Trego Hot Springs is located in the

Black Rock Desert __NOTOC__ The Black Rock Desert is a semi-arid region (in the Great Basin shrub steppe eco-region) of lava beds and playa, or alkali flats, situated in the Black Rock Desert–High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trails National Conservation Area, a si ...

at the location of Trego, Nevada, a former station on the

Western Pacific Railroad The Western Pacific Railroad was a Class I railroad in the United States. It was formed in 1903 as an attempt to break the near-monopoly the Southern Pacific Railroad had on rail service into northern California. WP's Feather River Route dire ...

. The name "Trego" dates from the 1910s, just after the railroad was built. Previously, the springs had names like Hot Springs, Kyles Hot Springs (1864), Butte Spring, and Butte Hot Spring. Today, Trego is known for its hot springs, which is a long ditch with a soft mud bottom. The springs are at the north end, near the railroad tracks, and the water flows south. Garside reports that the springs have a temperature of 187F. Unlike nearby Frog Springs at the Garrett Ranch, Trego is on public land.

History

The area near the springs were seasonally occupied from 4000 B.P. and 1000 B.P. Fairfield states that in 1856, Ladue Vary and Fred Hines discovered the springs that were later named Trego Hot Springs when they took a short cut from Granite Creek (now known as Granite Ranch) across the Black Rock Desert playa towards Rabbit Hole Spring. When they arrived at the Humboldt River, the met a wagon train on the Nobles Emigrant Trail. Vary and Hines told the emigrants about the springs, the emigrants took the shortcut and the Nobles trail was adjusted accordingly. "Hot Spr" appears on the 1857 map "Map of the Western Division of the Fort Kearney South Pass and Honey Lake Road" at that location. The 400 foot long trench was initially hand dug by a group led by

Frederick W. Lander Frederick William Lander (December 17, 1821 – March 2, 1862) was a transcontinental United States explorer, general in the Union Army during the American Civil War, and a prolific poet. Birth and early years Lander was born in Salem, Massachu ...

in 1860. The trench cooled the water that flowed to a large tank. Amesbury reports two 1861 entries from the diary of Edith Lockhart: "August 18: Pleasant day. Started at noon and went 18 miles to Rabbit Hole Springs, rested a couple of hours and went 18 more miles by the next day to Hot Springs." "Aug. 19. A warm day - got into camp at 10 oclock in this morning, laid over till evening - when we went 12 miles to Granite Creek or Wells." The area was named Trego around the time the railroad came through in the early 1900s. Carlson states that Trego was named after nearby Mount Trego, which is formally known as Old Razorback Mountain. The name Mount Trego only appears on the Pershing County Assessors Map. The earliest citation for Trego from an original source is from an April 29, 1912 newspaper article that states that "Borax" in the water was the cause of a train engine boiler explosion that killed three people. In 1993,

Desert Siteworks Desert Siteworks was an event held on the Black Rock Desert for three years (1992-1994). Participants built art and participated in self-directed performances. History In 1992, Desert Siteworks was conceived and directed by William Binzen. De ...

was held at Trego. Desert Siteworks was a series of art events led by William Binzen, assisted by Judy West and

John Law John Law may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John Law (artist) (born 1958), American artist * John Law (comics), comic-book character created by Will Eisner * John Law (film director), Hong Kong film director * John Law (musician) (born 1961) ...

for three years (1992-1994). Many of the principles developed at Desert Siteworks (such as Leave-No-Trace) were adopted by Burning Man. In 2020, the Bureau of Land Management reported that Trego Hot Springs was contaminated with E. Coli,

Fecal coliform A fecal coliform (British: faecal coliform) is a facultatively anaerobic, rod-shaped, gram-negative, non-sporulating bacterium. Coliform bacteria generally originate in the intestines of warm-blooded animals. Fecal coliforms are capable of growth ...

s and ''

Vibrio cholerae ''Vibrio cholerae'' is a species of Gram-negative, facultative anaerobe and comma-shaped bacteria. The bacteria naturally live in brackish or saltwater where they attach themselves easily to the chitin-containing shells of crabs, shrimps, and oth ...

'' and advised the public to avoid bathing.

References

{{reflist Ghost towns in Pershing County, Nevada Hot springs of Nevada