RENO, Nev. (AP) — A $20 million federal facility devoted to telling the story about covered-wagon pioneers’ overland journey during the California Gold Rush has opened in Nevada.
A grand opening ceremony was held Saturday for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s California Trail Interpretative Center, located along Interstate 80 near Elko about 280 miles west of Reno.
It’s the first federal facility devoted exclusively to the California Trail and the BLM’s third trail center. The agency operates similar centers in Casper, Wyo., and Baker City, Ore., along the Oregon Trail.
From 1841 to 1869, more than 250,000 people followed California Trail branches across California, Idaho, Nevada and Utah, which was considered the worst stretch of the entire 2,000-mile journey.
The trail center’s exhibits feature life-size dioramas, original artwork, interactive displays and multi-media presentations.
