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Location: Central Region, Clark County, Nevada
NEW LOCATION: Western Clark County, Interstate 15 Corridor
Directions: "Located off Interstate Highway 15 on Frontage Road, 4.6 miles northeast of Jean, Nevada."
NEW DIRECTIONS: Along the S.P. Railroad, 4.6 miles north of Jean
(Access via Frontage Rd (SR 604) at Mile Marker 10, then north on dirt path)
N 35° 50.458 W 115° 16.411
Location: 4
Visibility: 9
Accessibility: 2
Marker type: Other
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Date Conquered: 3/14/09
Quick Description: A marker commemorating the official completion of a transcontinental railroad line.
Signed: No -- Historically, this marker was igned. Due to this marker's unique turn of events, it was removed by NDOT. (No signs exist today.)
NOTES: Make no mistake: Although #195 is missing from its original location, it is still very much alive! This one is an odd story. The photos you see below are of the original marker for #195. It used to be a "Standard (L)" marker that sat approximately 4.5 miles N of Jean along Las Vegas Blvd (locally known as the "Frontage Road".) As you'll see, all that remains of old #195 are the stubs of the legs. Even finding these remains is a bit tricky: head northbound out of Jean along the Frontage Road for the specified mileage (4.5 miles). At this point, you'll arrive at a railroad underpass. Right when you exit the underpass, look to the hill on your IMMEDIATE right. There isn't much room for pulling in for marker viewing, perhaps one of the reasons why it was removed. So far the story seems like just another case of the MIA, right?
All that remains of the original #195 marker. How it was destroyed or why it was removed we will never know.
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Even these remnants are difficult to find.
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After contacting the SHPO, I learned that a new sign was acting as #195, a "cheaper alternative to re-building the marker." Unfortunately, this new sign is missing all of the original text (which I have listed below); problem is, this new "replacement" is even trickier to spot from the road than the first marker! The new #195 is located right on the railroad tracks of the SPRR, directly paralleling the Frontage Road. Read very carefully: coming from either direction, keep a look out Mile Marker 10. Follow up by IMMEDIATELY looking for a dirt path leading toward the railroad tracks (trust me folks, there is ONLY dirt path around Mile Marker 10.) Here is what you'll see from the road...
So, can you see the marker?
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Drive less than 1/4 mile and prepare to meet the new #195. This marker was erected about a decade ago, so trains could see the sign as they passed. Cute, but ridiculous for marker hunters!This new sign has become part of the Historical Marker System and is a bit unique compared to the others. Kudos for the SHPO in at least finding an alternative to re-erect this missing piece of Nevada history.
At last. May we present to you the new Marker 195!
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Full Description:
Exact description as reads ...
Due to the removal of the original plaque, the following text may never be read again. As of this date, all text for this marker is gone. The following description is the text taken the Nevada State Archives and the State Historic Preservation Office ...
This site is near where workers drove the last spike which completed the railroad between Salt Lake City, Utah, and Los Angeles, California. It was driven on January 30, 1905. This was the last "transcontinental" line to Southern California and one of the last lines built to the Pacific Coast. There was no formal celebration at the time of the last spike. The men on the spot gave some recognition to the event.
Las Vegas owes its existence to the railroad, then known as the San Pedro, Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad, as the men in charge laid out the town and established a division point there, taking advantage of a good supply of water.
View looking southbound toward Los Angeles ...
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... And the view looking northbound toward Las Vegas.
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Don't let this happen to you! It's extremely easy to pass this marker without ever seeing it. It's in the picture I guarantee, but again we ask the ever important question... Can you see the marker?
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