Deep time · Berlin
Berlin and the Giant Ichthyosaurs of Central Nevada
Miners in the Shoshone Mountains used ancient marine reptile bones for hearths before scientists uncovered 40 ocean giants.
Nevada stories
The Silver State, one story at a time
Boomtowns that lasted a decade, a highway named for aliens, trees older than the pyramids and the six weeks that made Reno famous. True stories from across Nevada, each one drawn from the state's own archives, museums and park services.
Supersonic on the Flat Mud of the Black Rock Desert
On a dry prehistoric lakebed north of Reno, a British team pushed a 20,000-pound vehicle past Mach 1.
How Wheeler Peak Lost the Oldest Living Tree on Earth
A researcher studying ice ages had federal permission to sample an ancient pine, then cut down a 4,900-year-old tree.
The Comstock Lode Built San Francisco and Paid for a War
Seven million tons of ore pulled from a single Nevada mountainside funded early San Francisco and bankrolled the Union Army.
State Route 375 and the UFO Town of Rachel
A remote mining camp shrank to a dozen trailers before Nevada officially renamed its highway for extraterrestrials.
How a White Disk Measures Lake Tahoe Down to Its Depths
Scientists lower a ten-inch white plate into Lake Tahoe to track clarity down to the foot across six decades.
How Highway 50 Became the Loneliest Road in America
When a national magazine warned drivers away from central Nevada, the state turned the insult into a legendary survival passport.
Mark Twain Invented His Pen Name in Virginia City
Before he wrote classic novels, Samuel Clemens spent 22 wild months reporting for a booming Virginia City newspaper.
Nevada Telegraphed Its Entire Constitution to D.C.
Facing an election deadline, Nevada sent 16,543 words over the wire in the longest Morse code transmission of its era.
Pyramid Lake Holds the Ancient Skeleton of Lake Lahontan
A desert lake 35 miles from Reno is the last deep water of an Ice Age inland sea that once covered much of western Nevada.
How Reno Built a Global Industry on a Six-Week Law
For decades the quickest route out of a marriage was six weeks in Reno, turning the railroad town into the divorce mecca of the world.
Rhyolite Boomed and Emptied in a Single Nevada Decade
A town with three banks and an ice cream parlor emptied within ten years of its founding.
How Sunset and Ancient Stone Shaped Valley of Fire
Nevada's first state park is a valley of red rock that looks like it is burning at sunset, carved by people thousands of years ago.
Wild Horse Annie and the Battle for Nevada Rangelands
Nevada holds more wild horses than every other Western state combined, thanks to an insurance secretary from Reno.