The demise of Empire Nevada

[DirtyDog]

Recent headline: Empire, Nevada Completely Wiped Out By Recession

Important excerpt:

After the plant closed, families were allowed to stay in their homes free of charge for 5 months, in order to finish out the school year, according to the Daily Mail. With the loss of Empire, the nearby Gerlach-Empire school will be reduced to just 12 students, from 73

IMO this is going to swallow up Gerlach too for the most part. When the gas station closes travel to the area will become much more difficult due to the extreme remoteness of the area. As travelers stop going to the area, the last of the local services will close one at a time until it's nothing but a few residences in a dead town. I certainly hope this doesn't happen but that's my prediction.

What do the rest of you think?

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

I guess this will be the end of Bruno's, too.

 

[MarkBC]

I hope you're wrong, DD.

Besides sympathy/compassion for the residents...I'd hate to lose the ability to buy gas in Gerlach -- that could be a problem. It's 85 miles from Cedarville, CA (on the route I usually take to the southern Black Rock Desert) to Gerlach...assuming there was still gas in Cedarville. If I reached Gerlach via a trip down the far-east edge and south edge of the Black Rock (which I've done several times) -- with last-gas in Denio Jct, NV -- that would be a much-bigger problem.

Burning Man would have to bring in a couple tankers with diesel and regular for that fiesta.

Culturally, Bruno's would be the bigger loss...but I've passed through Gerlach without a stop at Bruno's while I've never NOT filled up at the gas station there.

 

[SunMan]

Burning Man would have to bring in a couple tankers with diesel and regular for that fiesta.



No kidding, I wonder how that will affect BM this year. I know they pump quite a bit of cash into the community.

 

[Desert Rancher]

More info:
http://www.lvrj.com/news/empire-the-death-of-a-nevada-company-town-123707114.html?ref=114

BTW, somehow burning man and a fuel tanker seem like a bad idea. Didn't someone torch the "man" a few days too soon a few years back?

 

[MarkBC]

More info:
http://www.lvrj.com/...14.html?ref=114
BTW, somehow burning man and a fuel tanker seem like a bad idea. Didn't someone torch the "man" a few days too soon a few years back?

After reading that sad story it does seem like a good chance that Gerlach won't last without the business of plant workers/families.

On the other hand...Fields, OR (cafe, store, gas) survives on just local-rancher and tourist traffic. Maybe Gerlach will contract to just one or two businesses, but not disappear altogether. I hope.

 

[Ted]

DD, perhaps we should plan a return trip to Blackrock once you are campered again? Maybe even an actual rally with Gandolph cooking. It wouldn't change Gerlach's fate but it might be a last opportunity to experience the location.

 

[Desert Rancher]

DD, perhaps we should plan a return trip to Blackrock once you are campered again? Maybe even an actual rally with Gandolph cooking. It wouldn't change Gerlach's fate but it might be a last opportunity to experience the location.


An excellent idea!

 

[MarkBC]

DD, perhaps we should plan a return trip to Blackrock once you are campered again? Maybe even an actual rally with Gandolph cooking. It wouldn't change Gerlach's fate but it might be a last opportunity to experience the location.

Yup!
When will DD be campered again...September? Too hot to go to the Black Rock anyway until post-summer...though I did spend a night there on July-4 weekend a few years ago.

Speaking of Burning Man, (Aug 29 - Sep 5) I just visited the website and saw that this year's Art Theme is "Rites of Passage":
"There are moments of crisis and frisson in our lives which inform us that we've somehow crossed an inner threshold and are changed. Thus moving from one state of being into an unknown other obliges us to face our innermost insecurities, and it requires faith, a willingness to leap off the ladder of ordered existence. Our theme this year invites participants to join with others in creating rites of passage."
Sounds like this could (unintentionally, probably) relate to the "passage" that the Empire-Gerlach community is experiencing.
And I'm sure that more than one BM participant will at some point exclaim, "Oh wow, man! Gerlach is dying -- that's a rite of passage, dude!...uh...did I say that outloud?" And then he'll say it again about 10 minutes later...

