< All Press Releases

ELKO, Nev. – The California Trail Interpretive Center is celebrating its 5th anniversary during California Trail Days, an annual event that brings pioneer history to life.

The California Trail Interpretive Center will present the 14th annual pioneer reenactment, California Trail Days, on June 3-4, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The family friendly event is free and open to everyone.

Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the pioneer encampment and Shoshone summer camp. Young visitors can learn how to shoot a bow, throw a tomahawk, how to play pioneer games, and much more.

“From children’s activities and demonstrations to history programs, we have something for everyone at this year’s event,” said Park Ranger Alex Rose. “We also encourage folks to join us for live music and our Pioneer Dance on Saturday night.”

The following is a program schedule:

• 11:00 a.m., South Fork Room: California Trail Center 5th Anniversary Celebration
  
  The California Trail Interpretive Center opened on June 2, 2012. The creation of the Trail Center required vision, determination and a tremendous amount of hard work. Helen Hankins, Dave Jamiel, and Leah Brady will share their reflections on how the Trail Center became a reality. Helen Hankins is the former BLM State Director for Colorado, former BLM Elko District Manager, and president of the California Trail Heritage Alliance. Dave Jamiel served as the first California Trail Center manager. Leah Brady is a board member of the California Trail Heritage Alliance, and she will discuss the background behind the Native American exhibits. Following the 45-minute program, the speakers will cut the T ail Center’s 5th anniversary birthday cake. Dignitaries will be on hand to offer congratulatory remarks.
   
• 12:00 p.m., South Fork Room:  Gold Rush Songs
  
  Enjoy gold rush mining songs from 1849 to 1863. Chris Bayer will bring his old banjo to inform and entertain with the stories and tunes that defined gold rush songs. The program includes important reflections on mining and western culture.
   
• 1:00 p.m., Lobby:  The Anatomy of a Wagon:  How a Wagon Works
  
  Wagons were indispensable for thousands of emigrants. Join Frank Tortorich to learn how a wagon works. Tortorich is a historian, author, and member of the California Trail Heritage Alliance.
   
•  2:00 p.m., Lobby:  Tule Duck Decoys
  
  Tule duck decoys were used in Nevada for centuries. Mike Williams, a member of the Fallon Paiute-Shoshone tribe, will demonstrate how to make a female tule duck decoy. Williams is a member of the Nevada Arts Council and is a recipient of the Nevada Governor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Folk Arts. Williams created a Paiute tule boat and duck decoys that are exhibits at the Trail Center. Williams is also featured in a Trail Center video depicting a day in the life of Great Basin Indians.
   
•  7:00 p.m.:  Pioneer Dance
  
  Learn traditional and pioneer dances, and enjoy live music by Southwind.

Sunday, June 4

• 11:00 a.m., South Fork Room: From Trail to Rails: The Transcontinental Railroad in Nevada and California
  
  Trains played a vital role in the settlement of the American West. With the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in 1869, powerful locomotives gradually replaced covered wagons. Railroad networks were much safer, quicker, and more efficient in transporting freight and people. Wendell Huffman will discuss the early development of the Transcontinental Railroad in Nevada and California. Huffman is curator of history at the Nevada State Railroad Museum in Carson City. He is co-author of “Waiting for the Cars: Alfred A. Hart’s Stereoscopic Views of the Central Pacific Railroad, 1863-1869.” Huffman will be available to sign books following the program.
   
• 12:00 p.m., Lobby:  The Anatomy of a Wagon:  How a Wagon Works
  
  Wagons were indispensable for thousands of emigrants. Join Frank Tortorich to learn how a wagon works. Tortorich is a historian, author, and member of the California Trail Heritage Alliance.
   
• 1:00 p.m., South Fork Room:  Legends, Lies and Lore of the American West
  
  The history of the American West is often intertwined with mythology. Many of the myths make colorful stories, but inaccurate history. Join former Trail Center Manager Dave Jamiel as he separates fact from fiction with many prominent legends, lies and lore of the American West.
• 2:00 p.m.,  South Fork Room:  A Virtual Tour of the California Trail
  
  Take a virtual tour of the California Trail from Independence, Missouri, to Placerville, California. The program will include photographs of prominent landmarks along the Trail, such as Independence Rock, in Wyoming. The speaker is Frank Tortorich, a historian, author, and member of the California Trail Heritage Alliance.

For more information about the California Trail Interpretive Center, call (775) 738-1849. Visit the Trail Center online at www.californiatrailcenter.org or https://www.facebook.com/californiatrailinterpretivecenter/.

The California Trail Interpretive Center is located eight miles west of Elko on I-80, Hunter exit 292. The Center is open Wednesday through Sunday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free.

PHOTO CAPTION: Pioneer reenactor Nikki Steninger at California Trail Days in 2016. Photo by Greg Deimel.