In 1849, there were an estimated 22,000 immigrants stretched out along the 1,500-mile route to California. By August, one wagon train after another had followed Lassen's tracks into the dry and desolate wasteland now known as the Black Rock Desert. While the first groups had sufficient water and grass for their livestock, resources were quickly depleted by the onslaught of humanity. The highly touted tales of plentiful water and grass for grazing quickly proved false, and by late summer, conditions deteriorated, and the situation became desperate.
Oxen teams and humans alike began to suffer the effects of the relentless desert sun. In a state of delirium, livestock would stampede towards a mirage on the dry lake, only to collapse in exhaustion onto the baked and barren playa, perishing where they fell. The mortality rate for their human counterparts wasn't much better. By late summer, abandoned wagons and gravesites littered the desertscape. It's told that small wooden crosses from less-fortunate travelers would be passed every few hundred yards along the route. For travelers west, the Applegate-Lassen Trail would come to be known as the 1849 Trail of Death. Silent for more than 150 years, we examined the remains of a buckboard wagon, abandoned and half-buried in the hardpan. Discussing the plight of our predecessors, we were grateful to have the security of our 4x4s. One hundred and fifty miles from the urban lights of Reno, we made camp at the Double Hot Spring under a brilliant desert sky.
Morning shadows stretched across the playa as we rolled out of camp, following Uncle Willy north along the Black Rock range and the ghost town of Hardin City. Thought to be the next mother lode, devious prospectors provided handpicked high-grade ore samples to the assayer's office. Enticed by potential riches, investors plunked down enough capital to finance an entire town. By 1866, Hardin City boasted three stamp mills, a hotel, saloons, and a post office. As quickly as people flooded into the valley, news that the original ore samples were salted caused them to head for the next big strike. The town all but shut down in a matter of months.
We veered east into a small box canyon, to a site known as Murder Rock. Uncle Willy is a literal encyclopedia of information on the area and shared the tale of Pete Lassen's demise. For more than a century, there was only speculation as to the location where Pete Lassen, his friend Clapper, and a third unknown companion were bushwhacked in 1858. Lassen's body was recovered shortly after the incident, but Clapper's was left behind. It wasn't until 1990, when a backpacker discovered Clapper's remains buried in a creek embankment, that this was determined to be the spot. A small memorial now marks the site.
To the north lies Soldier Meadows, which served as the region's only calvary outpost through the turn of the century. The first troops in this remote region were responsible for Indian affairs in the area. Times have changed, and for the past few decades, Soldier Meadows has operated as a working ranch and rustic bed and breakfast. Passing numerous hot springs, we climbed a ridge to the west to an overlook, which provided 270-degree views of Soldier Meadows Valley and High Rock Lake. Antelope and wild mustangs, which migrate to higher elevations when the valley temperatures rise, dotted the landscape.