 

[Greatbasinguide]

Yup!
When will DD be campered again...September? Too hot to go to the Black Rock anyway until post-summer...though I did spend a night there on July-4 weekend a few years ago.

Speaking of Burning Man, (Aug 29 - Sep 5) I just visited the website and saw that this year's Art Theme is "Rites of Passage":
"There are moments of crisis and frisson in our lives which inform us that we've somehow crossed an inner threshold and are changed. Thus moving from one state of being into an unknown other obliges us to face our innermost insecurities, and it requires faith, a willingness to leap off the ladder of ordered existence. Our theme this year invites participants to join with others in creating rites of passage."
Sounds like this could (unintentionally, probably) relate to the "passage" that the Empire-Gerlach community is experiencing.
And I'm sure that more than one BM participant will at some point exclaim, "Oh wow, man! Gerlach is dying -- that's a rite of passage, dude!...uh...did I say that outloud?" And then he'll say it again about 10 minutes later...

 

[Greatbasinguide]

I can dream that the lack of services will force BLM to remove the Zit on the Face of the Desert called Burning Man. Won't happen but it would be a wonderful thing. Let the Black Rock Desert revert to obscurity for the adventurous.

 

[ski3pin]

I spent some time last weekend with a guy from NV who's Mom owns one of the bars in Gerlach. He is a friend of my brother. We did not discuss anything economic but I will see if I can get a discussion going. Both will be in Susanville this weekend. With all the interest in Nevada mining with the increase in gold prices, this is a sad story for Empire and Gerlach, another boom or bust scenario.

 

[DirtyDog]

DD, perhaps we should plan a return trip to Blackrock once you are campered again? Maybe even an actual rally with Gandolph cooking. It wouldn't change Gerlach's fate but it might be a last opportunity to experience the location.


Actually Home Skillet and I had already discussed a Fall Black Rock trip but I hesitate to make any concrete plans until I know exactly when my camper will be done.

 

[Ted]

Actually Home Skillet and I had already discussed a Fall Black Rock trip but I hesitate to make any concrete plans until I know exactly when my camper will be done.


That would be cool - an opportunity to check out both of your custom campers! Let's hope the camper Gods bless you and something comes together. And if Marc can bring his latest XP and/or his new junior XP it could really interesting.

 

[Lighthawk]

We want to get out to Soldier Meadows this fall, so who knows?

 

[ski3pin]

Misspoke, the fellow's Mom doesn't own a bar in Gerlach but he still lives there, now into retirement from the railroad. The card's here for Stew. Yes, lots of concern for the future in Gerlach.

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

I can dream that the lack of services will force BLM to remove the Zit on the Face of the Desert called Burning Man. Won't happen but it would be a wonderful thing. Let the Black Rock Desert revert to obscurity for the adventurous.


Ya, GBG, the crowds for BM have certainly brought about the closing of some hot springs that were on private land, and roads that were on both private and public lands. Maybe Gerlach would miss BM but the Blackrock won't.

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

Misspoke, the fellow's Mom doesn't own a bar in Gerlach but he still lives there, now into retirement from the railroad. The card's here for Stew. Yes, lots of concern for the future in Gerlach.


Thanks for the card, 3pin! I have two coffee mugs with same Country Club logo from my last trip to Bruno's. Bruno is from Tuscana (Tuscany), Italia and makes a wicked ravioli, sometimes available at the his Country Club.

 

[MarkBC]

I have two coffee mugs with same Country Club logo from my last trip to Bruno's.

Like this?

Great motto! "Where the pavement ends and the west begins." I wonder if there's a copyright on that?

 

[Dughlas Stiubhart]

Like this?

Great motto! "Where the pavement ends and the west begins." I wonder if there's a copyright on that?

Yes, like these Mark, but without the horses.

I think there is a road sign in Gerlach somewhere that says: Where the Pavement Ends and the West Begins. But then there are other towns that claim the same . . .