Come Hell or High Water
A government can sometimes really foul things up for the little guy. In prior posts I have covered how the government has created ghost towns by closing down mines or abandoning railroads. In one post, https://outerrealmz.com/dixie-valley-a-v…nd-of-ghost-town/ , I even explained how the US Navy ran everyone out of town. But, in the case of St. Thomas, in Clark County Nevada, it was literally forced underwater.
It started off as an opulent dream in the lush meadows of the Muddy and Virgin River Valley. Brigham Young wanted a settlement to serve the freight route from the Colorado River to Salt Lake City. So, the Mormons came and established St. Thomas, named after Thomas Smith, who led the first pioneers to the spot in 1865. Within a few short years a town of five hundred sprung up with farms and all the amenities a pioneer town of that time could offer.
Early settlers of St. Thomas. (Credit: National Park Service)
In 1871 the boundary between Utah and Nevada was surveyed and the lines redrawn. The good Mormons of St. Thomas found they were living in Nevada, and now subject to Nevada taxes. They packed up, burnt part of the town, and headed into Utah proper. However, St. Thomas would not die that easily.
More pioneers (Mormon and non-Mormon) began to show up. Realizing the potential of the fertile farmland, they rebuilt the town. Over a period of some years St. Thomas became an oasis, complete with tree lined streets and parks. Eventually, the town included a large two- story school, hotel, church, and even an ice cream parlor. The surrounding farms grew melons, peaches, barley, and corn, among other crops. There were even vineyards.
Gentry Hotel (Credit: National Park Service)
For all that St. Thomas was, it never had a jail or a policeman. The population worked, played, and shared their lives together. This is how it was in this fairytale like oasis for many decades. But, as often with fairytales, it would not last.
In 1936, nearby Hoover Dam, which had been under construction for five years, was completed and the formation of Lake Mead began. The people of St. Thomas were notified that the town would be consumed, and soon an evacuation effort would ensue. But the hearty and stubborn folks did not go anywhere, not yet.
The water did not arrive in days or weeks or even months. It would take two years for the water to reach town. Until then, farmers continued growing crops and business continued. Even as the water filled the streets of town, residents, paddling about in row boats, salvaged what they could. St. Thomas was not officially deserted until its last remaining resident, Hugh Lord, set his house on fire and rowed away in 1938.
Emergence
For some sixty-four years, St. Thomas existed beneath the waves, sometimes as deep as sixty feet under. On a couple of occasions, during a drought, the remains would resurface, only to be submerged again soon after.
In 2002, due to ongoing drought and a higher demand for water, the remains became visible once again. Instead of going back under, the water has continued to recede. Left in its wake are the foundations and rubble of the long-inundated dream. It can be said that the town, at least in part, has survived.
St. Thomas lies within the boundaries of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Currently the shore of Lake Mead is over four miles from the town site. The park service has done an amazing job at protecting and preserving the site. Visitation is allowed most days from sunrise to sunset.
I was there on a Monday. The ranger station was closed, and I did not have to pay a fee. From the station a dirt road, about four miles long, leads out to the trailhead. The road is rocky and bumpy, but accessible to most automobiles.
The trail to St. Thomas is a 2.5-mile loop, so bring water and your hiking boots. Remains of the town can be seen from the trailhead. At first glance it looks a great distance away, but it really is not so far off.
A Walk Through the Underworld
The descent down into the lakebed is steep and rocky. It is also short, and the vast majority of the walk is on level ground. Besides the town ruins, the area is covered in sand, Tamarisk, and seashells. The best thing about the lonesome trek is, once on flat ground, there are things to see for the entire walk. Early on you will encounter strange chunks of rusted machinery, partial foundations and what look like ore car wheels.
The park service has installed a few signs throughout the loop, so you will know just what you are looking at. You will make your way through a portion of what once was farmland, before emerging at the edge of town. The remnants are not limited to three or four structures, but dozens. Almost every path that angles away from the main trail will lead you through the brush to something. Once you roam among the bleached skeletons of homes and businesses, you will notice at most locations there will be a cistern. Having been made for water, these are the best-preserved structures about.
One can still make out the tree lined streets.
There are still rows of tree stumps, indicating where the tree lined streets ran through. A portion of the path follows what was a main road. You will come across a structure with one corner still jutting up to the height of a second story. This was a store and ice cream parlor. Upon a closer inspection one can make out the rooms, the frontside, where a block with a hole in the center once held a gas pump. Suddenly it is not so hard to envision a bustling store front, working men discussing Woodrow Wilson and the coming harvest, laughing children walking carefully down wooden steps with ice cream, with Model T’s coming and going.
As the trail loops around, the sights and sounds become even clearer as you stand before the schoolhouse, its grand pillars toppled and lying is various directions. A sign with photos shows the imposing two story structure in its prime with children and teachers. Even now, the rounded stone steps at the front entrance are smooth, almost polished looking. It looks to have been the largest structure in town.
Next you come across the post office, the Gentry General Store, and the once elegant Gentry Hotel. Again, there are plenty of other foundations a short way off either side of the trail.
The way back is not long at all, but too short. You have seen much more than you could have imagined, but you don’t want it to end. You exit town back through the farmland, with a greater understanding than when you arrived. It is a walk you didn’t know you had to take until you were on it.
I would advise you to take this walk soon. Do not dare attempt it in the summer. Winter, early spring and late autumn would be best. You will be happy you did. Someday, near or far, St. Thomas will be under water again and you’ll have your own story to tell.
For more information on St. Thomas, visit the Lake Mead Recreation Area site at https://www.nps.gov/lake/index.htm.
Post Office
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