Thursday, September 13, 2018

Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park

The Berlin-Ichthyosaur State Park is a remote ghost town in the mountains of central Nevada that features a turn-of-the-20th-century mining community and the largest known collection of ichthyosaur fossils. How remote is it you ask? The young ranger, who lives here year-round, told me he has a volley ball named "Wilson".

According to the brochure: "During its heyday, Berlin and its Union suburbs supported 200-250 people including miners, woodcutters, charcoal makers, a doctor and nurse, a forest ranger and a prostitute". I wonder which one made the most money.




Unfortunately, the building that contains the fossils was locked so I was unable to take photos. Apparently, it is their off-season and the exhibit is only open on weekends. This was disappointing as my older cousin, Chris, is rumored to have caught these things when he was a youth so I was looking forward to seeing one up close.

2 comments:

Unknown said...

What a cool find. It looks like a fun place to explore!

Jim Brown said...

It is an interesting place to visit but like so many of the Nevada ghost towns I have discovered, it is out in the middle of nowhere so getting to them takes some planning.