Lahontan We Visited: 6-23-2001
39° 28' 18"N, 119° 04' 01"W - LAHONTAN DAM quad

Directions: Take US 95 to the junction of US 50, go 8 miles, almost directly across from entrance to dam- look for the tall standing chimney.

From Fallon: 18 miles

What Was

Lahontan spawned from the Bureau of Reclamation's Lahontan Dam project in 1911. Rather than commute from Fallon, workers stayed here, and in another camp to the south. Mostly tar-paper shacks and tents, the dam supervisor and the power house supervisor got the homes with the fireplaces. There was a bunkhouse and a mess hall; the large round structure is reported the mess hall bread-baking oven.

Post Office: Nov 1911 - May 1916

Newspaper: None

What is

This is another one of those places that I passed by all my life, never knowing it was there. I was struck by the number of cans that littered the site, and how close it was to the highway, which you can see from one of the pictures.

As far as structures go, there are these two chimneys, some concrete pads, holes, and some rubble. One of the chimneys is toppled, but the other remains standing. They are fences off, which is a good thing, because they look like they would hurt if they landed on you.
Many of the cans around the site are flattened, probably by vehicles driving over them. I'm sure everyone that lived here smoked, because it seemed like tobacco cans were everywhere. I located these two specimens after a little searching.
A view of Lahontan in 1911, showing one of the buildings under construction.
(Courtesy Churchill County Museum)
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