By CHARLENE PAUL
Moapa Valley Progress
A diverse group of curious outdoor enthusiasts met at the Lost City Museum in Overton on the morning of Saturday, October 20 to see the ruins of St. Thomas. With hats on heads, sunscreen on arms and necks, and hiking boots and shoes laced, they loaded into vehicles to take the ten-minute drive to the trailhead.
It was a beautiful, clear day as State of Nevada Site Stewardship Coordinator, Samantha R. Rubinson, Ph.D. talked about this ghost town that was inundated in the 1930w when Lake Mead began to fill up. She explained that the town, built by Mormon settlers in the late 1800s, had been a major stopping point between Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. Amidst harsh conditions, this location provided prime farming with the convergence of the Muddy and Virgin Rivers.
At its peak St. Thomas boasted a population of approximately 500. They had a school, post office, grocery stores, church, and ice cream parlor. They even had garages for automobiles – a new invention.
In 1905, when the Salt Lake Railroad extended a short branch of the Oregon Short Line through southern Nevada, a spur of that line went in to St. Thomas.
Walking to the ruins, the visitors noticed mussel shells scattered along the trail. They also passed more than a dozen wayside exhibits, and were told they were the first group to see them. Areas of burned out tamarisk trees dotted the edges of the path. Tamarisk is an invasive species, and reclamation efforts are trying to rid the area of their presence.
One of the visitors enthusiastically described water skiing on this portion of Lake Mead in the 1970s and 80s. It is hard to imagine water covering this part of what was once a very full Lake Mead.
The graves and remains located in the St. Thomas Cemetery were relocated in 1935 to their present location in Overton. Dr. Rubinson suggested to the group that they should visit the cemetery before leaving the area.
“It is amazing that these parts of the original buildings survived 60 years under the water,” said one visitor. “What a testament to the people who settled here.”
“I wish the ice cream parlor was still in business,” another visitor exclaimed. “I can’t believe how hot it is in the middle of October. How did they live here?”
As the hikers made their way back to their vehicles, they snapped photos and talked about finding other hidden treasures on their travels. “Since I am working on my PhD in history,” one young man said, “I really need to get out and explore this stuff.”
All in all, it was a very good day, well-spent with strangers who quickly became friends.
For more information in St. Thomas and upcoming events hosted by the Lost City Museum, contact the museum at 702-397-2193, or visit their website at nvculture.org/lostcitymuseum/
