Historical Information
Pilot Peak Wildlife Park, besides being the home for many species of animals, is also the location of Pilot Station and Proctor, two towns from Nevada's historical past.
The above photo is of a one room house, with a closet and wood stove, which was originally in Proctor mining town in the late 1800s, was moved to Wendover in 1910 by the railroad. After 95 years we moved it back! In the background, sits Pilot Peak at 10,700 feet. John C. Freemont used the mountain to pilot his crew across the Bonneville Salt Flats back in 1845. Kit Carson found a stream at the base of the mountain and set off smoke signals for the Freemont party to follow.
Spooky visits Kit Carson's campsite from October, 1845 at Pilot Peak, Nevada. Back then, Carson and John C. Freemont were mapping the trail to the west coast, which was later followed by pioneers in search of a new life. Spooky will be mapping out her new life throughout the next year as her new home at Pilot Peak Wildlife Park is being developed.
Story in the July 11 th, 2008 issue of The Wendover Times:
A Visit From the Sundance Kid, 110 years ago
Harry Longabaugh was born in Pennsylvania in 1867. At the young age of 20, he was jailed in Sundance, Wyoming, for horse theft. This may be where he got the name, The Sundance Kid.
On July 14, 1898, Sundance and Kid Curry robbed the Southern Pacific train in Humboldt, Nevada. They got away with $450 and fled to Utah. On their way, they stopped by Proctor, just 12 miles north of Wendover.
On April 3, 1899, Sundance and Kid Curry robbed the Club Saloon in Elko, Nevada. Their take was between $500 and $3,000, depending on who tells the story. This time they began to set up a hideout in Proctor on their way back to Utah.
When they returned a year later, Butch Cassidy was running the gang. After staying the night on September 13th, the group headed to Winnemucca and robbed the First National Bank on September 19th, 1900, They got away with $32,640. Pinkerton Lawman Charles Siringo chased the gang all over the western United States for several years, but never caught them.
Their hideout near Proctor collapsed decades ago, and is nothing more than a pile of wood, but the story lives on. During World War II, military personal used to visit the site.
Story in the September 14th, 2007 issue of The Wendover Times
It’s Butch Cassidy Day
107 years ago, on September 13, 1900, Butch Cassidy visited Pilot Peak and the town of Proctor, Nevada, near Wendover. Cassidy was riding with the Sundance Kid, Bill Carver and Kid Curry. They had robbed the Union Pacific train in Tipton, Wyoming on August 29th, 1900 and were on their way to Winnemucca, Nevada.
For Sundance and Kid Curry, this was their third visit to the area. On July 14th, 1898, Sundance and Kid Curry robbed the Southern Pacific train in Humboldt, Nevada. They got away with $450 and returned to Utah.
On April 3, 1899, Sundance and Kid Curry robbed the Club Saloon in Elko, Nevada. The amount was between $500 and $3,000 depending on the source. They went back to Proctor, where Kid Curry wanted to build a hideout. Then, as usual, they headed to Utah.
When they returned a year later, Butch Cassidy was running the gang. After staying the night on September 13th, the group headed to Winnemucca and robbed the First National Bank on September 19th, 1900. They got away with $32,640. The local sheriff formed a posse and used Western Union to telegraph the next town to the east, Golconda. The town constable in Golconda formed his own posse and attempted to catch the Wild Bunch; but, unfortunately the two posses ended up tracking each other and never found the bank robbers.
At the same time, the Pinkerton Detective Agency dispatched lawman Charles Siringo to track the gang. He followed the trail into Utah, but was way behind them. The gang picked up fresh horses at Proctor, near Pilot Peak, it was an outlaw habit that always kept them ahead of anyone on their trail. Siringo went clear to Circleville, Utah, Butch Cassidy’s hometown, but never found them.
Cassidy was born nearby in Beaver, Utah, in 1866. His real name was Robert LeRoy Parker. During their robbing spree, the Wild Bunch had hideouts all over Utah and one or two in Wyoming and Nevada. They robbed banks, trains, mines, and stagecoach payrolls in Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Nevada, Montana, Idaho, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.
Cassidy, Sundance, and Kid Curry would have visited Wendover, except it wasn’t there - not until 1907. Back in the wild west days, Proctor was the only town in the area. It began in 1872 as a mining town.
Story printed October 20th, 2005 issue of The Wendover Times
160 Years Since Kit Carson Found Wendover Water
Wednesday was Kit Carson Day in Wendover. There wasn’t a parade or a celebration but it was 160 years to the day that Kit Carson found the springs at the base of Pilot Peak, on October 19th, 1845. Wendover still uses Pilot Peak as part of its water source today.
John C. Fremont and Kit Carson were hired by the government to map the route to the west, from Missouri to the West Coast. Fremont named all points of interest, including Pilot Peak, the Humbolt River, Carson City and Fremont, California. After leaving Stansbury Island in 1845, Carson took 3 men and headed west ahead of Fremont’s group. When he found water at the base of Pilot Peak, he set off smoke signals for Fremont’s group, who were still crossing the Salt Flats.
Then Carson set up camp in an area near today’s Pilot Peak exit on I-80. While waiting for Fremont’s men to water their horses, Carson located the route to get over the Toana Mountain Range. They crossed over the mountains in a dip between the Graymount Lime Plant and the Silver Zone.
Later, pioneers heading west, used the same route know as Hastings Cutoff of the California Trail, but they went north over the Silver Zone. Carson’s campsite near the Pilot Peak Exit was found in August of 2002.
