Crystal Springs

This was meant to be the seat of a new county, and it nearly killed a governor to find out it could not be. Silver in the Pahranagat Valley created Lincoln County in 1866, and Governor Henry Blasdel set out from Carson City with twenty-odd men to organize it — a journey so punishing it took them through Death Valley. When he reached Crystal Springs, the district had too few voters to qualify, and the county had to wait another year, organized instead at Hiko. The springs stayed what they were: a watering stop on the Mormon road.

What the plaque says

The discovery of silver in Pahranagat Valley in 1865 resulted in the creation of Lincoln County with Crystal Springs designated as the provisional county seat in 1866. With the intention of organizing the new county, Governor Henry G. Blasdel left Carson City in April, 1866, accompanied by over twenty people and after a perilous journey through Death Valley, California, reached the new district of Pahranagat. This expedition was also expected to find a more practicable route between the valley and the towns of western Nevada. When the Governor arrived at Crystal Springs, he found that the region lacked the number of voters necessary to meet the requirements for county organization, which resulted in the eventual formation of the county at Hiko one year later. This locale, used as a watering place and campsite, was the principal stopover on the Mormon Trail alternate route.

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Hiko — 4.5 mi
• Pahranagat Valley — 12 mi
• Delamar, “The Widow Maker” 1893-1909 — 25 mi