Ragtown

Ragtown was not a town but an oasis and hamlet on the banks of the Carson River, named for pioneer laundry spread on nearby bushes. Just south of the dreaded Forty-Mile Desert on the California Emigrant Trail, it was the first water stop after that crossing and a deeply welcome sight to emigrants and their animals, who found water, shade, rest, and a chance to repair before continuing toward the Sierra Nevada. In 1854, Asa Kenyon established a trading post near Ragtown, where he sold goods and supplies to trappers. During the 1850's and 1860's, Ragtown became one of the most important sites on the Carson Branch of the California Trail.

Nevada · United States