El Dorado Canyon
Head of Steamboat Navigation in Nevada

"A tale of two Nevadas in a canyon of two faces." -- March 2009

[6]       

At Nelson Junction, US 95 and SR 165, 17 miles south of Henderson

Las Vegas & Clark County
  35.827923, -114.936931

Original Date Visited: 3/13/09
Last Confirmed: 3/16/21
Signed: The original signage for this marker still sits on both lanes of US 95 with an arrow pointing the way to Nelson via SR 165.

Ready, Set ... Replace!


Replacement Marker Dedication: April 2013
The story behind Marker 6 is one of mixed history. In 2004, the Nevada Department of Transportation began work on US 95, upgrading it to a new four-lane freeway from Railroad Pass south to Searchlight. Unfortunately, Marker 6 and its location at Nelson Junction was right in the center of it all. Demolishment began at the junction and worked its way north and south, a project upgraded the intersection with SR 165 to a pair of wyes that merged seamlessly onto the new freeway. The base for Marker 6 was destroyed but was soon rescued by a few Nelson locals. See the "Original Stone Marker" page for the full details.

After the disappearance of its original Stone version, it wasn't until almost twenty years later that the SHPO replaced the original with a new metal marker you see today at the intersection of SR 165 and US 95. Rather than concentrate on the canyon's extensive mining legacy, the SHPO decided to elaborate more on the incredible steamboat navigation along the Colorado River, a piece of Nevada history that's otherwise unknown to many state residents. Those of us who prefer nostalgia, the original stone marker is still around today ... alive and well in a cactus bed 13 miles east of here upon entering the town of Nelson. The first "edition" replacement of Marker 6 started with a Standard metal version until just a year later, the SHPO decided to redo the marker back to its classic Stone version. Fortunately, I captured both editions so you can see the difference!

Marker 6 now has two very unique versions, each one with fine representations of the Silver State's rich history.

Exact Description:
Eldorado Canyon runs east from here to the Colorado River and was the site of one of Nevada's mining booms. Prospectors began digging for gold and silver here, about 1859, forming the Colorado Mining District. The three largest mines, the Techatticup, Wall Street, and El Dorado Rand Group, yielded over $6,000,000.

This portion of the Colorado River was navigable before Dam construction, allowing steamboats and barges to freight good 350 miles from the California Gulf to the mouth of Eldorado Canyon and upriver. The steamboat era peaked in the 1860s, but continued to the turn of the twentieth century.

In 1867, the U. S. Army established an outpost at Eldorado Canyon to secure the riverboats' freight and protect miners in the canyon from Native Americans. The military abandoned the camp in 1869. In the 1870s, the mines flourished again, producing ore until World War II.

[SR 165]

Follow the road to Nelson and the original version of Marker 6.

Interstate 95 Roadtrip
 COVERED IN US 95 ROAD TRIP

Next Marker

DAYTON

Related Links & Markers:

 - 37 - Powell of the Colorado   Lawlessness in El Dorado Canyon   El Dorado Canyon, Jan/Feb 2014: Nevada Magazine 

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