THE OVERLAND EOUTE — OGDEN TO SAN FKANCISCO. 



18 



The discovery greatly stimulated prospecting and led to the revival 

 of mining throughout the State. The district has produced silver 

 and gold to the total value of more than $60j000;000 from veins in 

 Tertiary volcanic rocks. (See PL XL.) 



The discovery of gold at Goldiield ^ in 1902 was a direct outcome 

 of the development at Tonopali. The deposits here also occur in 

 Tertiary volcanic rocks, but in form and character they are entirely 

 different from the Tonopah veins. The total production from Gokl- 

 field to the end of 1913 was over S65,000;000 m gold and silver. Of 

 late years considerable copper has been recovered from the concen- 

 trates of the Goldfiold miUs. (See PI. XLI.) 



Argo and Luva, west of Hazen, are merely sidetracks, except that 

 Luva stands at the junction of the main line with a now little-u.>cd 

 branch that connects with a part of the original line of the Central 

 Pacific, until lately operated as far east as Leete, where there are old 

 salt works. Formerlv the main line of the railroad followed a more 

 direct route through this valley to White Plains (Huxley). The 

 present route by Carson Sink, though longer, avoids a steep and 

 troublesome hill^ where helper engines were employed. 



Fernley (see sheet 22^ p. 202) is one of the more recently developed 

 agricultural settlements resulting from the Truckee-Carson reclama- 

 tion project. The ditch from Truckee River runs 

 along a hillside a considerable distance south of the 

 Elevation 4,157 fe^t. railroad, and from it water is suiiplied for irrigating 



Omaha l,o06 miles. ^ . . _ i i i i-i j r t 



some very promismg bench lands. Irood water for 

 domestic use is found in wells 100 or 200 feet deep. From Fernley a 

 recently finished line of the Southern Pacific, known as the Fem- 

 ley-Lassen branch, extends north and northwest into California. 

 Here also the traveler crosses the divide between two modern subdi- 

 visions of the former Lahontan basm, gomg from a basin tributary 

 to Carson Sink into the valley of Truckee River, whence all natural 

 drainage passes northward toward Pyramid and TTinriemucca lakes. 

 As a part of the Truckee-Carson project, a part of the Truckee 

 River water has been artificially diverted over the Fernley divide mto 



the Carson and Humboldt basins. 



Truckee River, named from the Indian guide of Gen. Fremont, 

 flows through the old town of Wadsworth just beyond Fernley and 



Fernley. 



100 or more feet below the present railroad grade. The original route 

 of the Central Pacific passed down into this vaJley, and Wadsworth 



^The Goldfield deposits, which are 

 rather hregular in form, occur along zones 

 of fissuiing in dacite, andesite, and la- 

 tite, aU closely related lavaa. A large 

 part of the ore consists of silicified por- 



tions of these rocks. The gold is partly 



partly 



A 



deposits 



Iphate 



potasfiixunj sodium, and aluminum 



