Report On Jersey Hot Spring and Surrounding Area
What we found:
- Pipeline 1 to Home Station
- Pipeline 2 to Home Station
- Watts Ditch
- Old Reservoir
- Hot Spring Field
- Hot Spring Ranch
- New Reservoir
- Ditch to Home Station
What we didn’t find:
- Third pipeline to Home Station
The area was searched using maps, a Garmin GPSmap 60CSx GPS device, a XP DEUS metal detector, Nikon 7000 camera with GPS, and an iPhone 6 with GPS. The search was conducted over three days; Friday 28 and Saturday 29 of August and Monday September 1 2015.
In addition to this report we have Garmin and Google maps with waypoints and tracks, photographs with GPS coordinates and documents from the National Archives, Winnemucca Archives, Nevada Water Rights database, and Nevada Land records database.
Findings
Pipeline 1 to Home Station – There is ample proof that pipeline 1 goes from the Jersey Hot Spring to Home Station. The pipeline is is shown on the survey plat of 1929 and is in the location shown on the map. The pipe is lying above ground and while broken and badly rusted is mostly there. There is one trough integrated with the pipeline located just across the road on the Home Station Side. This was an Air Force shipping container of some kind and has a plaque dated 2-67, which indicates the pipeline was operational after this date. While most of the pipeline connections are threaded we did find a piece that was not and had a seam in the pipe. Most of the pipeline is clogged. It’s not clear if this was a reason for its abandonment. There is also no indication of any earlier pipeline by the lack of any evidence (no one cleaned anything up) so if the pipe there can be dated it will be an indication of the age of the pipeline. The pipeline could also be dated by working back from the date on the trough if the lifetime of this type of pipe sitting on the ground can be determined.
Pipeline 2 to Home Station – This pipeline is also on the 1929 survey plat and starts at the base of the new reservoir and connects into pipeline 1. There is a valve in the pipeline at the base of the new reservoir, which indicates that it was used to draw water from the reservoir. This pipeline is also clogged. We could find no direct evidence that the pipeline connected, but it is likely given the direction and length. We also found a 45-degree coupling near where the connection should be.
Watt’s Ditch – The description of the ditch is that it runs southwesterly for 42 chains, which is .5 mile and was built in 1879. It starts with an opening on the west side of the Jersey Hot spring running west and loops around to the south. About halfway along its length is an old rock dam that we call the old reservoir. The ditch runs through a gap in this reservoir. Further evidence is that the ditch crosses several washes running north/south, which eliminates it as a wash, and it does not fit the pattern of a cow path.
Old Reservoir – This is a rock wall that appears to be part of the Watts irrigation system with an opening in the middle through which the Watts ditch runs. This reservoir is north and west of the new reservoir and is not related.
Hot Spring Field – It’s fairly clear that the purpose of the Watt’s ditch was to irrigate land either to grow hay or vegetables for the mine in Jersey Canyon. The land below the Jersey Hot Spring is distinctly divided into two types. The area along pipeline 1 toward Home Station is very rocky and could not be used for any planting. The area west and below Watts ditch is mostly rock free and it is clear the Watts ditch was built to irrigate this area. The Watt’s ditch has no relation to either pipeline 1 or 2 either to location, destination, or purpose.
Hot Spring Ranch – On the 1878 Starrett deed is a mention of a piece of land that was the Hot Spring Field that has disappeared. In 1886 Starrett sold the land to WT Jenkins. The described location of this field that became the Hot Spring Ranch is in the general area of the Watt’s ditch and Jersey Hot Spring. There is ample evidence of the ranch in the fence posts, barbed wire, and large logs that probable were used for corrals or other structures. We found no evidence of a house or building. The fence goes almost all the way around the Jersey Hot Spring and encloses the Watt’s ditch. It may have gone all the way around but there are pieces missing along the road. The fence is of two types. Around the Hot Spring and the rocky areas it is just barbed wire. Around the non-rocky area and adjacent to the Watt’s Ditch and old reservoir it is barbed wire with chicken wire at the bottom. This indicates that inside that fence was something that they wanted to keep from the rabbits and is probably the location of the Watt’s field.
In 1905 Abel sold Home Station to WT Jenkins. Along with the sale are the water rights to Willow Creek and Home Station Creek. There is no mention of the Jersey Hot Spring, Watt’s Ditch, or a pipeline. I believe this is because WT Jenkins was already using the Hot Spring Ranch and the Watt’s ditch. Abel at Home Station at this time had no access to the Hot Spring and had no relation to the Hot Spring Ranch. It also seems clear that when WT Jenkins took possession of Home Station the Hot Spring Ranch was abandoned sometime after. There are no dates or documents that we found stating this but all mention of the Hot Spring Ranch ends around this time. I think that part of the confusion around the pipeline and use of Jersey Hot Spring is the confusion about Home Station and Hot Spring Ranch. They are not the same and not related. The pipeline to Home Station was not constructed until some time after 1905 when Jenkins took possession of Home Station and probably closer to 1929.
New Reservoir – We have found no evidence that indicates when the new reservoir was built. It appears in the same general location as the one on the 1929 map but is of a different size. The one piece of evidence we have is a Saval Cooperative Agreement (COOP) 1205 with the BLM on the Jersey Hot Spring dated 1966. It is possible that this COOP was for the new reservoir. It is also clear that without the water rights to the Hot Spring the COOP would not have been granted.
Ditch to Home Station – We found a ditch running to Home Station. The ditch starts in a wash south of the Hot Spring Ranch and ran south curving west to Home Station. This ditch was also not mentioned in the sale of Home Station in 1905. The ditch clearly preceded any pipeline to Home Station because with a pipeline there would be no need to maintain a ditch. Considerable effort was made in constructing the ditch and in several areas there is evidence of board being used to line the sides. The ditch meanders in its path following the general topography and could not possibly have contained a pipeline because of the many curves.
The ditch starts in the wash because of one of two reasons. Before 1905 – At the time it was built Hot Spring Ranch had a fence around its border and Home Station had no direct access to Hot Spring. If this was true then it should have been mentioned in the 1905 sale to Jenkins. After 1905 – The ditch may have been built by Jenkins after the 1905 sale although there is no evidence of this. It started in the wash and was likely put in to capture excess water from the Old Town Wash.
Pipeline 3 to Home Station – This shows up on the 1931 T27N R40E plat labeled as old pipeline. The pipeline does not go to the Jersey Hot Spring and is shown near the ditch. We found no evidence of this pipeline either by walking the entire length of the ditch or by metal detector scanning of the ground between the ditch and Home Station. Given the amount of detritus in the area it is unlikely that this pipeline existed. There is also no evidence it was buried. When something was not used it was left where it was. There is no explanation I can think of why it appears on the plat with no physical evidence. The pipeline does not show up on the 1928 T26N R40E plat showing Home Station.
The pipeline built to Home Station by Stremmler was trenched from the Hot Springs to Home Station on a path that would cross the alleged pipeline, yet no evidence of this pipeline has been offered.
Acknowledgements
This search involved a lot of people in different capacities and could not have been accomplished without the entire team. Elisabeth led the document search at the National Archives and Winnemucca Archives. John and Hal were the boots-on-the-ground during the search and John is especially good at identifying features like the old reservoir and the Watts Ditch. Katy and Noreen provided critical logistical support cooking and cleaning and Jerry provided advice and direction based on his searches.