operation. Anyone with some historical detail about Silver Park and Atlanta, please fill us in.

This Cemetery is on the east side of the road after crossing the Wilsons going south toward Eagle Valley Reservoir and Ursine. It's well worth a stop. It may give you some idea of how difficult life was for the early settlers of this area.

Continuing south from the Cemetery, the terrain changes drastically.

This is a cabin built in 1870 by early settlers. A number of others (in varying states of decay) fill the valley. The Nevada State Parks people offer tours of this restored relic.

Eagle Valley Reservoir sits south of the cabins (above) and north of the town of Ursine. Ursine's residential area is quite charming--old farm houses, green fields, tall cottonwoods, etc. The "business district", however, is an unsightly collection of campers and trailers--not much more.

This house is in the tiny community of Rose Valley, south of Ursine on the way to Echo Canyon Reservoir.

Rattlesnakes are fairly common to all parts of the Great Basin. This one spared our lives because we spared his by not running over him. It was a cool day, and the snake was not able to react very quickly--otherwise we would have stayed in the truck.

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