St. Thomas Ghost Town - An interesting and historical hike
05/19/04
St. Thomas was not a major player in the history of the west. A crossroads near the confluence of the Muddy & Virgin rivers, it had humble beginnings and a traumatic end. After 138 years, its claim to fame is that it has sat under the waters of Lake Mead for 65 years.
Begun as a Mormon settlement in 1865, the town had a spotty history. It was indeed at one point even uncertain which state of the union it lied within. The harsh environment and lack of anything material or social made St. Thomas a good place to be leaving. Once a farming community, then deserted, later a hangout for drifters, the town failed to develop a continuous history.
The Mormons established settlements all along the Colorado and Virgin rivers along what is now the dividing line between Nevada & Arizona. St. Thomas had a bustling community for awhile, but the Mormons were called back to Utah. One citizen, Daniel Bonelli stayed on and established a successful ferry across the river at St. Thomas. It was there that he met John C. Fremont and later explorers. A nearby peak was named for Bonelli and many descendants of the citizens of St. Thomas still live in nearby Overton and Logandale.
Certainly the residents in 1938 had mixed feelings when the new Hoover Dam trapped waters sending Lake Mead their way. It's never easy to change and leave your home, but alternatives were few as the waters approached.
Countless boaters have fished above the town site for six decades - most unaware of the history below. Occasionally, Lake Mead shrinks during droughts. At times, chimneys appear above the water line. As the 20th century gave way to the 21st, Lake Mead is at a 30 year low and you can now actually walk through St. Thomas.
I have often wondered what bodies of water (such as the Chesapeake Bay) might reveal if they could be drained for even a week. The current drought provides a chance to experience such a phenomenon, though on a small scale.
The view from the top of the valley. The center right is the area showing the most visible foundation. The lake used to run near the drop off area and may do so again.
To access the area, you must be willing to first climb down, and then walk near the water line. A trail will lead you south to the remains of St. Thomas.
Halfway Down the drop, what appears to be a couple chimneys stick out from the lake. Boaters must proceed carefully through St. Thomas.
The remains of Tamarisk cover the mud. After 65 years, the fibrous wood is still resilient to bending. A tree stump remains - probably from 1930s when they were cut to protect future boaters.
The bed of the lake and former town is amazingly free of trash and debris. During my stay, I saw only two beer cans and a bottle. The can shown is a Hamm's beer crimpled by a boater. The presence of a pull tab places it as post 1962. The bottle had lost its label.
The most visible foundation is that of a house most likely among the best in town. The concrete was probably mixed by hand. The stress areas are reinforced with steel apparently bent by hand. Though not contemporary Re-bar, it has stood the test of time and the elements as have the fence posts aligned along the left side of the house. The partial basement may have been used to keep supplies out of the intense heat.
A road is clearly visible and had been cut through the Tamarisk. Looking at contemporary maps, a road bed exists across the river on the Arizona side. Was there a pre-Hoover bridge?
A box which probably housed a well is close by the house. The hand pump was probably removed before the "flood". Though the water has receded well beyond this site over a month ago, there is still water a foot below the concrete. There has been scarce rain in this area this year. A 5 foot long stick dipped in the well failed to strike anything.
I enjoyed my visit to St. Thomas. It really got me thinking about life in the desert in the post Civil war era. If I live to see Lake Mead flow into the Hoover Dam spillways once more, I will surely be thinking about St. Thomas.
To get there from Las Vegas, take I-15 north for 30 miles to Exit 75 - Valley of Fire. Drive through and enjoy the state park (about 25 miles). When you get to the east park exit, do not turn. Continue east on the dirt road for about 4 miles and park on the bluff overlooking the lake and town site. Be prepared for a 2-3 mile hike with moderate climbing.
References:
Nevada Ghost Towns & Mining Camps, Stanley W. Paher, ISBN 913814-04-0
Las Vegas: As it began - as it grew, Stanley W. Paher, ISBN 0-913814-74-1
Las Vegas Review Journal, December 8, 2002, www.lvrj.com
Ghost Towns .com www.ghosttowns.com
The First 100, A.D. Hopkins and K.J. Evans, Huntington Press, Las Vegas, Nevada
Perkins, Orville. -"Hookey Beans & Willows: True short stories of Yesteryear" The Art Press, St. George UT 1980