Alamo, Nevada

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Last Chance for gas before Las Vegas

The town of Alamo is located in southern Lincoln County, just 90 miles north of Las Vegas. This friendly community includes a café, grocery store, church, motels, service stations, emergency services and a landing strip for small private airplanes. It is the social and business center of the rich Pahranagat Valley and home to the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge.

With an abundant water source, the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge has over 5,000 acres of open wetlands and lush green grasslands. An important stop on the Great Pacific Migratory Route, thousands of migratory birds and waterfowl fly through this area every year. Dozens of bird species can be found in this long valley, and it is one of over 500 managed areas in the National Wildlife Refuge system.

The country surrounding Alamo offers great fishing, many lakes, hot springs, and Native American artifacts. It is also one of the closest inhabited places to the government installation known as Area 51.


History:

In the early 1860’s, the Pahranagat Valley was a prime range for horse thieves who stole stock in Utah and Arizona. After resting up in the valley, the rustlers and their horses would make the long journey across the desert and into California. It was once reported that there were over 350 different brands in the valley at one time. Described by one of the original settlers as "the toughest place I ever saw."

Nearby Hiko was chosen as the county seat in February of 1866, and the discovery of gold brought about the establishment of many new mining towns. Eventually, the last of the rustlers were driven out of the area.

The town of Alamo celebrated its 100th anniversary in July of 2001. Fred Allen, Mike Botts, Bert Riggs and William Stewart originally laid out the town in 1901. The post office was established on May 12, 1905. Most of the Alamo settlers came from Fredonia, Arizona. The name of the town was derived from the Spanish word for "poplar" and denotes the presence of poplar or cottonwood trees in the area.

For more information on Alamo and the Pahranagat Valley, please visit www.lincolncountynevada.com/alamo.html