Sand Mountain

Sand Mountain. . , Sand Mountain, dominating the Salt Wells Basin, is a prominent landmark in Nevada's early history. The Northern Piute know it as Kwazi, the name of the snake that inhabits the dune, its backbone forming the crest of the mountain. Captain James H. Simpson of the Army Corp of Topographical Engineers surveyed the Central Overland Wagon Road through here in 1859. The following year, the Pony Express followed Simpson's alignment and the Sand Springs Pony Express Station was established less than a mile to the northwest. Sir Richard Burton visited the station in 1860, marveling at the "hourglass" shape of the dune. The station, abandoned and covered by a dune, was re-exposed in 1976 by archaeologists investigating life at the station.