The large and constant flow of sweet, warm water from a spring about one half mile from here creates the desert oasis of Meadow Valley. First noted by Manley's ill-fated Death Valley Party in 1849, the site was cultivated in 1858 by Brigham Young's White Mountain Mission men, who sought a desert refuge should a federal presence in Utah make a Mormon exodus necessary. The site was abandoned that same year.

Dependent on these spring waters, Mormons built the first permanent settlement in southern Nevada at Panaca in 1864. For 80 years this water served all domestic purposes.

The Meadow Valley Mining District, including the Pioche area, was organized in 1864 with its center at Panaca Spring.

State Historical Marker No. 160
State Historic Preservation Office