Humboldt River

This is the river that made crossing Nevada possible. Peter Skene Ogden's fur brigade came upon it in 1828 and, not knowing where it went, called it the Unknown River—then Mary's River, after a trapper's Paiute wife. John Frémont gave it its lasting name in 1845, honoring the German scientist Alexander von Humboldt, who never laid eyes on it. The only natural arterial across the Great Basin, it funneled tens of thousands of emigrants along its valley between 1841 and 1870. The railroad, the highway, and Interstate 80 all followed the path it cut.

What the plaque says

First discovered November 9, 1828 by Peter Skene Ogden on his fifth Snake Country Expedition. Entering Nevada near present Denio, Ogden came southward along Quinn River and the Little Humboldt River, emerging on the Humboldt main stem near this site. Ogden explored hundreds of square miles of the Humboldt's course, left records of his trailblazing in his journal first map of the area. Ogden gave the name "Unknown River" to the Humboldt at this time, as he was unsure where it went. Later, after the death of his trapper Joseph Paul, Ogden renamed the stream Paul's River, then Swampy River, finally Mary's River, from the legendary Indian wife of one of his trappers. In 1833 the Bonneville - Walker fur party named it Barren River. Ogden's or Mary's River were commonly used names for the Humboldt prior to the publication of John C. Fremont's map in 1848. The Humboldt was the only natural arterial across the Great Basin. It funneled thousands of emigrants along its valley enroute to the Pacific Coast during the period 1841-1870.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Winnemucca — 9.0 mi
  The crossing town at the western end of the Humboldt — Basque tables, a 1900 bank robbery the town still pins on Butch Cassidy, and the spot where I-80 meets US-95.

More markers nearby

• Button Point — steps away
• Golconda — 6.5 mi
• The Humboldt Canal — 8.3 mi
• Pioneer Memorial Park — 9.2 mi