NATURAL HISTORY
OF THE JARBIDGE AREA
Geography
The Jarbidge, Nevada, area occupies a unique region of the United States. It is located at a place where the great Snake River Plains of Idaho meet the Basin and Range Province of Nevada, California, and Utah. The Jarbidge Mountains are the highest mountains in the northern part of the state. The Matterhorn, so named because of its resemblance to the famous mountain in Switzerland, reaches an elevation of 10,839 feet above sea level. Nine other peaks in the range are higher than 10,000 feet and several lesser peaks exceed 9,000 feet in elevation.
The Snake River Plains of Idaho, north of the Jarbidge Mountains, stretches for more than 125 miles towards Boise, Twin Falls, and Idaho Falls, Idaho. The view from any high point in the Jarbidge region shows the vast extent of the lava plains. Portions of the Snake River Plains extend right up to the edges of the Jarbidge high country. The very deep canyons of the Jarbidge River and its East Fork separate some of these high plains from each other. Jarbidge people call the cut off parts of the plains "islands" or "benches" (e.g., the Big Island, the Little Island, or Palomino Bench).
The tiny hamlet of Jarbidge lies deep in the canyon of the Jarbidge River.(See Photo) The stream begins at Jarbidge Lake, which occupies one of seven glacial cirques that were gouged out of the solid rock by masses of ice during the Pleistocene Epoch of geologic history. Most of the glacial bowls contain snow throughout the summer. Rain and melting snow form numerous small streams that enter the Jarbidge River at irregular intervals along its 17-mile length.
The depth of Jarbidge Canyon is truly astonishing. At one place, just below the Matterhorn, it reaches a depth of more than 4,800 feet! That is nearly as deep as the Grand Canyon of the Colorado! The sides of Jarbidge Canyon are very steep. A geologist once described them in the following terms: "It has been said that Spain is a land of great vistas. I can tell you that Jarbidge is a land of great elevations" Jarbidge Peak, (more than 3,400 feet above the town) is only one and one-half miles (horizontally) from the town." Over its length from Jarbidge Lake to the Idaho boundary, the stream itself has an average drop of more than 250 feet per mile.
The mountainsides in Jarbidge Canyon have very steep slopes that are interrupted by huge outcroppings of reddish brown and gray rocks. It was the presence of these rocks that attracted the attention of prospectors who found gold in Jarbidge Canyon in 1909.(See Photo)
East of Jarbidge Canyon are other deep and spectacular canyons and peaks. The canyon of the East Fork of the Jarbidge River forms some of the most beautiful country in the United States. The East Fork country is so biologically and geologically unique that 64,000 acres of that area were set aside as the Jarbidge Wilderness Area with the passage of the National Wilderness Act of 1964. Another 50,000 acres were added to the Wilderness Area in 1991.
Additional mountainous country borders the Jarbidge Wilderness Area on the east, south, and west. The mountains in those areas are part of the Basin and Range Province in Nevada. Persons who are familiar with the geography of Nevada know that the entire state is comprised of a "washboard" of north-south mountain ranges and adjacent broad valleys. The Jarbidge Range is among the northernmost of those mountain ranges.
Geology
Significant quantities of gold were discovered in Jarbidge Canyon in the summer of 1909. Jarbidge was the primary producer of gold in the state of Nevada during the time between 1919 and 1921. Mining and serious prospecting ended in 1942 when the main ore-bearing vein in the Long Hike mine was lost. Although the geology of the Jarbidge Mountains has been thoroughly studied for years, it still is not completely understood.
The geology of the Jarbidge Mountains is quite simple in some respects and very complex in others. For example, the great majority of rocks in the Jarbidge Range are extrusive volcanic species (i.e., they are varieties of lava rocks) that were poured out on the surface of the earth during Miocene and Pliocene times... 25 to 15 million years ago, before the Jarbidge Mountains were formed. These are the same kind of outpourings that formed the Snake River Plains to the north. One can follow these lava rocks all the way from Rogerson, Idaho, on U.S. Highway 93, to Jarbidge.
