Moapa Valley in Clark County, Nevada — The American Mountains (Southwest)

The Old Spanish Trail

The Journey of the Dead Man

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, April 18, 2026

1. The Old Spanish Trail Marker

Inscription.
Early Spanish traders named the fifty-five miles separating Las Vegas and the Muddy River the Jornada del Meuerto (Journey of the The Dead Man). This longest stretch without water along the Old Spanish Trail was littered with skeletons of animals and parts of wagons abandoned along the sandy desert. Most experiences travelers made the trip at night.

John C. Fremont crossed the Jornada in 1844 and commented "We ate the barrel cactus and moistened our mouths with the acid of the sour dock. Hourly expecting the find water, we continued to press on to midnight, when after a hard and uninterrupted march of 16 hours, our wild mules began running ahead; and in a mile or two we came to a bold running stream (the Muddy River)."

Erected by State Historic Preservation Office. (Marker Number 139.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Hispanic Americans • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1844.

Location. 36° 39.988′ N, 114° 31.198′ W. Marker is in Moapa Valley, Nevada, in Clark County. It is on North Moapa Valley Boulevard (State Highway 169) south of Las Vegas Freeway (Interstate 15), on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Logandale NV 89021, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Mojave Desert

and in Greater Las Vegas.

It is also in the American Southwest

and in the Mountain West.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers.

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At least 8 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Glendale and "Glendale Nick" Nicolaides (approx. 2.7 miles away); Moapa Valley (approx. 2.8 miles away); Overton (approx. 9.7 miles away); Early Settlements in the Moapa Valley (approx. 9.8 miles away); Moapa Valley Pioneers (approx. 10.3 miles away); Pueblo Grande de Nevada (approx. 10.3 miles away); Lost City Museum (approx. 10.3 miles away); Fay Perkins, Sr. (approx. 10.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Moapa Valley.

Photographed by Jimmy Emerson, April 18, 2026

2. The Old Spanish Trail Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on April 22, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 22, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. This page has been viewed 27 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 22, 2026, by Jimmy Emerson of Dalton, Georgia. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.