Side road through Moapa Valley leads to scenery, history

Autumn is a prime time to explore Southern Nevada’s scenic and historic side roads into places bypassed by our busy freeways and major highways.

State Route 169 through Moapa Valley provides just such an enjoyable drive off Interstate 15 north of Las Vegas. This rural route accesses points of interest such as the Logandale Trails Recreation Area, Valley of Fire State Park, and Northshore Road in Lake Mead National Recreation Area. The road follows the verdant valley carved by the Muddy River and leads to pioneerera towns established where ancient cultures had thrived for about 10,000 years.

To reach this beautiful agricultural center, drive about 55 miles north on I-15. Just beyond Glendale, turn on Route 169, which will take you south about 12 miles through Logandale and Overton. pottery and baskets left behind by native farmers and villagers long ago.

In the 1920s, local brothers John and Fay Perkins contacted Nevada Gov. James Scrugham about the ruins, which would lead to a series of excavations at the site by noted archaeologist M.R. Harrington.

With the construction of Hoover Dam underway in the 1930s, excavation continued on sites that would be flooded by the creation of Lake Mead.

The Perkins brothers were among the local residents who worked on the excavations. Lifelong collectors of artifacts in the area, they maintained long-term interest in the museum from its beginnings in 1935 when

RONDA CHURCHILL/LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL The Lost City Museum in Overton chronicles the ancient cultural history of the Moapa Valley area.