A Wagon Crossing

Winnemucca....the only town named after a Native American in the state of Nevada. Have you ever thought about how they name towns? Winnemucca was actually once called French Ford. It began as a wagon crossing on the Humboldt River. Pioneers saw this country when it was virtually untouched. But, has it really transformed that much?

There is something said for wide open spaces, as far as the eye can see. A certain holiness may overwhelm the novice traveler. Dusty roads lay across the vast desert. If you venture down one of these unkept paths, you may find deep trenches from tires that cut through what was once moist earth. It appears like jagged knives had cut through the hard earth to expose what lay beneath. Nothing but hardpan. During the heat of the summer, the region's large alkali flats seem dry and virtually unlivable. If you choose to wander from the trail, you may find secret canyons full of life and beauty tucked among the mountains. Most never find this beauty. They are too set on moving forward and not risking wasted time. This land has many seasons, which bring many changes in the scenery. Winter can bring delicate white blankets of snow, covering the landscape in pristine brilliance. Spring brightens the landscape with wildflowers growing amongst the sagebrush and rocks. But the summer...it is hot and dry. Not until you experience the full cycle, do you understand that the barren season only strengthens appreciation for the rain, the water....the green valleys....the fragile buds of spring.

The journey across the high deserts of the West soon leads to a river. The Humboldt River. This river is the curviest river in North America, snaking back and forth between the shores. A river that you cannot follow, that must eventually be crossed. The place called French Ford sprung up at a crossing.

Can you imagine what this landscape looked like to the pioneers? Most likely a lot like it does today. Only it was viewed at a slower pace.