The canyons of both the Jarbidge River and its east fork (at Murphy Hot Springs, Idaho) are carved from lava flows that in places are 5,000 feet thick. (See Photo) Such volcanic rocks can be found even at the tops of the highest peaks in the Jarbidge Range. The volcanics are divided into three types: the Old Rhyolite, the Young Rhyolite, and the Seventysix basalt. The rhyolites dominate in the Jarbidge Range proper, while the basalt is found only to the south of Jarbidge near the site of the former mining town of Charleston. The Old Rhyolite occurs mainly as massive outcrops within Jarbidge Canyon while the Young Rhyolites form thin, platy caprocks at higher elevations. The Old Rhyolites are usually gray, tan, or brown in color. The Young Rhyolite rocks are more often red or red-brown. Both rhyolites contain rather large (5-10 mm), spherical crystals of quartz. The crystals are often referred to as "fish eye" quartz.
The gold in Jarbidge Canyon was found in quartz veins that occur throughout the Old Rhyolite. In the general area near Jarbidge there are two sets of veins that intersect with one another.(See Photo) One set trends north-northwest and the other trends east-west. Most of the gold in Jarbidge was deposited at the intersections of those vein systems. In some places, the altered rhyolite in the wall rock was coated with pure gold forming what is called "picture ore". For the most part, however, the metal was found in tiny particles that could not be seen by the naked eye, but it was readily visible in the gold pan.
A singular outcrop of the Seventysix basalt occurs just west of the Camp Draw road on the way to Charleston. This location is about 15 miles south of Jarbidge on the Elko road. The basalt has no economic value, but is interesting because it is the youngest volcanic rock in the area and it contains very large crystals of feldspar (probably bytownite or anorthite). The Seventysix basalt is probably not more than two or three million years old.
Just north of the Copper Mountains, which are the high peaks west of the Jarbidge-Charleston road, there is a small area of granite (or granodiorite) that was once thought to have been the source for at least part of the solutions that brought valuable metals into the Jarbidge Range. The granitic stock, however, is not large in areal extent; it covers no more than about one square mile. It is light gray in color and bears a general resemblance to the Eocene intrusions that are found throughout the Basin and Range Province.
Metamorphic rocks are present about a half-mile south of Jarbidge where massive quartzite cliffs occur on the east side of the river. These and other occurrences of altered sedimentary rocks can be found throughout the upper parts of Jarbidge Canyon. Metamorphic rocks can also be seen in the hills along Seventysix Creek near Charleston.
Sedimentary rocks also can be found within Jarbidge Canyon and in nearby areas. Just north of Deer Creek (four miles north of the town) on the east side of the road is an outcrop of sedimentary material. This outcrop contains several layers of sandstone, mudstone, and clay that are attributed to the Humboldt formation. These beds were deposited in Humboldt Lake, an Ice Age lake that covered a large part of northeastern Nevada a million or so years ago. One large deposit of this material can be seen on the east side of Copper Basin on the road from Jarbidge to Charleston. Other exposures of such sedimentary rocks can be observed at places along each of the roads leading to Jarbidge either from Twin Falls, Idaho, or Elko, Nevada.
As in all high mountain regions, boulders and cobbles line the stream courses from the high peaks to the valley floor. Glacial deposits (especially angular moraine materials) can be found in and along the sides of each of the cirques in the high Jarbidge peaks.
Another type of sedimentary rock can be seen along the road from Jarbidge to Charleston. Thin-layered, gray limestones occur just south of Coon Creek Summit about nine miles south of Jarbidge. These rocks bear a striking resemblance to Middle Cambrian (500 million years old) deposits in the Elk Mountains. The Elk Mountains comprise a small mountain range that is located about 15 miles due east of the Jarbidge Mountains and about 35 miles southwest of Rogerson, Idaho.
Flora and Fauna
Jarbidge is famous for it amazing variety of wildlife. Its location at the boundary of the Snake River Plains and the Basin and Range Province provides a perfect environment for many kinds of living things. Biologists from many parts of the country have made annual visits to study the variations among plant species that can be found there, and massive reports have been generated from their observations. In 1914, a botanist from the University of Wyoming stated that more than 500 kinds of flowering plants could be found within 20 miles of the town. Visitors fill photo albums with pictures of the wildflowers that clothe the hills and canyons with colorful tapestries. A wide variety of trees and shrubs populate the mountain slopes and stream courses. Hunters come from many states seeking animals and game birds while anglers fill their creels with rainbow trout taken from the Jarbidge and Bruneau Rivers. The diversity of living things in the Jarbidge area is further enhanced by numerous species of birds that inhabit the canyons and plateaus.
