Salt Wells, Nevada is the site of a former brothel and a possible future route of
Interstate 11. Salt Wells is located on the northern edge of the Salt Wells Marsh, 15 miles southeast of
Fallon, Nevada
Fallon is a city in Churchill County, Nevada, Churchill County in the U.S. state of Nevada. The population was 9,327 at time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Fallon is the county seat of Churchill County and is located in the Lahont ...
on
U.S. Route 50
U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...
near
Sand Mountain.
History
Borax
The BORAX Experiments were a series of safety experiments on boiling water nuclear reactors conducted by Argonne National Laboratory in the 1950s and 1960s at the National Reactor Testing Station in eastern Idaho. was discovered by William Throop at Salt Wells. In 1870, the American Borax Co. built a borax works there. In 1871, the plant was in operation, along with a smaller plant, producing 20 tons per month, though production ceased in a few years due to the low grade of the deposit. The borax deposit consisted of about 400 acres with a borax content of 10%, sometimes reaching 30%.
In the 1920s and 30s, Salt Wells had a bar and a gas station.
Salt Wells was the site of
Salt Wells Villa, a brothel in operation from 1975. In 1977, the brothel was
Firebombed by the wife of the
Churchill County Sheriff, Mildred Banovich. The brothel closed in 2004. In 2007, the brothel was destroyed in a fire.
In 2009, the Salt Wells Geothermal Plant was opened south of Salt Wells.
In March 2018, it was reported that the
Nevada Department of Transportation
The Nevada Department of Transportation (Nevada DOT or NDOT) is a government agency in the U.S. state of Nevada. NDOT is responsible for maintaining and improving Nevada's highway system, which includes U.S. highways and Interstate highways with ...
was considering Salt Wells as a possible route from
Tonopah, Nevada
Tonopah ( , Shoshoni language: Tonampaa) is an Unincorporated towns in Nevada, unincorporated town in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Nye County, Nevada, Nye County. Nicknamed the Queen of the Silver Camps for its mining-rich hi ...
to
Interstate 80
Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one of the ori ...
; the new route would be part of
Interstate 11.
References
External links
Salt Wells(nvexpeditions)
{{Churchill County, Nevada
Ghost towns in Churchill County, Nevada