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Lyon County
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Wedged between historic Carson City and the agriculture king of Churchill County sits Lyon County, a piece of Nevada ground that even some Nevadans tend to forget. Why? Perhaps the people of Lyon County make due just fine without the rest of Nevada butting into their business; perhaps the people of Lyon County need only each other, a self-sufficiency that need to be strong.
The Secret...
...And the stark
Then, there is Yerington, Lyon's county seat. Yerington could be considered sort of an oddball in Nevada, the only county seat that people have to "find", a sleepy community set well away from Lyon County's 'main crowd'. In the words of one Yerington man, "People just don't come to Yerington to get to somewhere else. They have to want to come to Yerington." Alternate US 95 and SR 208 are routes that traffic doesn't have to take to get from one place to another... yet these routes are the only way a person will ever find Yerington. Maybe Yerington's location is for the best. When Fernley and Dayton start catering to the hovercar in the year 2236, Yerington will stay Yerington.
In between three towns, Lyon is still a remote place. Sure between 'here and there' lies small outcroppings of civilization like Silver Springs, Wellington and Silver City. Truly, Lyon remains a true outback in populated western Nevada, a part of the state where ruralty is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Newcomers to Nevada find it shocking to see herds of wild horses cantering past their backyards. If this isn't 'outback' material, I don't know what else to say. With Lyon's population vastly spread out, the county makes the perfect place for another industry to set up shop: legal prostitution. Lyon is among six counties in Nevada that allows prostitution to take place within legal brothels. The difference is, Lyon County has more brothels than any other county in Nevada. Maybe this is a slap in the face to Reno and Carson, displaying a sort of "I can do what you can't" demeanor. Or maybe it's because Lyon County simply needs the money. In either case, rebellion is felt.
The Markers
Just as varied as Lyon's terrain are its nineteen markers; the theme and basis for many of Lyon's markers is concerned with the 'transition' of Nevada, a time when the Nevada outback was trodded by the first white men struck with the first 'incentive' to move westward. Since many of Lyon's markers are situated in the north end of the county, Dayton might be the best base for marker hunting. Carson City, only six miles from Dayton, can be another great base, especially if hunters plan to tackle both counties in one trip. Either way, once you leave Dayton, prepare to experience Lyon County's unique 'outback'. East of Dayton, the markers scatter along US 50, with a few renegade markers that sit alongside US 95 Alternate headed south to Yerington. #74 and #255, located in the forgotten south end of Lyon, allow a nice retreat from US 50. Marker hunters should also remember to conquer the few markers situated in Silver City! (Yes, Silver City is technically and 'proudly', as one local put it, within Lyon County.) Whatever choice you make as a hunter, Lyon County will have you going everywhere, 'here and there' and 'everywhere between'. Are we complaining?
As as resident of Lyon County, I can attest to such things. Lyon's grand coverage of over two thousand square miles reinforces its independence within the state, a county that likes to write its own rules because the rest of Nevada forgets to do so. In such a "well urbanized" part of Nevada, people prefer to make Lyon County home; Lyon does not have the overrated alpine scenery of Douglas County, the overpriced taxes of Washoe and Carson City, nor does the county have the annoying tourism that floods Storey County. Lyon County sits alone, a land enjoyed for its open space and robust terrain; Lyon's unique combination of urban closeness and rural remoteness seam it strangely together; evidence of such is eminent upon leaving Carson City on US 50. The highway wastes no time in forgetting about Tahoe, scanting eastward onto open flats and arid plains. Of course, occasional hurdles are crossed: the keyword here, occasional.
Lyon County was named after Gen. Nathaniel Lyon, killed at the battle of Wilson's Creek near Springfield, Missouri. History still isn't sure why this particular individual's name was chosen to represent a NEVADA county. Nevertheless, Lyon is a unique county in Nevada, although the evidence probably won't be readily visible at first glance. Time is needed to see its secrets, perhaps due to the county's unique distribution in population. The county's largest community, technically Dayton, retains a small-town atmosphere despite a fast-growing population. People say that Dayton has become a new bedroom community to Carson City and Washoe Valley; the county looks to Fernley (on the extreme northern tip of the county) as a steady and reliable income base, courtesy of Interstate 80's endless flow of traffic; in a way, Fernley has become a saving grace of sorts for Lyon County's relatively-poor economy. In fact, Fernley is so prosperous, it has recently been claimed as a bedroom community to Reno/Sparks, a place where people from the city find refuge and enjoy less expensive Lyon taxes.
Look on any map of Nevada, (including the map above) and there will be one thing you can't help but notice: Lyon County's oddly, deformed shape. Lyon's borders make graphing the land difficult, but aids ecologically, allowing the county to creep into many areas of Nevada landscape. Lyon's borders stretch from the moist valleys near Bridgeport, California, north to the tip of the Forty Mile Desert near Fernley, amounting to a total of 120 miles, with a variety of things to see in between. These my friends, are some of the secrets you as a hunter, can unveil. For example, here are some facts you might not have known: Lyon County has two major river systems; Lyon County is the only county with all three Sierra-born rivers traversing its soil. The Truckee River scrapes the Lyon line at the northern tip of the county, while the Carson River completely cuts the county laterally in half. The Walker River flows northward from the south near Bridgeport, and leaves the county east of Yerington. Lyon also has two major mountain ranges, the Pine Nuts and the Sweetwaters, two ruggedly remote mountain spines that sit near the county's western border. So high and delightful are the Sweetwaters that among them towers a group of peaks exceeding 13,000 feet, a range laden with snow well into the summer months. These ranges are often called some of the last great wilderness in western Nevada. From the agriculture-rich Mason and Smith Valleys, to the famed Pony Express Trail that roughly parallels present-day US 50, Lyon is a grab-bag of Nevada goodness.
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