A Walk Around Overton, Nevada

I've been mentioning Overton in quite a few of my blog posts, since I've been wintering here for the past 3 years, so I think it's time I devote a post to telling you a bit about it... Some history first. Overton is located in Clark County, Nevada, about 65 miles NE of Las Vegas (aka Lost Wages), and on the north end of Lake Mead. It was originally settled in 1869 by the Mormons, and it's still very much a Mormon town. Over the years, Overton developed as the main business center in the lower Moapa Valley. In the 1930's, the town of St. Thomas was inundated by the rising waters of Lake Mead as it was being filled, so the majority of its population moved to Overton. (St. Thomas can be seen once again, now that the Lake Mead has receded over the years, though it's just the foundations of the town's buildings, and bits and pieces of glass and things left after it was submerged; still, it's a good example of "urban" archaeology.) There's a silica plant here, silica being used mainly for making glass, 4 "eateries" in Overton -- The Inside Scoop (Blue Bunny ice cream and good homemade sandwiches, among other things) Sugar's, Carley's, and a MacDonald's  (and one more in Logandale, Tiffany's Subs and Pies -- and let's not forget the shaved ice), but the number of places to grab a bite sometimes fluctuates -- the Chinese restaurant between Logandale and Overton closed, for example; one bank, one grocery chain store (Lin's), a Dollar store, 2 hardware stores, a Napa auto parts, a post office, gas station, and various other small businesses;  basically one of everything that makes up a small town. It's the closest settlement to the spectacular Valley of Fire, but is surrounded by lots of eye-candy landscapes. Now that I described it in words, let's take a visual tour -- 

Here's the "main drag" looking north -- Moapa Valley Blvd, which is Highway 169 that runs through the lower Moapa Valley, the towns of Logandale (best known for its Pomegranate Festival in late autumn) and eventually to Lake Mead. The thrift store is a good place to find bargains on household goods. I'd left my pots and pans at Faranuf, so I bought an emergency pot and lid from them for 75 cents. 

Looking from the other side of the boulevard, there's Lin's, and behind that Mickey D's, which on some mornings seems to be the social center for snowbirders staying in the 2 RVparks here. I myself use the drive-thru on occasion for a quick breakfast -- fruit and maple oatmeal and the 2 sausage burrito meal -- when I'm heading somewhere for the day and don't have the time to make breakfast. The Red Rooster Bar is across the street, and just above that is Sugar's, one of the main, and best known restaurants in the lower Moapa Valley. And this is pretty much the amount of traffic on Moapa Valley Boulevard during rush hour. What a difference from the jam-packed 91 freeway through downtown Riverside...

Suds-ur-Duds. I used it on occasion as it had oversized washing machines, but alas it closed. David Anderson, new FB friend and Overton resident, said the building used to be Overton's post office, and his dad's cousin was the postmaster.

Here's the one gas station in Overton ( and there's a Chevron station up in Logandale, too) -- Maverick. My one question is -- what's a Chorcheezo? Hmmm, I may not want to find out...

The pinkish building in the pic below is the post office. And the tire tracks in the mud, that lead to the post office's paved parking lot, made me wonder, why go through all that mud when you could do like that truck on the right -- go from paved road to paved parking lot to get your mail?  Yahoo!  Muddy truck time!

It sounds like quite a few folks here used to work at the next establishment when they were younger -- the local movie house. When I did a briefer Overton overview post on my Facebook page, people responded with reminisces about working there -- running the projectors, and in once instance saying her parents owned it. And this same Overton resident, Diana Peterson, said one of its previous names was the El Notrevo -- which is Overton spelled backwards. Alas, like Suds ur Duds it's been closed for a few years now.

o

There's a house facing  Moapa Valley Blvd that has this sign on the street sign post; it reads "Private Property -- Trespassers will be violated, survivors will be shot". And I get the feeling that it's all true...

Here's Sugar's Home Plate Restaurant and Sports Memorabilia, a local landmark. It's owned by Ray and Judy Metz and is named for Ray's nickname (as in Sugar Ray Robinson; most of these facts are from Nevada Magazine's spotlight on Sugar's, from 1998). It opened in 1991, and as its name says has a collection of sports memorabilia. The Los Angeles sports figures on the front are of Sandy Koufax, the one next to the front door is #13, a quarterback of the Rams when they were still in LA (I looked up the number on the Internet, which says it's Jeff Kemp)... and I forget who's the one in the middle; forgive me, folks...

And I know I've left out many other businesses; once again my apologies, Overton residents. So even though it's not a beautiful town visually, it's still a good example, along with Logandale, of small-town America -- and I love it here. Though the summers can get quite hot (so I've heard; I'm outta here by March at the latest). 

Just outside of town, to the south, are a few areas that I visit frequently. I've mentioned the Overton Wildlife Management area many times, as I frequently visit it for hiking and wildlife photography. And when I posted the following photo on my Facebook Overton post, a resident commented that his dad put the sign up. I think it's very distinctive -- and I like the way Virgin Peak, a landmark here in SE Nevada, is right in its center. 

Once inside the wildlife area, you can get agricultural fields, the mesa (Mormon Mesa, running along the east side of Moapa Valley) and snowy Virgin Peak -- all in the same view. 

So, that's a view of Overton, and the lower Moapa Valley. It's a small town full of friendly folks surrounded by spectacular scenery. And before I end this post -- I forgot to mention the Muddy River, which runs through the valley. It's the lifeblood of the area, but can be treacherous too -- witness the flood from August 2014 which devastated the area and wiped out part of Interstate 15. But the people here bounced back -- and the Moapa Valley and the towns of Logandale and Overton are definitely worth a visit . You can stay at the Northshore Inn just as you enter the town; I did, and walked across the street to La Fonda for great Mexican food... 

The "M" on the mesa is for Moapa. And I'll end this with a panoramic view of the silica plant on the right, looking as if it's lit up by a spotlight; the town of Overton to the left; the long ridge of Mormon Mesa; the Mormon Mountains to the left, behind the mesa; and the vast, turbulent, awesome sky over this part of SE Nevada.