Elko District Office
| Contacts: | Lesli Ellis | , 775-753-0386 | , lellis@blm.gov |
Gun Up and Tune Up at the California Trail Center
ELKO, Nev. – Over 100 historic firearms will be on display this Saturday, Aug. 20, at The California Trail Interpretive Center as part of the Frontier Firearms Symposium.
Beginning at 10 a.m. this symposium focuses on firearms carried overland to California between 1841 and 1869. Visitors will see firsthand the advancement in technology from earlier flintlocks to metallic cartridge weapons. A Gatling gun demonstration, an early rapid-fire weapon, will take place at 10 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
Other displays include handguns of the era, mid-century military long guns and examples of pistols used along the California Trail. A panel of firearms collectors will be on hand to answer questions about the history of firearms and the use and care of muzzle loaders, a single-shot black-powder firearm.
On Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. join seasonal ranger Tiffany Cusick for “Whistle While You Walk: Music on the Overland Trail.” Learn how music served as a respite for weary pioneers and was the basis for get-togethers and good times on the California trail. Instruments like pennywhistles, fiddles, harmonicas and jaw harps were common on the overland migration, and many an evening was spent enjoying music and conversation.
The California Trail Interpretive Center, operated by the Bureau of Land Management, is located eight miles west of Elko at Hunter exit 292. The center is open Wednesdays through Sundays, from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., through Sept. 4. For more information, visit www.californiatrailcenter.org or www.blm.gov/cv5c or call (775) 738-1849.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land, the most of any Federal agency. This land, known as the National System of Public Lands, is primarily located in 12 Western states, including Alaska. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2011, recreational and other activities on BLM-managed land contributed more than $130 billion to the U.S. economy and supported more than 600,000 American jobs. The Bureau is also one of a handful of agencies that collects more revenue than it spends. In FY 2012, nearly $5.7 billion will be generated on lands managed by the BLM, which operates on a $1.1 billion budget. The BLM's multiple-use mission is to sustain the health and productivity of the public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. The Bureau accomplishes this by managing such activities as outdoor recreation, livestock grazing, mineral development, and energy production, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on public lands.
Elko District Office 3900 E. Idaho St. Elko, NV 89801