From articles titled “TALES FROM MISFIT FLATS” by Betty Retzer, appearing in the Dayton Courier (www.daytoncourier.com)

Misfit Flats lies in the Stagecoach Valley at about 4265 feet above sea level. It is privately owned and has been used in several commercials. Most locals know that the Flats (as it is also known) got its name from the 1961 movie, “The Misfits” starring Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe.

This dry alkali lakebed is a remnant of prehistoric Lake Lahontan and was featured in the exciting finale of the movie where Clark Gable roped and was dragged by a mustang stallion. Today, a small band of mustangs can still be found frequenting the area. I’m glad to say that the “misfit” cowboys are no longer in evidence.

Lyon County (name after a Civil War general, Nathaniel Lyon) was established November 25, 1861 with Dayton serving as the first county seat. Yerington became the county seat in 1911 and remains so today. The county is made up of 2016 square miles of land and per the 2007 census had 55,903 people. Until recently, it was one of the fastest growing counties in the U.S.

I figured out that Stagecoach was so named because of the Overland Stagecoach station at Desert Well (see the historical marker located by the Stagecoach Community Center). But why was it called an overland stage route (how else could a stagecoach travel?)

After doing some research, I found out that mail headed to California was typically delivered by steamship though Panama until the Overland Mail Company was created in 1857. The Desert Well Station was a dual stop for both the stagecoach line and the Pony Express – both delivered mail over land.

All that mail so long ago and Stagecoach still cannot get its own post office.

In the 1850s Lt. Edward Beale of the U.S. Army decided to try using camels as pack animals in the deserts of the Southwest. The experiment was not successful and the camels were auctioned. Some were brought to the Dayton area to haul wood and salt to the miners in the Comstock. They were kept behind the stone hay barn (Leslie Hay Barn) now known as the Leslie Camel Barn - currently housing Camel Barn Antiques.

Later the camels were abandoned and left to fend for themselves. One was found dead in the mountain range that separates Lahontan Reservoir from Fallon – hence, the name Dead Camel Mountain Range.

On July 3, 1976, Stagecoach hosted a bicentennial parade – in 10 inches of snow – turned to mud by the time the parade was to kick off. The next weekend, the Stagecoach Community Center / Fire House was dedicated. Crosby donated the land and many people were involved in fund raising and helping to build the structure. The building was given to the County for Community use. If you have not visited the Community Center, you should do so (attend one of the Advisory Meetings or play Bingo on Saturday nights) - see the wonderful mural painted on the end wall – it depicts the travels of Mark Twain from his book “Roughing It”.

I decided to do a little research on tumbleweeds. Wikipedia provided a lot of information and led me to some interesting websites. By definition a tumbleweed is any plant that once mature separates from the root and tumbles away. There were many varieties of such plants listed. The one most familiar to those living around Stagecoach (and other places in Nevada) is the Russian Thistle, that green, spiky plant that dries into the brown thing from – well, you get the picture. The seeds of this plant supposedly came from Africa in flax seed in the 1870s.

But the most interesting fact about tumbleweeds was the number of websites I found that sell tumbleweeds – a 20-inch diameter tumbleweed goes for around $25. Garden City Kansas claims to be the tumbleweed capital of the world – maybe we should challenge them to a tumbleweed duel. Chandler Arizona constructs their Christmas tree from tumbleweeds. At one site, you can buy “road kill tumbleweed parts” – these are tumbleweeds that have been run over by vehicles on highways.

I think we might be missing out on an opportunity here. I’ll gladly give as many tumbleweeds as anyone wants to haul away if someone wants to start their own tumbleweed business here in Stagecoach. I have a fine variety of seeds, starter plants or dried varieties.

Our local wild horses are going “international”. An author and a photographer from Sweden are learning as much about our horses during their 3 week stay in September 2009 – all aspects – from wild to gentled, from babies to aged, from prison trained to gentled by a teenager – all to appear in a book that will be published next year.