Day 8
We had to battle to get there.

DAILY DOINGS: Boy was I sleeping well when the alarm went off this morning.  I was in a deep dream that I was on a tropical island with...oh never mind.  Suffice it to say that it was a pleasant dream that I hated to leave.  We decided to sleep in a little this morning since this would be our last "easy" day for awhile.  Mileages in the 50s on a sunny day don't need to be started at day break.  We had no traffic to speak of to deal with, our rooms wouldn't be ready until around 2, and there is a limit to the excitement to be had in Battle Mountain.  But even with all that in mind, a couple riders were starting to fidget before I arrived at the luggage truck at 8:00.  Everyone had already brought their bags out and had pretty much blocked any useful entrances to the motel so I figured it was about time to get the flock out of Winnemucca.

The day went without a hitch.  Everyone got on the road and moved briskly albeit against a pesky headwind and finished by 1:00 in spite of the late departure.  There wasn't much to do in Battle Mountain on a Sunday...actually, on a weekday the only thing more to do would have been the visitor center.  Knowing the limited activities offered today, I scheduled a flat tire clinic at 3:00 that was well attended...what else was there to do?  After that, it was dinner and get some rest for our ride tomorrow to Elko...finally, civilization.  I'm hoping to get in early and tend to a bad tooth if I can find a dentist.

Our route today involved a ride along the Humboldt River Valley through rising terrain all around us.  The terrain was pretty tame except for one serious climb over Golconda Summit, part of the Sheep Creek Mountain Range, that took us to 5160 feet.  The resulting 5 mile descent on the backside was pretty sweet as the riders sped to the valley floor below.  In 1846 this narrow passageway was traversed by the Donner party as they trekked toward the west coast. 

The following story concerning the name Battle Mountain was provided by the town's interpretive center:  In April of 1866, a prospector by the name of George Tannihill discovered rich copper ore south of town and formed a new mining district which he called the Battle Mountain Mining District (BMMD).  In 1868, the Central Pacific Railroad, the western half of the first transcontinental railroad, built a siding here to offload supplies for the mines of the BMMD.  In 1870, the railroad moved their station from Argenta, 14 miles to the east, to here...and the town was surveyed out.  The town of Battle Mountain was born. 

As to why Mr Tannihill chose the name Battle Mountain;  he told a newspaper that he, Captain Pierson, and a crew of 23 emigrants fought the Indians here in 1857.

Three attacks were documented here in the summer of '57.  One on a single wagon occupied by a man named Wood, the second on a wagon occupied by the Holloway family, and finally an attack on eight men who were part of a government survey crew.  The events that occurred here in '57 were well documented in diaries, California newspapers, and the daily records and journals of the government survey crew that spent the summer here.  These records show what happened to whom, when, and where.  Interestingly, nowhere in all the records is there any mention of a Captain Pierson, and George Tannihill, or 23 emigrants fighting the Indians.

So history has three choices:
1.  It happened but somehow never got written down.  Unlikely in light of all the very minor details that did get reported...why would they overlook a full scale battle?
2.  It did occur, but they got the year wrong so historians haven't found it yet in the records.  This is possible but there was only a nine year period between the supposed event and the use of the name...not long enough it would seem for memories to go bad.
3.  Mr Tannihill was lying.  He knew something had happened her in 1857 and just tried to make himself sound important.  This is the story historians in the area tend to believe.  But whatever the case, there's not too much more going on around here...so we'll just pass on through.

Tomorrow we head to Elko...see you then.  Have a great evening.  M

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