Big Smokey Valley
Nye County, Nye County, Nevada
Marker Inscription
Big Smokey Valley. Named for its hazy distances, this valley has witnessed a parade of famous men and stirring events. The valley and its bordering Toiyabe and Toquima ranges are Shoshone territory.Jedediah Smith, intrepid trapper and trail-blazer, was the first European American in the area, crossing the valley’s southern end from the west in 1827. In 1845, John C. Frémont passed through the valley, accompanied by such figures of the American West as Kit Carson and Basil LaJeunesse.In 1859, Captain James Simpson located the “central route” across the valley’s northern end. Thus began the historic decade 1859-1869, which saw Chorpenning’s Jackass Mail, the Pony Express, the Overland Telegraph, and the Concord Coaches of the Overland Mail and Stage Co. crossing the valley.Silver strikes at Austin (1862-1863) initiated the valley’s first mining boom. Numerous bustling mining camps sprang up, including Bunker Hill, Kingston, Geneva, Santa Fe, Ophir Canyon, and Jefferson.Following the 1900 Tonopah silver strike, mining surged again. Two new towns, Manhattan and Round Mountain, started with a brief revival of many earlier camps.
Erected by Nevada State Historic Preservation Office
The Story
Named for its smoky-blue distances, Big Smokey Valley lies in Shoshone country between the Toiyabe and Toquima ranges and saw a procession of Western legends pass through. Jedediah Smith crossed in 1827 and John C. Frémont, with Kit Carson, came in 1845; by 1859 the valley carried the Jackass Mail, Pony Express, Overland Telegraph, and Overland stagecoaches. Silver strikes at Austin in the 1860s sparked its first mining boom, dotting the ranges with camps like Ophir Canyon and Jefferson. The Tonopah strike of 1900 revived the rush and gave rise to Manhattan and Round Mountain.
Why it matters
Few places gather so much of the frontier's story in one basin—exploration, mail routes, and silver booms—tracing the whole arc of how the Great Basin was crossed and settled.
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Related people
- · Jedediah Smith
- · John C. Frémont
- · Kit Carson
- · Basil LaJeunesse
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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