Along SR 342, 1/2 mile S of SR 341 -- Virginia City

Storey
  39.299216, -119.654609

In 2008, we made a left curtail onto the very rough Jumbo Grade west out of Virginia City to do a little rockhounding. Within seconds, we spotted the backsides of three old markers that were leaning up in the maintenance yard atop Ophir Grade! It turns out we'd found none other than Marker 185 - a marker that had been MIA for almost a decade prior. Of course, there had to be a reason why this marker had been displaced almost five miles from its original location.

Of course, all fun ceased that day for a harmonious investigation as we politely entered the maintenance yard right as an NDOT official greeted us.

Enter, the juicy details.

The original placement for Marker 185 is a wide turnout on the southbound side of SR 342 at the exact wye junction of SR 341 and 342. Apparently, this turnout fell under "PRIVATE PROPERTY" and NDOT was ordered to remove it to prevent further conflict by the immediate landowner. To this day, if you pass by that turnout you'll see it inundated with "No Trespassing" signs and warnings of hostility. We were told as long as that turnout remained under private ownership, there were no plans in the works to replace 185. Furthermore, he himself was confused as to why that particular turnout was a privately-owned parcel of land considering that the highway itself is state-owned! (All turnouts and road shoulders along state highways belong to the state.) To help confirm our findings fellow marker hunter (Air Force) Dave S, was conducting his own investigation and contacted me for help. He sent this picture that he took in 2002, a rare photo of the marker's better days ...

According to the official, (NDOT) were "just waiting for the forces at be" to give them the okay to re-locate Marker 185 somewhere else.

Present Day

We're convinced that our actions that day shedded some much needed light on this case. Fortunately in 2015, Marker 185 was brought back to life during the SHPO's statewide marker campaign, titled "Battle Born, 150th: A State Sesquicentennial;" this campaign replaced and re-vamped the majority of Nevada's State Historic Markers, as evident by the 150th logo on the plaque today. Therefore, it can't be a coincidence that the replacement for Marker 185 was stood at the very same spot that we found it! Whether or not we had something to do with it, we're glad to see this representation back along the roadside. McCone's Foundries is a rather forgotten piece of the Comstock that elicits practically no search results at all. Considering this marker's hard journey, we can ignore the intrusive view of the NDOT maintance yard and wrought-iron fence. Beyond though, is Mt. Davidson, its origins, and what has been preserved.

Sometimes, we can make a difference.