Hike set for historic St. Thomas Town site

Friday, May 7, 2004 | 8:54 a.m.

Call it the "aha" of discovery, an archeological thrill or a grim picture of Southern Nevada's water resource.To some it's another stop -- albeit unique -- on Nevada's ghost-town circuit.

On Sunday archaeologists Eva Jensen and Steve Daron will lead groups on a hike into the St. Thomas Town site, an old Mormon town that was submerged by Lake Mead in 1938.

Receding water uncovered the town's ruins two years ago, giving way to a procession of curious locals and tourists.

"We've had a lot of interest from local people who have family ties to the area and other people who are just interested in seeing what a town that was under water looks like," said Jensen, an archaeologist with the Lost City Museum in Overton.

"It's really interesting to go there and imagine 65 feet of water where you are standing. It gives a good perspective of what is going on in the desert."

Mormons established the area in 1865. It became a stopping point on the Old Arrowhead Trail and in the 1900s, a major stop for those hauling gold and silver ore. The town slowed when U.S. Highway 91 was diverted.

In the 1930s, when construction on the Hoover Dam began, the town was evacuated. Some homes were taken apart and materials were used for building in nearby areas. Foundations of buildings and sidewalks can still be seen.

"It was a regular townsite at one time," Jensen said. "A real booming town. It was primarily a farming town. The Muddy River flows through the valley. They developed a water irrigation system and they began shipping produce out on freight wagons."

In 1952 the town was exposed when the water level was lowered briefly to take in water runoff from melting snowcaps on the Rocky Mountains. It hasn't been exposed since.

"It's one of those ghost towns that comes and goes with the water," Jensen said.

Some of the residents from St. Thomas are still living and have visited the site.

"They knew what was coming," Jensen said, referring to the flooding. "It was something that was expected and was for the greater good of the country. But it was still hard to leave their homes."

Sunday's guided walking tours begin at 9 a.m. and continue through noon at the St. Thomas Trailhead on Cove Road in Overton. The tours are to celebrate Nevada's Archaeology Awareness and Historic Preservation Week (May 9-15).

To get there, take I-15 North to Exit 93. Travel through Overton and seven miles beyond to the Valley of Fire turnoff. Take the dirt road exit opposite of the Valley of Fire turnoff. Head east on the dirt road and look for the signs. Drinking water and good hiking shoes are recommended. The hike is 1.5 miles, round trip.