Panaca Spring

The large constant flow of warm water from this spring created the desert oasis of Meadow Valley.  First noted by Manley’s ill-fated Death Valley Party in 1849, the site was cultivated in 1858 by Brigham Young’s White Mountain Mission Men, who sought a desert refuge should a federal invasion of Utah occur.  The site was abandoned that same year, when the federal government quelled the Mormon resistance.

Dependent on these spring waters, Mormons built the first permanent settlement in southern Nevada at Panaca in 1864.  For 80 years, all domestic needs depended on this water.

The Meadow Valley Mining District, including the Pioche area, was organized in 1864 with its center at Panaca Spring.

STATE HISTORICAL MARKER NO.  160

STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICE

ELBERT B. EDWARDS