Near Beowawe in Eureka County, Nevada — The American Mountains (Southwest)

The Cattle Industry

Photographed By Alvis Hendley, August 5, 2010

1. The Cattle Industry Marker

Inscription. The numerous valleys of Nevada have supported a vigorous cattle industry since the 1850's. Beginning in the western part of the state, cattlemen ranged their herds throughout northern Nevada by the 1870's. The completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 was the catalyst that created a prosperous industry. Longhorns from Texas were driven to fertile valleys for feeding, then shipped as far as Omaha and San Francisco to market.

As the mining booms subsided, Nevada's ranches kept the state alive in the late 19th century. Improvements in breeding stock and winter feeding helped build vast ranching empires for hard working stockmen. Today, more than 90 per cent of Nevada's crop land is devoted to feed for cattle. For more than a century, Nevada has been a principal food producer for the nation.

Erected by Nevada State Park System. (Marker Number 187.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Industry & Commerce. In addition, it is included in the California Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1869.

Location. 40° 40.813′ N, 116° 28.439′ W. Marker is near Beowawe, Nevada, in Eureka County. Marker can be reached from Interstate 80, 11.8 miles west of Nevada Route

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306, on the right when traveling west. The marker is in the Beowawe I-80 Westbound Rest Area. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Crescent Valley NV 89821, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 7 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Hot, Dusty and Tattered (within shouting distance of this marker); Argenta Station (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Gravely Ford (approx. 0.3 miles away); A Tale of Two Highways (approx. 0.3 miles away); About Your Journey ... (approx. 0.3 miles away); Beowawe Geysers (approx. 0.3 miles away); California Trail - 1841 Route (approx. 5.1 miles away).

More about this marker.

Beowawe Rest Area

Beowawe is a ghost town on State Route 306 south of Interstate 80. The name is derived from the Paiute word for gate.

Beowawe was founded in 1868 with the arrival of the railroad and grew to a population of sixty in 1881. In 1909 a power plant was built but the boom had ended by 1916 and many of the residents had moved on.

The Beowawe Rest Area is an oasis on westbound I-80 more than fifty miles from the nearest town, Elko, Nevada. Like many of the rest areas on the California Trail, it offers interpretive displays of the history and geography of the region.

In Nevada, I-80 parallels the Truckee River and the Humboldt River and follows the historical

Photographed By Alvis Hendley, August 5, 2010

2. The Cattle Industry Marker

routes of the California Trail and the first transcontinental railroad. I-80 incorporated and replaced sections of the Victory Highway, Nevada State Route 1, and U.S. Route 40.

California Trail Marker in the Rest Area image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Alvis Hendley, August 5, 2010

3. California Trail Marker in the Rest Area

View to the South from the Rest Area image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Alvis Hendley, August 5, 2010

4. View to the South from the Rest Area

The trees are on the Humboldt River.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 10, 2020. It was originally submitted on May 10, 2020, by Alvis Hendley of San Francisco, California. This page has been viewed 157 times since then and 23 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 10, 2020, by Alvis Hendley of San Francisco, California. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.