Wildflowers that bloom in the Jarbidge region include mule’s ears (Wyethia ) and lupines which grow in profusion in higher and drier locations. The yellow sunflower-like mule’s ears and blue lupines acres and acres of rolling land in the area around Copper Basin (south of Jarbidge) and Pole Creek (east of town).(See Photo) Monk’s hoods, Indian paintbrushes (there are 14 varieties in the Jarbidge area), penstemons, gentians, evening primroses, cardinal flowers, and fireweeds join hundreds of other blooming plants to make any walk or backpacking trip more delightful. The region is also home to many kinds of trees and shrubs. Mountain mahogany, limber pine, white-bark pine, sub-alpine fir, quaking aspen, piñon pine, cedar and cottonwood account for the larger trees in the area. Large shrubs like alder, mountain ash, and willow thrive along the stream courses. Smaller plants include an almost endless variety of grasses, mosses, and lichens that grow throughout the region.
The number and kinds of mammals in the Jarbidge country is almost as varied as the plants. Large animals in the area include elk, pronghorn antelope, and mule deer. (the mule deer even wander through the streets and lawns in town).(See Photo) Cougars and bobcats also are abundant, but they are seldom seen because of their furtive habits. Many sheep which graze in the Jarbidge Mountains are killed each year by these predators and by coyotes that inhabit rocky places on the high plains near the town. Smaller mammals include "rock chucks" or Western marmots, ferrets, spermophiles (usually called chipmunks), pack rats, wood mice, and pikas. The last-named species are seen only in open places at higher elevations. They are quite interesting and are well known only to those who have studied them.
Snakes can also be found in the Jarbidge area. Water snakes are often seen along the streams and the peculiar rubber boa lives almost anywhere. Rattlesnakes are seldom found in the town; they do not often live at elevations above 6,000 feet and the town lies at 6,250 feet above sea level. Rattlesnakes are common at lower elevations along any stream or in wet grassy places. The visitor is well advised to be alert to their presence.
The bird population in Jarbidge is perhaps the most interesting feature of the Jarbidge area. The variety of birds is almost endless; only a few can be mentioned here. The most obvious birds in Jarbidge Canyon are robins. They can be seen at almost any time or place either in town or along the roads. Black-and-white magpies (a member of the crow family) screech and squawk in trees and on fences throughout the year. Evening grosbeaks, jays, woodpeckers, flickers, kingfishers, ouzels, nuthatches, flycatchers, and creepers populate the canyon while larks and mountain bluebirds live in the high, open places. Golden eagles and hawks of many kinds soar in the clear blue skies above the mountains. Not to be forgotten are the tiny house wrens that nest in shrubs or in little houses made for them by Jarbidge residents. And the population of hummingbirds in Jarbidge is truly amazing. Hundreds of the diminutive creatures come to Jarbidge every summer to sip nectar from the wildflowers and from the feeders that most residents provide for them. How they find Jarbidge after traveling thousands of miles from Central and South America is a mystery. But they arrive there every spring and stay until early fall.
Denizens of the streams were mentioned earlier. Rainbow trout are abundant in the Jarbidge and Bruneau Rivers. Anglers who know of their presence take large numbers of trout from these streams each summer. Although most of the rainbows are native fish, many are supplied annually by the Nevada Department of Fish and Game from the fish hatchery southeast of Elko. In addition to rainbow trout, other species are occasionally caught in the Jarbidge River. The mountain whitefish, although not good for eating, is taken at elevations above 7,000 feet where the water is colder. Emerald Lake, high in the mountains south of town, is home to Eastern brook trout, and cutthroat trout are numerous in the North Fork of the Humboldt River near the southern boundary of the Jarbidge Wilderness Area.
The wide variety and abundance of flora and fauna in the Jarbidge region can be attributed to the pristine condition of the countryside. Most of the area has remained untouched by human hands since the beginning of time. Although Jarbidge was once a mining town, most of the mining activity was restricted to the canyon area within a mile or so of the town. There are few roads in the territory, so only hiking or backpacking gains access to the wild places.
The town of Jarbidge occupies only 102-1/2 acres and can never be enlarged, since it is surrounded on all sides by national forest land. Although Jarbidge has many old frame and log buildings, it now has a permanent population of only about 20 persons.(See Photo) It is not likely to have more since homes there, occupied or vacant, are seldom sold. The region around the town is very likely to remain in its unspoiled condition far into the future.