High Rock Canyon
Washoe County, Washoe County, Nevada
Marker Inscription
High Rock Canyon. This Marker has been removedThe presence of man from 3,000 B.C. to the gold-rush days is recorded on high canyon walls. Prehistoric man left his rockshelters, campsites, and petroglyphs in this historically rich, remote, volcanic area.Northern Paiute Indians roamed these lands when John C. Fremont first journeyed through high rock canyon in 1843. The Applegate brothers blazed their trail from Oregon through the canyon to the Humboldt River in 1846. Peter Lassen partially followed this route in 1848, and gold seekers crowded the trail in 1849.STATE HISTORIC
Erected by Cal Neva R.C. & D. Project
The Story
High Rock Canyon holds a record of human presence stretching from around 3,000 B.C. to the gold rush, written on its towering volcanic walls in rockshelters, campsites, and petroglyphs. Northern Paiute people ranged this remote country when John C. Frémont passed through in 1843. Soon after, the Applegate brothers blazed an emigrant trail through the canyon in 1846, Peter Lassen followed part of the route in 1848, and by 1849 gold seekers crowded the narrow passage westward.
Why it matters
The canyon layers thousands of years of Native life beneath the ruts of the overland trails, capturing the moment the ancient West gave way to the migrations of American expansion.
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Related people
- · John C. Frémont
- · Peter Lassen
Related events
- · California Gold Rush
Themes & tags
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