Nevada Historic Markers in Churchill County: A Home of Early Man
Nevada Historical Marker 147
A Home of Early Man
I-80 Exit 83 Rest Area at US 95
Stretching before you are two vast sinks, terminal areas of the Humboldt and Carson River drainage systems. The marshy remnant of Lake Lahontan, between you and the distant Humboldt range, served as a life sustaining resource of wildlife for prehistoric man who lived by its shores. Generations occupied caves located on the lower slopes of the distant range.
Scientific archaeological excavation reveals that Lovelock and Ocala Caves served as homes to man from 2,000 B.C. to about 1840 A.D. What he left behind tells of a successful adaptation of his culture to a lakeside environment.
Nearby Leonard Rock Shelter, with human occupancy dating from 5,000 B.C., is a National Historic Landmark.
State Historical Landmark No. 147
Nevada State Park System
Churchill County Museum
The Nevada Historical Marker for Forty-Mile Desert is also located in this rest area.