Potosi

"If I ever post these entries up on the website one day, I'm sure southern Nevadans who read this will probably think I'm full of hot air and full of overexaggeration. Think what they will. This is coming from somebody who lives outside of this region ... a mere visitor, who has nearly been rear-ended, then side-swiped on this horrible freeway. The barreling traffic on the Blue Diamond Highway actually reminds me of an LA Parkway, plied by drivers, advantageous and carefree to get to whereever they're going with little thought to anybody, or anything else. To hell with this. Now that I sit here beneath the marker, I watch this same traffic, in a blur to get from Pahrump to Vegas as quickly as possible. For what reasons, I'll never know. They can have this damn highway. This incident almost draws the conclusion: are southern Nevada markers more endangered than northern Nevada markers? The mindset down here is completely different. And that could be why." -- March 2009

[115]       

Along SR 160, 2.2 miles east of Mountain Springs

Las Vegas & Clark County
  36.001080, -115.484550

Original Date Visited: 3/16/09
Signed: Both lanes of SR 160. This is one of the few Clark County markers that is signed.

Notes: State Route 160. The Blue Diamond Highway ... or what I call, "the lost-causeway." Of all the roads I've traveled in Nevada, SR 160 could easily be one of the most dangerous roads in the state. Proof is in the paper and NHP records don't lie, folks. Blue Diamond sees anywhere from fifty to one hundred thousand commuters a day, most of them dominated by city folk who aren't used to the casually-driving marker hunter. In 2014, the Nevada Highway Patrol recorded a total of 163 accidents on the Blue Diamond, most of them occurring through Mountain Springs Summit through Potosi Canyon. I didn't write any of this to scare you, but as any old good hint of advice, use it as a primer when you try to bag this marker.

The SHPO in truth did a great job in choosing the location for Marker 115, but very little thought was given on improving the marker's accessibility with say, an invaluable turn lane? The truth is this marker is one of the most dangerous markers to access in the entire state. So, don't expect a conquer on your first try. The first challenge will be actually seeing this marker from the highway (Street View below), an impossibility for first-timers here. Even looking for it can prove deathly dangerous. When you do spot it, your second challenge still awaits: the turnoff. Over the years, the turnoff into this trailhead has been greatly improved, but due to the highway's dangerous downhill curve at 65MPH, making this turn can be downright dangerous. Trust me, this might not be your fault either. Turning off from the Blue Diamond Highway can be a matter of chance. It would only take one throwback to hit you from behind to completely ruin your marker hunting days.

Still up for this one? Of course you are, and now you understand. Ignore the ridiculous directions listed by the SHPO and get to it by reading this very carefully ...

  • Marker 115 is located on the eastbound lanes of SR 160. Your ONLY indicator is to look for a small, green residential sign that reads "Mt. Potosi-Canyon Rd." (Fellow hunters have told me that NDOT has since installed a larger, highway friendly sign that is easier to read in the past year, but I have been unable to confirm this.) This is a popular ATV trailhead so you might notice a few vehicles parked in here. If you miss this turnoff, you need to wait an additional nine miles to turn back around. I cannot stress this enough: exercise extreme caution when making the turn! This marker hunter was nearly rear-ended and pinned-in by two maniacs barreling through here at 90MPH despite me having my blinker on for at least a 1/4 mile. I guess people down here don't expect marker hunters like us to be on a leisurely stroll.

    Street View

    Here's what you'll see!

    Exact Description:
    The desire of the Mormon settlements for economic self-sufficiency led to mining by missionaries for lead. In 1856 Nathaniel V. Jones was sent to recover ore from the "Mountain of Lead" 30 miles southwest of the mission at Las Vegas Springs. About 9,000 pounds were recovered before smelting difficulties forced the remote mine to be abandoned in 1857. Potosi became the first abandoned mine in Nevada.

    In 1861 California mining interests reopened the mine, and a smelter and rock cabins of 100 busy miners made up the mining camp of Potosi. Even more extensive operations resulted after the transcontinental Salt Lake and San Pedro R.R. (now Union Pacific) was built through the county in 1905.

    During World War I, Potosi was an important source of zinc.


    Marker 115 in 2009 had seen much better days before its restoration in 2014.

    Inside Nevada's Oldest Lode

    Interstate 95 Roadtrip
     COVERED IN US 95 ROAD TRIP

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    Related Links & Markers:

     - 40 - Las Vegas ("The Meadows")   - 195 - The Last Spike    Hiking Potosi Mountain -

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