Yerington Monday: Wilson Canyon

Yerington Monday:  Wilson Canyon

Everyone from Yerington knows about Wilson Canyon.  It was the only way to get to Smith Valley and Wellington.  But it was much more.  It was a favorite picnic, party, hiking and fishing spot.  Nowadays it is a favorite location for off-road vehicles.  There was a petrified forest in the canyon when I was a kid, but I don’t know if much petrified wood is left. Wilson Canyon has an interesting history.  Click on pictures to learn more.

Picnic under the shade of the huge cottonwood trees along the south bank of the West Fork of the Walker River.

Wilson Canyon is a gorge cut by the Walker River through a series of volcanic cliffs. The canyon is located 13 miles (21 km) west of Yerington, along Nevada State Route 208. It is managed by the U.S.Bureau of Land Management.

The canyon runs through the Singatse Range in Lyon County, where the Walker River flows northeast into the Mason Valley. Over the two miles (3.2 km) of canyon the elevation of the Walker River drops by 120 feet (37 m), or an average grade of 1% (compared to 0.1% to the west of the canyon).

The canyon was named after "Uncle Billy Wilson" who was a miner and rancher, and for whom the Wilson Mining District is also named. The Nevada Copper Belt Railroad ran through Wilson Canyon; the track laid to the canyon was completed shortly before Uncle Billy Wilson's death.

1911 Nevada Copper Belt Railroad

Nevada Copper Belt Railroad Wilson Canyon

The Nevada Copper Belt Railroad ran through Wilson Canyon; the track laid to the canyon was completed shortly before Uncle Billy Wilson's death.

Exact Description: Wilson Canyon and the Wilson Mining District were named for brothers David and "Uncle Billy" Wilson. David Wilson (b. 1829), came west in 1850 during the California Gold Rush. He returned to the Midwest in 1853, married, and joined the Union Army at the outbreak of the Civil War. Wilson participated in at least one battle and was discharged with sunstroke. He then returned to the West.

The Wilson family settled in the Wilson Canyon area in 1863 mining gold discovered in Pine Grove by brother "Uncle Billy" and ranching in Mason Valley. The Wilson's mining efforts eventually yielded several million dollars.

David Wilson died in 1915, a prominent local rancher and community leader. He is buried nearby in the Wilson Ranch cemetery.

A Northern Paiute named Wovoka was raised with the Wilson boys and took the name Jack Wilson. He regularly attended family bible readings and prayers. Wovoka started the Ghost Dance movement in 1890 which swept into the Great Plans with potent political force.

What were known as the "1997 New Year's Floods" occurred in western Nevada and northern California. They were the result of a group of snowstorms in the Sierra Nevada at the end of 1996. Three additional rainstorms came between December 20, 1996. and January 2, 1997. These heavy rainstorms melted most of the snow-pack below 7,000 feet (2,100 m) elevation, including that at the headwaters of the Walker River. This, plus additional heavy rain between 7,000–10,000 feet (2,100–3,000 m), increased the amount of runoff from the mountains, with the consequence being the worst flood western Nevada had seen in 150 years. During this period Wilson Canyon flooded, the narrow width of the canyon increasing the amount of damage to the area. Large portions of Route 208 were destroyed, with pieces of roadway being found in the river after the flood subsided. Following the flood the highway was closed for two months and repaired at a cost of $726,000.

West Walker River in Wilson Canyon

A ground squirrel in Wilson Canyon, Nevada