NV-3727
June 1–6, 2008 (including Sunday)
Must commit to full session
Sonora Hicks was part Cherokee and the son of Elijah Hicks, an editor of the Cherokee Phoenix newspaper in 1832. Elijah was also Captain of the second emigrant Cherokee detachment during the late 1830s when the government forced Indian removal from Georgia to eastern Oklahoma. Sonora would have been 14 years old during the long march on the “Trail of Tears”.
In the late 1840s Sonora made his way west and assisted in the rescue of stranded emigrants in Nevada and California along the Emigrant Trail. He was later credited with the discovery of the first “lode” gold deposits in Oregon in the early 1850s, and after the Civil War, received commendations for his service as Chief of Scouts at Fort Boise, Idaho.
After 1868, he separated from military service and prospected for gold in northeastern Nevada where he lived for 30 years. Sonora married Susie, a Shoshone woman about 1874, and they had eight children. Our goal is to find and record the various homes and mining sites that are attributed to Sonora in archival records. Volunteers will assist with surveying and recording sites across relatively rugged terrain at about 7,000 feet in altitude.
Number of openings: 10
Special skills: Must be physically fit, able to hike in rugged terrain at high altitude
Minimum age: 18 years old
Facilities: Tent camping, no potable water, camper hookups, or electricity; Forest Service will provide outdoor shower stalls, porta-toilets, and possibly a cook stove; volunteers responsible for personal camping equipment, food, and water
Nearest towns: Mountain City, NV, 15 miles; Owyhee, ID/NV, 25 miles; Elko, NV, 70 miles
Applications due: March 30, 2008
NV-3723
June 16–20, 2008
Must commit to full session
If you ever wanted to work and sweat like a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enrollee, now is your chance! In the 1930s and 1940s the Nevada National Forest ran a CCC camp for enrollees who worked on many of the recreation sites on the National Forest. This summer, the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, Ely Ranger District will host a Passport in Time project and the volunteers will emulate what those “CCC boys” did 75 years ago. But we promise we won’t work you quite as hard!
The project will include repairing CCC-built structures including the Berry Creek Guard Station and the Teapot Springs Outhouse. We will also work on some of the modern facilities in the Duck Creek Valley (one of the most scenic areas in Nevada). To top it all off, we will visit other CCC sites and outstanding archaeological sites in the area.
At the end of each day we plan on having a night of education and craft similar to the nights experienced by the original CCC enrollees. An author and craftsman specializing in CCC history will visit and we will also spend a few nights around the campfire just looking at the beautiful stars you can see in this remote part of our country. Please consider this project as a chance to relive the history of the CCC and a chance to experience one of the most scenic areas of Nevada.
Number of openings: 15
Special skills: Must be willing to hike, perform manual labor such as painting and hammering, and assist with camp chores; historic preservation skills helpful but not required
Minimum age: Under 18 with a responsible adult
Facilities: Free tent and self-contained RV camping at the beautiful Timber Creek Campground, vault toilets, tables, grills, running water, and streams for fishing; volunteers responsible for personal camping equipment; meals provided Monday dinner through Friday dinner
Nearest towns: McGill, 20 miles; Ely, 30 miles; Elko, 170 miles
Applications due: April 14, 2008