March 2015 - Nevada - Mormon Station.

Not far from my parents house is a city called Genoa. It's a beautiful little town at the base of the Sierra Mountains. My dad and I packed up lunches and had a picnic at the park in Genoa. We explored the little town and had a great time.

There are a lot of fun historical facts about Genoa. Mormon Station is located in Genoa. The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in 1848 started the frantic migration west to California. After facing many challenges along the journey, the final obstacle on the California trail was tackling the Sierra Nevada mountains. Weary and thirsty travelers often rested and purchased supplies in the fertile oasis of the Carson Valley.

In June of 1850, two members of the Mormon Battalion, (http://www.mormonbattalion.com/) Abner Blackburn and Hampton Beatie, established a temporary trading post on the west side of Carson Valley. Their stories of this beautiful area on the emigrant trail intrigued their Salt Lake employer, John Reese, and his nephew, Stephen Kinsey.

In the spring of 1851, Reese and Kinsey loaded more than a dozen wagons full of supplies and set out for the Carson Valley. The Reese Company built a permanent trading post, approximately one mile south of the temporary trading post established by Blackburn and Beatie. Reese's Station soon had a blacksmith shop, livery stable, and flour and saw mills nearby.  (above info and more info can be found here: http://parks.nv.gov/parks/mormon-station-state-historic-park/)

 

   

 

The kids had fun playing on the "soft grass" while my dad and I read all the info and history of the city.

  

  

John "Snowshoe" Thompson.

"Traversing the mighty Sierra Mountain ridges on a pair of homemade "long" skiis and using his single pole for balance "snowshoe" braved 20 to 50 foot snow depths, snowdrifts and blizzards - The mail must reach its destination. "Snowshoe" carried a mail bag weighing 50 to 100 lbs. strapped to his back. He carried crackers and dried beef for food, drank melted snow from his hand, and rested only when necessary during the three day trek from Placerville to Genoa. The mail was Genoa's only contact witht he outside world during the long winter months." 

That's pretty amazing.

It was so nice to have a big area the kids could run and play on. They played treasure hunt and follow the leader.

They went on walks holding hands. So sweet.

I loved all the cute stores and buildings in Geona.

We stopped at a sweet shop and got candy sticks for each of us. We had a great time playing outdoors and exploring new things.

The End.